Page 33 of Crocodile Tears
I took a step forward and rubbed my hands up and down her goose-bump-covered arms. “They’re going to be fine. The chopper will be at the hospital before you get back up the hill to your house.” Her hands were still shaking as she frantically nodded. “Are you going to be okay?”
“I should go make sure everything is sorted back home,” she said but didn’t step out of my comforting touch. “They probably left a bunch of doors open in their race to the truck, and, uh, I think I’m going to go crazy if I try to sit still right now.”
“When my anxiety gets bad, I can’t sit still either,” I admitted. “Doing something active sometimes helps. Do you want to go for a walk?”
Her movements were starting to slow, I could see the peak of her panic was slowly ebbing, but I knew her nerves would be boiling over until she heard news of the baby’s arrival.
“No, it’s fine,” she said. “I might just do some diet prep. We’ll probably need to all help with some extra keeper work tomorrow, so it would be good to get a head start on the day.”
“I like chopping things,” I offered. “Put me to work. I won’t be able to sleep until I get an update either.”
The truth was, I really, really didn't want to leave Dove alone when she was so clearly in distress. I knew some of her siblings must still be at the zoo, but they might not even know that their sister was freaking out, or maybe they were freaking out just as much and needed a levelheaded person to pull them back into a state of calm.
I also knew Dove was too stubborn to accept my offer if she thought it was out of pity. “Please? I will just be walking around the house in circles and I have no one there to talk to about the latestDimension 20campaign.”
Her eyes lit up at that, finally finding mine instead of frantically searching the darkness. I seized that glimmer of recognition, adding, “Did you watch the latest episode? I was literally laughing so hard I thought I was going to pass out.”
She cracked a smile, and I felt all of my muscles ease. “It was so good.” She grinned, slowly coming back into herself.
I released her arms and took a step toward the zoo, and then we just started walking. Jedi mind-tricking her into talking about our favorite TTRPG show was a surefire way to get her mind off it. There were a lot of things I was proud of, but knowing Dove Lachlan well enough to ease her mind was high on that list.
I pressed my lips together, trying not to smile. I watched more nerves lift off her shoulders with every step as a helicopter took off into the night sky.
Chapter Seventeen
Dove
Deacon was stacking crates in the room next door when I walked in, phone still in my trembling hands. Pausing at the sound of my approaching footsteps, he turned. His easy smile faded to an expression of concern as he looked from my phone to my face.
“Are you okay? Do you have news?” He asked so quickly it sounded like one word. “Is everyone okay?”
I nodded, so choked up I could barely speak. His shoulders dropped in relief.
“They made it to the hospital in time,” I said through thick, bleary eyes. “Hannah and baby are doing great. He was born fifteen minutes after the helicopter landed,” I murmured. “If they’d taken the boat . . .”
“They would’ve had to name him Petey,” Deacon teased. “What did they name him?”
I held his gaze as emotions constricted my throat. “They named him Simon.”
I began to blubber, and Deacon closed the distance, enveloping me in his arms and pulling me against his warm, broad chest. His chin dropped to the top of my head, and I felt the words vibrating through him as he said, “After your dad.”
I nodded, certain I was wiping tears and snot across his T-shirt. The fact he remembered my dad's name made me cry even harder. Deacon had known my dad from when we’d been kids, knew how special he was. I hadn’t been expecting Hawk and Hannah to name their son after him. Maybe his middle name, but damn. It hit me in a wave of joy and sorrow. I cried for the new baby and for my dad, light and dark in equal measure. All the while, Deacon held me so tightly that I knew I could easily lift my feet and not drop an inch.
“Shit, Rogue, you're going to make me cry too,” Deacon said, dropping a kiss to the top of my head, his voice wobbling. “Well, fuck it.” He sniffed and then his chest started shaking too.
It was such a relief, such a comedown from the constant panic and adrenaline. Deacon only shed a few mostly stoic tears while I blubbered into his chest for what felt like hours, but I was grateful he was willing to cry with me.
He held onto me until my arms went numb and still I thought I could’ve stood there all night long. I didn’t want to let go, didn’t want to go back to who we were to each other outside of this hug—not the people who wouldneverbe together, the thought so laughable that it had made Deacon scoff. It felt like that moment at dinner was a lifetime away now. I wished we could stay like this version of ourselves forever, just Dove and Deacon.
“I’m so sorry,” Deacon murmured into the quiet.
“For what?” I asked, cheek still pressed against his chest, feeling the outline of some round gemstone or trinket beneath.
“I should’ve been there for you when he died,” Deacon whispered, and my heart twanged anew.
“I was the one who ghosted you, though,” I replied. “And you had a big, exciting life by then.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said, the sounds of his deep words vibrating where our chests pressed together. “I’m sorry, Dove.”
