Page 96 of Wildflower and Whiskey
Phoenix
Harmony stayed the night at Dad’s with the rest of my brothers. Dad wasn’t only the director of the police force; he was a force of nature. A man who opened his home and heart to many people over the years, so it wasn’t surprising when he took Harmony in. Outside everything seemed so quiet and peaceful, but inside me adrenaline still hummed. The night dragged on with me still feeling the need to hold my breath, despite Braden being home. I had to keep telling myself he was safe. That we were together in our home.
Now it was morning, I was tired and stressed as I sat at the kitchen table, elbows braced on the wood, watching steam curl from my mug and thinking about how close we’d come to losing everything.
Elyna padded into the kitchen barefoot, her hair in a messy knot, wearing one of my old T-shirts. She carried Braden on her hip. “Morning,” she said, voice still soft with sleep.
Braden was all smiles as she placed him in his high chair and went to the counter to prepare his cereal. She gave him a spoon to hold in the meantime, and he was babbling to the spoon like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.
“Morning,” I echoed.
When his cereal was ready, Elyna grabbed a seat at one of the chairs closest to the high chair, and she began feeding him, smiling, and making her usual silly sounds and funny faces. I watched them together; the curve of her shoulder, the sound of his laugh, and something inside me finally settled after last night’s disaster. The fear was still there, but it wasn’t in charge anymore.
Elyna caught me staring. “You look like you didn’t sleep.”
“I didn’t,” I admitted. “I was too wired and grateful.”
Her smile tilted. “Same.” Braden had spent the rest of the night cradled between us in bed. The thought of putting him back in his crib had both of us reeling with anxiety.
I poured her a cup of coffee. When she finished feeding Braden she came to stand beside me, hip against the counter. For a long minute we didn’t say anything. The quiet was good, the kind that let your heart catch up to the rest of you.
“I keep thinking about yesterday,” she said finally. “How fast everything can go from normal to nightmare.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, that exact thought had settled heavy on me through the night.
She looked over at Braden. He was busy trying to stick cereal into his sippy cup. “He doesn’t even know he was in danger. I keep telling myself that’s a blessing.”
“It is.” I reached out, letting my hand rest against her wrist. “He’s safe. You’re safe. That’s the only thing that matters.”
Her throat worked, a small nod. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if . . .”
“Hey.” I stood and caught her face between my palms. “Don’t finish that sentence. We’re past it.”
Her eyes met mine as she held back tears, “Phoenix,” she whispered, and I could hear everything she wasn’t saying in that one word.
I kissed her. The kind of kiss that said, “This is what I choose every damn day.”
When I pulled back, she smiled faintly. “You always know what to say.”
We both laughed.
“There’s a first time for everything,” I said.
She got quiet again, studying me like she was trying to figure out where to start.
“What is it?” I asked.
“You look different.”
“Different how?”
“Like you finally let yourself breathe.”
Maybe I had. Or maybe I was just done pretending that wanting them wasn’t the most honest thing about me.
I drew a slow breath. “Elyna, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Her brow furrowed. “Okay.”
