Page 251 of Redeemed

She does it again. “Daddy told me that any time you swear in front of me, I should punch you so you remember not to do it.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” he mutters.

Rachel snatches the house key from his hand. “I’m gonna eat some cereal.”

Sighing, Xander turns to me. “I’ve gotta mow the lawn. Can you keep an eye on her?”

“Let me handle the yard. She needs you more than she needs me.”

“I’m no use to her unless I can work some of this anger out of me,” he says darkly.

“Fair enough.” I grab his arm and kiss his temple. “Let me know if you need any help.”

He relaxes just a touch. “I will. And Luc, thank you. You’ve dropped everything for us. You—”

“Hey. I love you, Xan. You’ve got nothing to thank me for.”

Tears fill his eyes, but he quickly blinks them back. “I love you, too.”

“It’s okay if you need to cry, you know,” I say. He has a few times after Rachel has gone to sleep, but he’s been holding back for the most part.

“Not right now.” He rubs at his face. “I’ve gotta deal with the yard. Please just make sure Rachel is okay.”

“I will. You don’t have to worry.”

I watch him as he rounds the house toward the shed. Helplessness clings to me, and my hands curl into fists. There’s no way I can make this better. Nothing I can do will take this pain away from Xan and Rachel.

Defeated, I head inside the house. Josie is working in the kitchen, and Rachel is pouting on the couch.

“No cereal?” I ask.

“Aunt Josie said I have to wait until dinner.”

“Sorry, kiddo, but she’s kinda right.”

“I should punch you, too,” she mumbles grumpily.

Laughing, I sit next to her. “How are you feeling?”

“Everything hurts.”

“Yeah. You’ve still got a couple hours before you can take your next round of pain meds, though. I’m sorry.”

“I want it to go away,” she says, and her voice wobbles. “I want Dad to come home.”

“I know, Rach. I want that, too.”

Josie pokes her head into the living room and mouths the wordnapat me. I nod before turning my attention back to Rachel.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea. What if we get you all nice and cozy in bed, and then I read to you for a bit. Just to help you relax and get your mind off the pain.”

“You think it’ll help?”

“I’d say it’s worth a shot.”

She sniffles. “All right.”

Just as I hoped, my plan works perfectly. Rachel falls asleep within twenty minutes. I keep reading for another ten, just to be safe, and then I quietly turn off her light and leave.

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