Page 71 of Shelter (The Wanderers 4)

Storm stepped forward, pulled her into his arms, and hugged her tight. “I know your mother is proud, wherever she is. And I hope she’s pleased that you’ve found people who adore you and want the best for you.” He tipped her head back. “I bet she’s scowling at me right now though, and for that I’m sorry. Let’s make her proud of all of us.”

Haley smiled. “Thank you.”

Bray rummaged in his backpack and pulled out a spare gun, handing it to Storm.

Haley took it from him without hesitation. She held it in her palm, directing it at the ground, lining her fingers up properly as if she’d practiced it just yesterday instead of fourteen years ago.

Storm snorted. “Maybe we could all learn a thing or two from Haley.”

Bray slid a hand up her back. “Sorry, baby.” He kissed her temple. “You’re right.”

Riggs stepped closer too. “We adore you, honey. Our instinct is always going to be to ensure you’re safe at all costs, but we can probably be boneheads on occasion. Forgive us.”

Storm cleared his throat. “We never want you to feel like you can’t speak up. If we fuck up, tell us. Don’t hold back. We may have been raised to believe women are lesser and their opinions don’t matter, but we saw another way of life through Marian’s tutelage, and we will ditch those barbaric beliefs and treat you as our equal.”

She choked up as she glanced at each of them. They meant every word.

Bray spoke again. “Not saying we won’t pamper you and worship you. We will. Every day. And you will always come first. Because you’re not our equal. You rank higher than us. But when it matters, we promise not to coddle you.”

“That’s all I ask,” she whispered. “Now, let’s get moving.”

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