Page 92 of Our Lips Are Sealed
“I’m on my way to do just that,” she replied, nervously fidgeting in place. “I’m hoping Samuel and I can go home soon.”
Ben took a minute to digest her meaning. “Well, all I can tell you is to tread lightly around him in the mornings. He’s a complete ass until he’s had his coffee.”
“I think I can handle him.”
“And you come to me if he doesn’t make you happy.” Placing his fingers under her chin, he held her gaze. “No questions asked, and I will yank a knot in my son’s ass.”
She wanted to laugh at how serious he was being. “But will you do the same to me if I don’t make him happy?”
“You will,” Ben said with quiet certainty. “I’m familiar with that look he gets in his eyes whenever you’re near. I must have been blind not to have recognized it before now.”
“And what look is that?”
“The very simple awe of seeing the other half of your soul walking around in the form of another human. It’s the scariest damn thing a man can experience.”
“That’s pretty profound, Ben.”
He shrugged. “Blame your mother. She made me this way.”
At the mention of her mother, the nervous ball of anxiousness bouncing around in her stomach unraveled, and Evie bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from speaking, but in the end, something told her that it was best not to keep it bottled up inside. “Can I tell you something?”
Ben listened patiently as she spoke of what she’d seen in the forest. She might not want to tell Samuel yet, but she needed to talk to someone, and Ben would approach the problem practically without making a fuss.
“Maybe we should take you in for an x-ray or something.” His eyes shifted to the bump on her head. “Have a real doctor check you out.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I guess.”
“Look, kid, what you saw was probably due to adrenaline and stress. The mind can show you crazy things to help you cope during tough times. Trust me on this.”
Pulling her into an embrace, he hugged her close. “However, if there were any person strong enough to come back and save you, it would be your mother,” he conceded. “You can take that whatever way you want.”
Rain clattered against the windows, and the shadows beyond the glass scurried about for cover. In the silence that followed, Ben let out a heavy sigh.
“How many lives can one man ruin?”
Evie squeezed him. “Toby won’t be able to hurt anyone else.”
“I wasn’t talking about Toby.”
She pulled back to look up at him. “What happened isn’t your fault,” she insisted, needing him to understand. “You’ve done nothing but love and take care of us.”
“Yeah, but I could have done so much more.”
Samuel came in, his hair damp from the rain. Fitz was tucked under his arm, and the two of them eyeballed her and Ben down on the lower level. “What are we doing in here?”
“Nothing,” Ben replied, letting her go. “You need to take Evie home to get some rest.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do.” Samuel waved a hand at Fitz, who, in Evie’s opinion, looked rather at home in his current position. “I’m not carrying around this furball because I like him.”
“Fitz is coming with us?” She couldn’t imagine Samuel allowing an animal to live in the same house as him. When he was a kid, certain types of fur—namely cat fur—had him breaking out in hives. “Are you sure?”
Beast and man glanced at one another. “I figured you two were a package deal.”
“Well, not if it’s going to cause a problem.”
Extending his arm, Samuel held Fitz in the air. “Does this thing make you happy?”
“Yes.”
