Page 138 of Drown My Sorrow

The car stops, and Shale opens the door and gets out. When we’re all out, Beau leads the way up a shaded path. It’s really pretty and quiet here, serene, almost.

I hold on to Ezy’s hand. Kelly walks on my other side with an arm around my back so I don’t need my cane.

This is so sad, but it’s so beautiful. It’s a lovely place to rest. There is a ring of trees and flowers.

We get to two gravestones, but they are older than I would have thought. I open my mouth to ask when I see the names.

My throat closes, and I stare at it, frozen and overwhelmed.

“We found your dad and sister,” Gael says carefully. “We wanted to give you the chance to say goodbye that you never had.”

My mouth moves, but I can’t get any sound out. I’m lost. Memories that I haven’t thought about for years slam into my head. My dad teaching me to ride a bike. Sitting me down and bandaging my knee. Playing games with me and Cassie. Them sitting on the couch laughing at a TV show they both love.

I step out of Kelly’s arms. Shale, Beau, and Keagan walk ahead of me and bow their heads. When I glance back, I find Kelly, Ezy, and Gael just behind me with their heads bowed, too.

“Hi, Tom. My name is Shale Daane. You’ve probably been watching what’s going on, not sure how you feel about us, but we are so grateful to you for giving us Aspyn. We will protect her with everything we have.”

“Love her with all we have,” Keagan adds softly.

“Be everything she needs,” Kelly says and brushes his fingers down the back of my hand.

“She won’t be alone, scared, or hungry,” Beau says, looking at me with somberness in his eyes.

“Her future with us is for always,” Gael says.

Ezy picks up my hand and kisses my knuckles. “In sorrow and in happiness, in sickness, health, bad days, and good. She has us now, and we will not let her fall.”

I’m openly sobbing now. Ezy holds me, murmuring soft words to me.

“You found my family?”

“I’m sorry it took so long,” Shale says. “But my cousin Mael came through.”

I glance sideways at him while I palm the tears off my face. “When am I going to meet cousin Mael?” I let out a wet chuckle.

“Soon. How about we give you a minute with your family?”

I nod, scared but relieved. The six of them move back down the path, leaving me alone. I carefully lower myself to the ground.

“Hey, dad, hey, Cassie.” I stop, breathing hard. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Chapter thirty-three

Shale

ShaleAged21

“This is her landlord’s house, right?”

I nod my head without taking my eyes off the house. He probably pulled that bullshit excuse of not receiving rent. The guy’s solid but easily one of the shortest betas I've met. He’s also got this mean streak that comes with age and hard life.

“Do you think he offered her what he offered the Widow McKinley?”

I freeze at Keagan’s cold words.

“If he did, I’m going to cut his fucking cock off and feed it to him,” Beau says and spits.

“Let's go.”

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