Page 76 of The Light to My Darkness (The Light to My Darkness 1)

"Scar, I can take care of us. There's absolutely nothing to worry about."

She pressed her lips together, like she was considering the possibility. "Can you look under the bed?"

I smiled. "Of course." I slowly got down on my hands and knees and looked under the bed. "Nothing there," I said and got back to my feet. "I'll be right back." I kissed her forehead and made my way over to my suitcase.

I almost started crying when I opened it up. There was one of James' t-shirts sitting on the top of the rest of the items, with a note. I picked up the slip of paper.

My beautiful wife,

In case you can't sleep without feeling close to me. I'll be back before you know it. Call me when you wake up. I miss you already.

Love always,

James

I quickly got ready for bed and then pulled his shirt over my head. James' cologne immediately surrounded me. It calmed me better than anything else in the world.

But a clicking noise disrupted any calming effect the shirt had. "Scar?" I opened up the bathroom door and walked out when there was no response. "Scar?" I turned toward the bed and froze when she wasn't lying where I had left her. "Scarlett?!" I glanced around the room, but it was completely empty.

"Scarlett!" Fear gripped my heart as I ran to the door. Oh God. Oh God. I ran out into the hall and stared at my daughter wreaking havoc on a whole floor of The Plaza Hotel.

Scarlett was at the opposite end of the hall, banging on a door. "Uncle Mason!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Scar, what are you doing?" I hissed.

She turned toward me. But then immediately ran to another door, farther away from me. "Uncle Tyler!" she yelled and banged on the door.

"Scarlett, stop it." I started walking toward her. "You're going to wake up everyone on the floor." Ow. Not right now, baby boy. I stopped and placed my hand on the wall. A searing pain hit my chest right after another kick in the ribs. I closed my eyes for a second.

"Uncle Matt!" Scarlett screamed as she banged on another door.

"Scarlett Hunter, stop that right now," I said sternly and opened my eyes. "Come over here."

She just ran to another door. "Uncle Rooooob!"

Damn it, Scar. I put my hand on the center of my chest and pushed myself off the wall. Ow. I knew she had scared me. That's why my chest hurt. It's just in my head.

Scarlett started banging on another door.

"Scar, please stop. Please stop for Mommy." She hadn't listened to my demand. Maybe she'd listen to me begging.

Matt walked out of one of the rooms she had banged on earlier, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.

"Uncle Matt!" Scarlett said and ran over to him. She jumped into his arms as he leaned down to talk to her.

I slowly hobbled over to them. "Scar, you can't run off like that. We just talked about this the other day. What were you thinking?"

"It's okay," Matt said. "I got her."

"And what if it hadn't been you? What if it had been some stranger that just snatched her up?"

"But it was me." He said it slowly.

I knew he was trying to calm me, but I didn't think anything could calm me down. "You promised you wouldn't leave without a grown-up, Scarlett. Get over here, right now."

"I said I wouldn't leave the house," Scarlett said and hugged Matt's torso even tighter. "We're not in our house, Mommy."

For God's sake. When had my daughter become a smart ass?

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