Page 75 of The Light to My Darkness (The Light to My Darkness 1)

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Tyler asked.

I glanced over at him. Everyone seemed to be asleep but us. Somehow watching trolls singing on the screen had calmed me down. And Tyler had always been good at listening to me.

"Scar said a snake was going to get me," I said. "And that she was worried about James not being a good dad when I was gone."

"Well, that's not creepy at all." Tyler smiled. "Sometimes Axel says weird stuff, but it's usually from something he heard."

"We let her watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. You know, the one with that huge snake? She started saying it after that."

"So that's it. She's just scared of the movie."

"I guess. I don't know why she's projecting the snake on me though."

"We're all worried about you, Penny. Kids are smart. They can pick up on stuff like that."

"Yeah, I know." I ran my fingers through Scarlett's hair. "James worries all the time about being a bad father. Yet, I'm the one terrifying our daughter."

"Penny, you're a great mom. Right up there with Hailey and my own mother."

I smiled. "Thanks, Tyler. It's late, I should probably get us to bed." I scooted off the side of the bed.

"You can spend the night if you want," he said. "The bed is certainly big enough."

I laughed. "I appreciate the offer, but we paid for a perfectly good room down the hall." I leaned over the bed to reach for Scarlett.

"Do you want me to carry her for you?"

"No, I've got her." I lifted her up into my arms.

She moaned lightly in her sleep.

"Thanks for tonight, Tyler. It was just what I needed."

"Any time, Penny." He yawned and switched off the television. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." I walked out into the hall. This time I had no trouble finding my keycard. I carried Scarlett into our hotel room and switched on the lights so I wouldn't trip on the way to the bed.

But that made Scarlett open her eyes. She looked around for a moment, slightly disoriented.

"Can't we sleep in Axel's room?" she said. "It's slumber party."

I laid her down in the bed. "We're going to sleep in here tonight." I pushed her bangs off her forehead and pulled the covers up around her.

"But, Mommy, I'm scared."

"There's nothing to be scared of." I leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"I miss Daddy. The snake never comes when Daddy is here."

I swallowed hard. "Scar, there is no snake. Didn't Daddy tell you that earlier today?"

"No, he said you were scared of him and that I shouldn't talk about him coming anymore. But I'm scared of him too."

She blinked up at me in the most innocent way. But the words she said weren't innocent. They were haunting.

What was I supposed to say in response to her words? I took a deep breath and grabbed her hand. "Baby girl, there are no snake monsters. And there's nothing coming for us. Now, I'm going to go get ready for bed. And then we can have snuggles, okay?"

She let go of my hand and gripped the top of the sheets in her fists. "Okay, Mommy. But we could sleep with Uncle Tyler. Or Uncle Rob. Or Uncle Matt. Or Uncle Mason..."

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