Page 46 of Assassin's Heart
“I got her brother killed.”
Abby paused in spreading butter over a slice of bread, using her knife to point my way. I almost smiled.
“If Ross is dead, it’s his own damn fault. Not yours and certainly not Leah’s or Brooke’s.” She went back to spreading. “And if he’s dead, she needs you right now more than ever. Don’t stop reaching for her, Remi. Don’t give up.”
Giving up had never been in my nature; hell, I’d stalked the woman for almost two years. But there’d been something in Leah’s voice… “Maybe she wants me to let her go,” I said, the words somewhere between a statement and a question.
Abby turned on the burner beneath a pan and set the first sandwich inside. “I see the way she looks at you. That’s not the look of a woman who could walk away and never look back.”
“She’s got a child to think about.” I watched Abby press the sandwich with a spatula, urging the cheese to melt. “No woman wants a killer near her child.”
Abby turned on me. “I do,” she said fiercely. “And I certainly don’t see you as a killer.”
I closed my eyes, feeling that tight band around my chest loosen the slightest bit.God, Abby. What did we do to deserve you?I smiled her way. “We’ve already established that you’re delusional. You chose Levi, after all.”
“And I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” she said softly, honesty shining from those hazel eyes, making my heart ache all over again. What would that be like, for a woman to choose you, just as you were? Could Leah ever choose me?
“Not if you don’t give her the chance to.”
I hadn’t even realized I’d spoken aloud.
“All I’m saying is”—Abby lifted the grilled cheese out of the skillet, added a second—“I’m very familiar with the feelings I see in Leah’s eyes. Don’t give up, Remi. If you do, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. And so will she.”
I cleared away the damn lump in my throat. “Have I ever told you thank you?”
She glanced at me, eyes wide with surprise. “For what?”
I watched her add a third sandwich to the pan. “For loving my brother. For showing us how to be a family.” Without our parents, we’d been lost, the three of us wandering around in the dark.
“Oh, Remi.” One side of Abby’s mouth lifted in a sad smile. “I didn’t know how to be a family any more than you three did. I just reached for what I wanted.”
I glanced up at the ceiling, wishing I could see all the way up to the two people I wanted more than anything in my life. Was it really that easy?
Abby finished the last sandwich, then assembled the tray with the food and drinks for three. She added oatmeal molasses cookies before pushing it across the island toward me. “Go get ’em, brother.”
I looked from this woman who’d changed all our lives, to the tray, and back again. Then picked up the offering she’d provided in both hands and headed upstairs.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Nineteen
Leah —
I’d brought a backpack full of things for Brooke, including her favorite pink pajamas with the white unicorns dancing across them, their rainbow horns bright and colorful. Brooke welcomed the warm fabric against her goose-bumped skin after her bath, but she wasn’t smiling. Watching her, I wondered how long it would be before either one of us smiled again.
“Come on, baby.” I urged her across the room to the bed, pulling back the covers for her to climb in. “Let’s get you warm.”
“Will you brush my hair, Mommy?”
I’d just brushed the tangles out in the bathroom, but that wasn’t what she meant. From the time she was little, Brooke had been soothed by long sessions with the brush running through her hair. She needed to be soothed now more than ever. And maybe I needed to soothe her.
A knock sounded at the door. Brooke jumped.
I gathered her close, choking up at the evidence of her fear. “It’s okay. Nothing to be afraid of here, I promise.” The scent of soap and sweet baby filled my nose, reminding me she was here, safe, with me. “Let me go see who it is.”
Brooke clung a moment longer before reluctantly releasing me. Another knock sounded as I crossed the room.
“Just a sec!”
