Page 34 of This Is Love (The Light to My Darkness 3)

James wrapped his arms around me from behind, holding me steady. I had fixed things with him. Miraculously, he had forgiven me for everything. But I couldn’t fix this. I didn’t know how to heal my son.

“What are we going to do?” I whispered. I wasn’t even sure if James heard me. But then he kissed the side of my neck.

“We’re going to wait.” His breath was hot in my ear, giving me a sense of comfort. “And pray. And be with him as much as possible.”

“But you’re not religious.”

“Praying to a God you didn’t think you believed in during a crisis sometimes makes a believer out of the most hardened of souls. It makes you hope that miracles can happen.”

I sniffed, trying to stop my tears. “Did you read that somewhere?” It was beautiful.

“No, it’s just…true.”

I turned my head to look up at him.

He reached out and gently wiped away my tears. “God, if you’re out there, please heal our son,” he said. “Please watch over him. Let us bring him home.”

Whatever tears he had wiped away started falling freely again.

“And let Penny’s memories keep coming back. Let her heal.”

“And let James heal too,” I added. I still needed to talk to him about what exactly had happened to him. But it was true, praying to a God we didn’t necessarily believe in couldn’t possibly hurt. “Amen?”

“Amen,” James confirmed.

Liam kicked one of his feet out and my tears were replaced with a smile. I definitely remembered him k

icking me. A lot. It had been his favorite hobby. But the kick didn’t seem as strong as it had in my stomach.

“Can I hold him?” Susan asked.

I instinctively hugged Liam tighter to my chest. I didn’t want to let him go. It felt like he was exactly where he belonged. I couldn’t even imagine having to leave him tonight.

Susan put her arms out to take him.

She was trying. I knew that. She wanted to be a part of Liam’s life. Whatever that may entail. I leaned down and kissed his forehead. “I love you, baby boy. You’re going to come home soon. I promise.” It didn’t matter if my promise was empty. That’s what parents did, right? Fight for their children? And I’d do anything to make my promise true. Anything. I reluctantly placed Liam into Susan’s arms.

I felt empty as soon as he was gone. Like a part of me was missing. I turned and pressed the side of my face against James’ chest. He held me as I cried. His hand running up and down my back was the most comforting thing in the world. And the smell of his cologne. And the softness of his t-shirt. I remembered all of it.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said.

He was the heart of our family. And I’d take his lies any day. I liked that he sheltered me from pain. I loved him for it. But he couldn’t protect me from this, no matter how much I wished that he could. We were going to face all this together. As a team.

“It’s late,” James said. “We can come back in the morning with Scarlett.”

“She never goes to sleep without a bedtime story.” The words tumbled out of my mouth and I knew that they were true. “She’s probably giving everyone back home trouble.”

“Most likely.” He smiled down at me. “She’s going to be excited to see you.”

“Not that imposter in my place? She could tell. She knew something wasn’t right.”

“She’s a smart kid.”

“Like her father.”

James shook his head. “Like her mother.”

“Hey, J.J. How are you tonight?” Rob asked.

---