Page 193 of Fearless

I’m smiling like an idiot as I follow them down the stairs, Daisy flying the entire way before JD sets her down in her seat.

She may have only been here a few days, but already she has more things here than I do. Her place at the table includes a booster seat so she can actually see over the tabletop and her own set of pink cutlery. Almost all of it is courtesy of JD and Ezra, of course.

Every day JD rushes out to the mailbox by the main gates to collect a parcel or five. And every time Ezra comes to visit—which has been often—he comes with something that makes Daisy’s eyes light up in excitement.

“Who’s hungry?” Reid asks, carrying over a towering plate of pancakes.

Stopping behind the chair that Mav is sitting in, I grip his jaw and lean over to steal a kiss.

“Morning, Doll,” he rasps. “Missed you.”

Along with all the things Daisy has received in the past few days, her own bedroom is another.

But she’s not doing a great job of sleeping in there alone.

Every night she has nightmares that result in at least one of us being in there with her.

It’s still early days after her ordeal, and we’re all hoping things get better with time. But for now, we’re determined to try and keep her sleeping in her own room. It’s already hard enough to figure out who’s sleeping where most nights. We don’t need to add a fifth issue into that.

“Did you get any sleep?” I ask, knowing Mav spent most of last night in the rocking chair in Daisy’s room.

“A few hours,” he says before reaching for food when my attention is stolen by Reid.

“You really have found the way to her heart, haven’t you?” I ask, gazing up into his dark eyes.

He nuzzles my neck. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” he rumbles.

“Sure you don’t. Just make sure she has veggies as well as sugar.”

“Sure thing, Momma,” he teases.

“I’m serious. I know you want her to like you but?—”

“I don’t beg for anyone’s acceptance, Pet.”

“No, you just ply them with sugar.”

Taking his hand, I tug him away from the table, and more importantly, away from little ears.

“Everything okay?” he asks, studying me closely.

“Has he said anything else?” I ask quietly.

After walking out of our father’s cell five days ago happy that he’d slowly bleed to death, thanks to the barbed wire, I eventually came to the conclusion that it would be selfish of me to let him die before Kristie was in a place to decide for herself if she wanted to say something to him.

She’s already had enough stolen from her in her life—almost all by him—she deserves the chance to look him in the eyes and tell him what a cunt he is just as much as I do.

Kristie knows he’s here. She’s been doing better the last couple of days, although she hasn’t stepped foot outside her cell yet other than for a shower. Of her own choosing.

I offered for her to come back upstairs yesterday, but she point-blank refused.

She knows about Daisy, just as much as she does Kurt, and she’s told me that she’s not willing to meet her until she’s stable enough to be a part of her life. And if that’s not possible, then she’ll leave without ever meeting her. The fact that she even thinks that’s a possibility is laughable. Kristie isn’t going anywhere. She’s as much a part of this family as everyone else sitting around the breakfast table right now.

“Nothing of any importance. I really don’t think he knows where Victor is.”

“You really think he’d have turned his back on both his right-hand men to protect himself?” I muse.

Reid stares at me with one brow raised.

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