Page 30 of Broken Promises
I placed the box on my desk and quickly started sorting through the photographs. Close to the bottom, I found what I was looking for. It was taken at Christmas the year before my mother ran away. It was the only good image I had of her, and without caring to really look at it, I handed it to Rhys.
“I’m sure one of your systems can do a better job than mine.”
He looked at it and then at me. “I’ll be careful with it.”
Walking out of the office and into the dining room, I looked up at Rhys as I slid my hand into his. “I really don’t care what you do with it. She was never a mother to me, and it wouldn’t change my life to not have that picture.”
We returned to the back porch to see the three men looking over something on James’s computer. I sat down as Rhys handed Devlin the picture and took a seat next to me. He looked at the picture and scrunched his face before he handed it over to Lucian.
“I’ll run this through some software and then get our system going,” James remarked and reached over to take the photo from a confused Lucian.
I didn’t know them well, but I saw something in their eyes that was familiar. Their wheels were spinning, and I had a feeling that before this was over, there was going to be a reckoning no one saw coming.
And I feared there was something huge we were overlooking, but for the life of me, I couldn’t place my finger on it.
Chapter 13
Rhys
We sat around talking for another half-hour before they made their excuses to leave. I knew Hannah was overwhelmed and was glad Devlin, Lucian, and James were leaving. I wanted to talk to her to see how she was handling all the developments and possibly help her to connect some of the loose memories she was struggling to string together.
“When can I tell Stella and Hailey you’ll be coming to visit?” Lucian asked, and Hannah looked at me.
“Whenever you want to go, you just say the word,” I said as I tugged her closer to me.
“I’ll have to see about getting time off work,” I remarked, and Devlin smiled at her as James spoke.
“I’ve been looking into what you do for your company and I think we may have multiple positions with Callahan Cyber that you’d be perfect for. Better pay, work from home, and great benefits.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she replied, and James stepped closer.
“I never do anything with Callahan that’s not in the best interest of the company in the long run. We only hire the best and the brightest, and I think your talents are being wasted crashing websites for pennies.”
“I’ll . . . I’ll give it some thought.”
“Please do. And remember what we talked about,” James cryptically remarked as he glanced at me and back to Hannah.
She nodded her understanding, and he turned and walked out the front door, leaving us with Hannah’s newfound brothers. Uncertainty floated through the air as we stood silent in front of them.
Hannah, being the amazing person she is, stepped away from me and looked between her brothers as she asked, “Can I give you a hug?”
Devlin opened his arms, and she gave him a quick hug before she turned to Lucian. He looked unsure as Hannah stepped up, wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him. She whispered something to him, and he nodded before releasing his hold on her. I wanted to ask what she said, but it wasn’t my business. They needed to build trust and bonds that had nothing to do with me, but seeing her kindness show through after all the ugly secrets was a reassuring thing.
I was trying to take her at her word, that what she survived wasn’t the defining moment in her life, but I feared she was just masking her pain. I’d seen some women who could put their attacks behind them but never really move past them, and I’d seen some who had become shells of their former selves. Hannah was handling everything better than I could have imagined, but I still worried about her.
“Please think about coming up to visit soon,” Lucian said before he walked out to join James.
Devlin stayed behind, and I could tell he wanted to say something. I gave him an almost unnoticeable nod, and he looked at Hannah. “I know you feel like you’re on the outside, but you’re my sister, and I’ll do anything to protect you. We’re family and we’re all trying to find our way in this world while dealing with the harsh realities of life. You don’t have to do this alone. You’ve got Rhys, and he’s a good man, but you’ve also got a big family in Tennessee who’re ready to welcome you into the insanity.”
“Thank you, Devlin. For everything,” Hannah responded, and he smiled at her before walking outside.
We stood in the doorway as she waved to them while they backed out of the driveway and pulled down the road. Stepping inside, I locked the door and turned to face her. She looked tired, so I carefully guided her to the couch. She sat down, and I scooted in next to her before wrapping my arm around her shoulder and tugging her closer to me. Her head rested on my shoulder, and I heard her sigh.
“What’s going through your mind?” I asked, and she shrugged. I waited for a minute and said, “You can say anything and it won’t change how I feel about you.”
She sat up and looked me directly in the eyes as she asked, “How do you feel about me?”
I wasn’t going to beat around the bush. She’d had a rough couple of days after a rough couple of months, so I wanted to be straight with her. Taking her hands into mine, I kissed the backs and whispered softly to her, hoping not to scare her away. “I love you, Hannah.”
