Page 4 of Dead Evil
“I can watch my own child,” Ronan said, sounding annoyed.
“I know you can,” Jude agreed easily. “You’d be up her ass the whole time, watching for criminals on the take. Tell me I’m wrong.”
Ten snorted. Jude was right on the money.
“Fine. You’re right. Now what?”
“We’ve talked a lot about you wanting Everly to just be a kid. This is that opportunity,” Jude said. “I imagine there will be a lot of parents in your same boat, Ronan. Parents who want their gifted kids to be safe. This is a great opportunity for you to make some new friends as well. Right now, all you have to go on is Ten’s sheltered and closeted childhood. I think it would be great for you to hear how other parents handle their psychically gifted kids.”
Ten could kiss Jude for his answer. Hell, if this kept up, he’d be kissing the entire store before the day was over. He set a hand on Ronan’s wrist. “I’m with Jude.”
Ronan was silent for a few seconds. “You’re right. I know you’ll keep her safe.”
“I’ll protect her with my life.” Jude set a hand over his heart. “We’re bringing Wolf on Saturday night. He’s interested in the Dallas Demonologists. When we got the lineup of people who’d be at the con, I wanted to do some research, so we’d know what we were dealing with. Wolf wanted to sit with me while I worked. We watched a bunch of their YouTube videos. They’re badass.”
“So much so that their the marquee attraction on Saturday night,” Fitz chimed in. “I’ve watched a bunch of their videos as well. With all the shouting and praying, I think it’s too much for Aurora’s sensory issues, so we’re going to skip it.”
“That works for us. Ronan?” Jude asked, gently.
“We’ll bring Everly Saturday night too,” Ronan agreed, sounding a little bit wary. “Ezra’s staying home. I’ll ask Kaye if she can watch him.”
“She’s taking Lizzy B for the night,” Cope said. “I’m sure she won’t mind having Ezra too.”
“So we’re all in agreement?” Fitz asked, not waiting for an answer. He got to his feet and headed for the door. “We’re leaving in ten minutes for the meeting with Cisco. Jude, before we go, send me all the research you did on the participants of Paranormal Phantasmagoria.”
“You got it.” Jude hurried out of the room. Carson and Cole were right behind him.
“Why couldn’t you tell me the real reason you didn’t want Everly to meet the other kids?” Ten asked when it was just him and Ronan left in the conference room.
“Because I didn’t want to admit that I was worried for her safety. I’m a cop. I carry a gun for a living. If anyone should be able to protect Everly, it’s me. It breaks me when I think about not being able to keep her safe.”
Ten sighed. “None of us are safe, Ronan. That’s the point of this crazy life. To live in the moment. To be present and engaged. Remember when she was learning to walk?”
“Yeah, I followed behind her with a pillow to cushion her falls, but she fell anyway.”
“She did, but Everly learned to get up, dust herself off, and try again. We need to give her room to fall. She needs to learn to problem solve for herself. Everly needs to stretch her wings and fly, no matter how much that scares us.”
“You’re scared too?” Ronan asked, wearing a shocked look.
“Of course I am.” Ten picked up Ronan’s hand and gave it a squeeze. He was scared for Everly and her future, just as much as his husband. Maybe more so. “I know what kids are like. There will be people who want to be her friend for all kinds of nefarious reasons, but I have to believe that there are other kids who will see the kindness and joy in our daughter and will want her light to shine on them.”
“You’re right,” Ronan agreed with a smile. “We’ll let her spread her wings, just so long as Jude is there to catch her if she falls.” Getting out of his seat, he pressed a kiss to Ten’s temple. “Is Cisco going to hand me my ass today?”
Ten snorted. “Not that I can see, but you have this way of setting him off, so if I were going to offer some advice, I’d remind you that your mouth is sometimes your worst enemy. Shut up, Ronan.”
Ronan laughed. “How long have you been waiting to say that to me?”
“Since the day we met!” Ten headed for the door. “Text me later to let me know what’s up with Cisco.”
”You got it.”
Tennyson’s thoughts turned back to his daughter. He would have given anything to have the opportunity to meet other people with gifts like his own when he was younger. Everly was over the moon to meet kids like herself. They’d had a lot of talks about keeping herself safe and how to spot trouble. All he could do now was hope she put those lessons to good use but if she didn’t, Jude would be there to catch her.
Ten couldn’t ask for more than that.
2
Ronan
