Page 82 of Beat of Love
One he recognized.
Olivia.
He hurried down the corridor as she continued her rant. “I thought you should know. But I see how it is. Pres is right. You really don’t give a shit.” Olivia looked up as he walked in, her eyes widening. “Never mind.Raffertyis here. At leasthecares. Have a nice life with your new family.”
A body slammed into him from the side. “You’re here,” Amelia cried out.
His arm automatically closed around her, hugging her close.
“It’smyfault Mom’s hurt,” she wailed, shoving her face into his chest.
Smoothing his hands over her back, he whispered, “Hush, now, Mimi. It was an accident.” He met Preston’s gaze over Amelia’s head, naked relief on the young boy’s face. And he stretched out an arm. “Come here, bud.”
The boy rushed over, and Rafferty pulled him in, too.
Olivia shuffled closer, squeezing in between her siblings.
Rafferty closed his eyes and rested his chin on Olivia’s head, their trust in him baffling. Right from the start they had accepted him, never once looking at him with suspicion in their eyes. He hugged them harder, grateful they had escaped serious injury. When had the three of them become so precious to him?
Let me never do something to break that underserved but precious trust.
“Your mom’s gonna be just fine,” he murmured, breathing deeply. Which was a mistake, as a faint coppery odor reached him.
Blood.
Brandy-Lyn’s blood?
Or theirs?
He pulled back, his stare moving over the trio. Preston was still in his muddy gear, the girls in jeans and sweaters. “Are you guys hurt? Bleeding anywhere?”
Preston rubbed across his chest and collar bone. “Just bruised. From the seatbelt.”
“Me, too,” Olivia added.
“The side airbag on the passenger seat didn’t work.” Amelia started weeping again. “That’s w-why Mom h-hit her h-head so hard.”
Placing his fingers below her chin, Rafferty lifted her face. “It isnotyour fault, love.” She sported several rust-colored smudges. He fought not to react, knowing the origin of the blood. Brandy-Lyn.
Her eyes swam with tears. “Mom didn’twantme to drive, but I begged. And now…” She trailed off, her lower lip trembling again.
“Does she blame you?”
Amelia looked away, wiping under her eyes. “N-no.”
He noticed further stains around her cuticles and in the folds of her hands.
“But there was so much blood,” Amelia continued, “And Mom tookforeverto wake up.”
They must’ve been petrified, alone in the dark, their mom unconscious and bleeding, waiting for help to arrive. Rafferty wanted to pull them in again and take away the awful memory that would stick with them for a lifetime.
But he couldn’t.
All he could do was be there for them and help them get through it. “Accidents happen, darlin’.” And didn’t that platitude sound so trite, yet it was the truth.
She scowled at him. “You don’t understand. Iaskedto drive.”
“I get that, Amelia. You think it’s your fault. But—”
