Page 90 of Nothing to This
Something startled her awake; it took a minute to orient herself.In her own bed in the dark, with Kye tucked against her, she breathed out.The horror of the day hit hard, forcing her upright.
Kye mumbled in protest.
What was the last thing she remembered?Falling asleep in JD’s arms after putting Kye in his bed.It was dark.Dark!Sky was out there somewhere and—
“Ow, Daddy, stop it!”
No!It couldn’t—was that—
Inhaling fast, she scrambled off the bed on her hands and knees and bolted for the bedroom door.Grabbing the frame, she swung herself into the hallway in the direction of the voice and stopped dead.Sky stood in the lit bathroom, her daddy kneeling behind her, trying to brush her hair.
“Momma, Daddy makes it hurt,” Sky said, like nothing had happened.
“Oh, my baby,” she said and rushed forward, falling to her knees and snatching her daughter into her arms.“Oh, sweetie, my baby, are you hurt?”
Searching Sky for wounds, she squeezed her limbs and explored her hairline.
“Daddy’s hurting my hair,” Sky said, pushing her away to turn and take the comb from JD.“Momma’s better.”
“Guess Mommy’s the pro,” JD said, dropping to the side to sit on the floor.“Go on, Momma.”
“JD, what… how…”
“Comb her hair,” JD said, nodding at their daughter.
“I…”
At a loss, she did as suggested, crawling around Sky to run the comb through her hair.The tears didn’t register until JD reached over to swipe them from her cheeks.
“It’s okay,” he murmured.“She’s okay.”
“What happened?”she asked in a rushed whisper.“I don’t understand what—”
JD rose on his knees, cupping Sky’s head to pull her to him for a kiss.“Go climb into Mommy’s bed,” he said, stroking their daughter’s hair.“Don’t wake Kye up.”
Sky kissed each of them and dashed off to do as her father said.
“JD,” she gasped the moment Sky darted into her bedroom.
He clutched her hand and kissed her knuckles.“It was Gabby.”Her mouth fell open.“I don’t even know how to tell you I’m sorry.I can’t even… Stone’s men found an image of her hand, she was wearing a ring… one I gave her incidentally, which is how I recognized it.She had Sky in her hotel suite… Sky doesn’t even realize anything happened.Gabby told her they were just waiting for me to go pick her up.She didn’t hurt her.They watched movies and ate room service, completely oblivious to all the… I’m sorry.”
“I don’t—”
“I told Gabby how important my children are to me, that she would never understand or be a part of my family,” he said.Hadn’t she had a similar conversation with Baxter?“She’s so spoiled and entitled that she can’t grasp the gravity of what the hell she did to us.”
“JD, I—”
“I’m sorry, Rylee,” he said, kissing her hand again.“I’m sorry.I had no idea she was capable of something like this.I… I know it’s no consolation, but she wasn’t acting in malice.She’s clueless about the world.Used to getting her own way.She wanted to prove to me that she could care for my children and, in her warped mind… it doesn’t matter.What matters is that she’s in a jail cell and our children are safe.”Picking up both of her hands, he kissed each one, then let them rest in his lap.“If you want me to leave—”
“This wasn’t your fault.”Still in shock, she stole her hand out of his to clasp his face.“Would you have exiled me if Baxter was responsible?”He shook his head.“She’s a crazy maniac, and I want her punished to the full extent of the law.Don’t ask me to cut her any slack, this is our baby, anything could have happened to her.I won’t forgive this.You and I will have a problem if you’re going to ask me to forgive—”
“I don’t forgive her, and I wouldn’t ask you to either.”
Drawing in a cleansing breath, there was a lot to deal with.They’d have to talk to the kids about crazy people and to the cops about the felonious abductress.But it was late and right then, in her home, she had something they’d feared lost.
Climbing to her feet, she pulled JD up with her.“Get ready for bed then come kiss the kids.”
She ran her thumb across his cheek again and left him in the bathroom.The kitchen was a mess, but she didn’t care, chores would wait this time.
