Page 52 of Refuge for Cherilyn

A sensation hit her stomach like a sledgehammer, and she felt queasy. “But why would Frymire do something like that? They were best friends!”

“At least Frankie thought so. This is for one of two reasons. Either Frankie refused to turn you over to Frymire, or it was intended as a message to you.”

The room started to spin and by the time he’d finished speaking, her head was hanging over the toilet in the small bathroom. She felt a presence behind her and a pair of hands pulled her hair up and held it. His voice was gentle when he asked, “You okay?”

“No. No, I’m not okay.” One more round of retching and she was pretty sure there was nothing left in her stomach. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then spun toward the sink and splashed water on her face. “Oh, god,” she whispered as droplets of water fell into the sink from her chin. “How am I supposed to tell Maya about this?”

He handed her a towel. “I’ll help you, but you have to tell her. And then we need to do some serious thinking about how to proceed from this point forward. It’s my job to keep you safe and?”

“How is it your job?”

When he didn’t answer immediately, she spun to find him standing there, arms folded over his chest. “Why wouldn’t it be? I was very clear with you. You, in my arms, in my bed… that’s a commitment, as far as I’m concerned.” A look passed over his face, one she didn’t really understand until he spoke. “If anything happens to you, I’d be… crushed. That can’t happen. I’ve spent a lot of time alone and hurt and angry, and I’ve started to heal. That’s because of you. I don’t intend to let that slip away because I was asleep on the job. You and the girls are safe with me, and that’s a promise I intend to keep.” Then he opened his arms.

Cherilyn fell into them. There had been so many lonely nights, so many tiresome days, so much fear and poverty and hunger and hopelessness. Shaw was the end to all of that, and she found it almost too good to believe. “I can never give back to you all that you’ve already given to me, much less more.”

His arms tightened even closer around her, and his breath was warm in her hair as he whispered, “Babe, you already have.”

The tears cascaded from her eyes so quickly that she couldn’t stop them. He had no idea what he meant to her. Thinking about Shaw, about the possibility of being there with him for the long haul, gave her a sense of peace and security that she’d never had in her life. Her parents had been poor, and life hadn’t been any better with Frankie. Shaw wasn’t a rich man, but he had a home where they could all have a safe, healthy, and happy life. It was the kind of home she’d always wanted, not fancy, but full of laughter and love and family. Cuddled up there against him, she felt sheltered and safe. She had a request, and she hoped he’d make it happen. “Could I please meet your family?”

The vibrations from the chuckle made her feel warm all over. “I told you that I want you to. Let’s do that, get you three over there, let you meet my mom and dad. I know Mom’s going to want to see Candace, if for no reason other than to ream her ass for how she’s behaved.”

She let out a little giggle. “Oh, she’s one ofthosemoms?”

“Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Boy, the stories we can tell when my brothers and I are together. Makes her so mad, and it’s so funny!” Shaw said with a laugh.

“I bet.” She pulled back so she could gaze into his eyes, and the way he looked at her surprised her. No man had ever looked at her that way, like she held value and he cherished her. Frankie had typically ignored her while he watched TV, yelled at her because she didn’t have dinner ready, or complained about something she had or hadn’t done. Shaw wasn’t that kind of guy. His home was a peaceful place, and it was very obvious that he wanted to keep it that way. “What do we do now?”

“We’re waiting for some of the law enforcement from other places to contact us, bring some evidence to the table, and see if we can connect the dots. But it’s not an event. It’s a process, and it’s going to take some time. Promise me you’ll hang in there, okay?” As gently as a spring breeze, his finger stroked a strand of hair out of her face and hooked it behind her ear. “I’m here for you, for Maya, and for Lara.” Then he snorted. “And yeah, even Candace.”

“She’s not a bad kid, baby. She just needs somebody who gives a damn about her to pull her up short and redirect her.”

He grinned. “That’s the second time.”

What the hell is he talking about?she wondered. “The second time for what?”

“The second time you’ve called me baby.” He kissed her forehead and she thought she’d melt. “And I like it. A lot.”

“Are we going kind of fast?” She didn’t want to go all in only for him to realize two weeks later that it was too much.

Every bit of that doubt was whisked away when he spoke. “No. We are not. I want you established in a home, you safe, your kids safe, and having everything you need and most of what you want. That’s my goal.”

A soft fingertip stroked down his nose and stopped at the cleft between his lips. “You, ShawHarrison, are a determined man. And you move fast.”

“No, I’m a man who knows what he wants. And right now, I want you to go sit down and take a deep breath. Don’t worry about telling Maya right now. Give yourself a day or two to kind of process the whole thing and then we can tell her together. How’s that?”

“That would be great.”

“Good. Tell you what?I’ve got to go to work in a bit, but I’ll call my mom, see if they can bring dinner over for all of you. You can sit and talk and have a good time. I promise, they’ll love you, and you’ll love them. Even though they’re my parents and I’m a little biased, they’re still great people, and I enjoy spending time with them. My mom’s a hoot.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, poked around on the screen, and held it out to her. “That’s what they look like, so when you look out and see someone, you’ll know if it’s them or not.”

“Good. Okay. I guess I need to change. Maybe shower. Do something with my hair and?”

“Cheri, you did all of that this morning. There’s no need to primp and preen for them, honey. They’ll love you just like you are this very minute.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. I’ve gotta go get ready for work. Just do like you did yesterday?keep the doors locked and don’t let anybody you don’t know in.” Then he scowled. “And don’t let Candace out. God only knows where we’d find her, if we ever did.” Shaw leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Oh, and I’ve got like five streaming services. The passwords are on the coffee table.”

“I don’t know how to do that.” It was a little embarrassing to admit, but she didn’t.

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