Page 334 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 2
"That's right."
"Axel isn't one of my best friends. My best friends are you, Daddy, and Sophie."
"Scar." I frowned. Where had all this sass come from? "Why would you say that? You and Axel get along so well. Did something happen?"
"No, Mommy, he's my boyfriend. That's different. You can't be best friends with your boyfriend."
Oh my God.I couldn't help but smile. "Actually, you can be. Daddy's my best friend too."
"Really?"
"Mhm."
"What about Aunt Melissa? And Aunt Bee? And Aunt..."
"You can have more than one best friend. You just named a few yourself."
"Okay. Then Axel is my best friend and my boyfriend." She nodded her head like she was completely convinced of Axel's new title.
As we wandered out of her room, her little hand in mine, I really hoped that we could both keep our promises. I wanted her to stay safe. And I wanted to be there to witness it.
The Light to My Darkness - Chapter 18
Thursday
"James, what are you doing?" I put my hand out to block the lens of the video camera he was holding. I had just collapsed onto the couch after getting the least amount of butterflies in my net. And I was sweaty and gross from the exertion.
James continued filming me.
"Really, James." I held up my other hand, hoping it was enough.
"Scarlett, go tickle Mommy," he said.
I started laughing as soon as Scarlett jumped onto my lap. I laughed even harder when Axel hit me in the back of the head with a pillow and Sophie joined in on the tickling session. "Cut it out, you guys!" I said through fits of giggles. It took me several minutes to get all three kids back on the ground.
James stepped closer to me with the camera. What was he doing? I picked up one of the throw pillows and tossed it at him.
He laughed and caught it in his free hand before joining me on the couch. I grabbed the camera out of his hands and pointed the lens at him. "You thought it would be fun to film me not being able to breathe?" I was staring into the little monitor on the camera. I slowly zoomed up on his face.
"No," he said.
Something about the way he said no made me look back up at him instead of at the screen.
"I just wanted to capture your laughter on film."
The same chill that Scar had given me when she was talking about snakes ran back down my spine. Did everyone think I was doomed? I looked back down at the screen on the video camera. "Why?" I asked. For some reason not staring directly at him made my question easier. I watched his eyebrows lower on the screen. I watched a dark expression cross over his face, one that I had never seen before. Again I felt a chill down my spine.
"Because I wanted to capture my favorite sound. It's the only thing that truly makes me happy," he said slowly.
I looked back up at him. He wanted to capture my laughter on film. So that when I died, he could listen to it? I swallowed hard. I wasn't going to die. I was going to live long enough to see my daughter lie again. And to keep seeing him laugh. I looked down at the camera. "I don't think that's true, James," I said as I slowly got up off the couch. "Get 'em kids!"
The three kids launched themselves on James and started tickling him. His laughter rippled through the awkward silence his words had left. I looked down at the camera and smiled. That sound made me happy too. But so did Scarlett's laughter. And Soph's. And Axel's. Before I gave birth to my son, I'd need James to promise me what he currently refused to promise. I refused to go into labor before he promised me that he would keep living if I stopped. That he would keep laughing. That he would keep our children smiling.
I switched off the camera and joined in on the tickle fight.
***
My chest hurt again. The pain was keeping me up. Or maybe it was something else. I just had this eerie feeling ever since Scarlett had mentioned that a snake was going to take me away. I had read that book probably a dozen times and seen the movie half as many. The snake talked to Harry. Was Scar hearing voices?
