Page 242 of Deadly Sweet

So, I found out what happened to the baby they lost, what the facility did with her body.

She was cremated, her ashes kept in the basement.

Daphne got that place shut down fast and everyone who knew about the shady business was being dealt with by her and Jerry.

But not before she was able to get the ashes to me.

“What are we doing here?” Walker asks as we pull up to the cemetery.

Saying nothing, I lead them to where we need to go.

“This is a weird-ass family outing,” Caleb mutters.

I can’t help but laugh.

“Shh,” I hush him. “We’re here for a reason.”

“What's that?” Jake asks. “You're not going to kill us and leave our bodies here, are you?”

“No,” I growl playfully.

When we get where we need to be, I stop. The guys stop too.

“Ahhh...” Caleb starts. “What’s going on?”

“Baby girl Holloway,” Leroy whispers.

Turning to face him, I smile. His eyes well with tears as he wraps his arms around Athena who’s strapped to his chest in a baby carrier.

“What?” Caleb asks, eyes dropping to the gravestone in front of us.

“What's this?” Walker asks, voice thick with emotion.

Swallowing hard, I give them a watery smile. “This is where your baby girl is buried. If you want anything on her headstone changed, we can do that. This can just be a placeholder for now.”

“Why?” Jake’s red-rimmed eyes turn to me.

“Because...” My voice cracks as I let the tears fall. “You all deserve the chance to grieve, to get closure. But most of all, you deserve to talk to her, to say your goodbyes if you want. Or, tell her whatever you want to say.”

“Thank you.” Walker pulls me into a bear hug. “You’re fucking amazing, you know that?”

“You're pretty amazing yourself, Big Guy.”

He kisses me roughly before stepping back.

Taking a seat on the bench nearby, I give them some space.

All of them sit on the ground and talk to her.

They cry, they laugh. They tell her all about Athena. How they wish she could have been here. How they wish they could have seen her grow up.

When Caleb tells her how much she and Athena would have loved each other, I have to hold back the sob that threatens to break free.

She may not be here with us, but I hope she knows how loved she is.

After a little while, they get up and make their way over to me.

Leroy helps me up and pulls me into his arms. “We love you. So fucking much.”

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