Page 48 of Fighting Shadows

“Nah, I made sure she knew who was coming. She was wary at first, but I told her that Noah and I were practically best friends, and she was fine.”

Tobias sighs disapprovingly, “What is your obsession with being this man’s friend? You don’t even know him.”

“He saved Cupcake,” I shrug. “He’s also Chloe’s brother, and I know that Autumn wants to talk to him about her. Tell him that he had a sibling, and let him see the grave.”

“Fuck, I didn’t even think about that,” Atlas groans, “Do you think he knows anything about Chlo yet?”

“I don’t think he knows anything,” Autumn says with a yawn. She stretches out, wincing as she does.

“Are you ok, Babygirl? Do you need anything?” Tobias rushes to ask her, his body entirely pivoted around in his seat.

“I’m fine, just sore from sitting in one spot for a while,” she waves him off with a smile, “where are we?”

“You’ll see in just a minute, Cupcake,” I say.

She’s never been here before, but she stares out the window with that adorable crinkle in her brow that I love so much. She tries to figure out where we’re going.

We’ve not even pulled into the driveway when Mom appears at the door, wide-eyed and smiling. Her white hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and her wrinkles somehow look deeper today. I step out of the car and help Autumn climb out.

She’s still shaky on her legs and has not fully recovered yet, but I know that she needs this before we go home.

“Why are we here, Dominic?” she asks me.

“I thought you would need to see someone,” I reply with a smile, the others now joining us.

“Is it safe?” Aidan rumbles, his arms crossed over his chest as he stares at my mom's house.

“It's as Safe as anywhere else can get. We won’t be here long. Autumn's due for a nap, but this will be good for her,” Sebastian grumbles.

He storms past Noah and Aidan, beelining straight for our girl, and pulls her into his arms.

“I missed you,” he murmurs, quiet enough for Noah and Aidan to miss it but loud enough for the rest of us to hear.

Thundering little steps stampede down the stairs. Chase appeared looking wild, his hair still not cut, covering his face.

“Ma!” he screams, launching himself off the bottom step and into Autumn’s arms.

Autumn turns to me, her eyes so wide that she looks like a deer caught in headlights, but her arms wrap around him just as tightly.

“You came back! You came back! You didn’t leave me!” he cries into her arms.

“Hey, I would never leave you willingly, buddy. I’m right here,” she promises him.

She bends to lift him into her arms but doesn’t even get as far as wrapping her arms around him as every single one of us steps forward, stopping her.

“I’ve got him. Go sit on the sofa, and I’ll bring him over to you,” I order, already lifting Chase into my arms before she can protest.

Chase wraps his arms tightly around me. “I called her Ma. Do you think I made her mad?” he whispers into my ear.

“No, buddy. You could never make her mad.”

“Promise?”

“Pinky promise,” I swear to him before I place him down next to Autumn on the sofa.

Chase wastes no time, snuggling directly into her side, and starts peppering her with questions about where she went.

Autumn handles it all like a pro, giving vague answers and telling him she went away for a little while but that she promises never to leave again without telling him.

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