Page 34 of Redemption

Her phone vibrates, and when she sees Colt’s name on the screen, she panics. Answering, she tries to keep herself calm. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Colt says. “The kids wanted to say goodnight to their mama. Hold on, I’ll figure this out.”

Her screen sounds, and a video call request appears. She answers to see both kids on the screen with their father, and she laughs as he squints.

“Mama!” Calla shouts as she slaps her father’s arm and tries to reach for the phone.

“Hey, Mama! We wanted to say goodnight!” Noah says with a wide smile.

Tears spring to her eyes. Never in a million years did she think she’d ever need to say goodnight to her kid on video. Or not being there to tuck them into bed every night.

“You can see us, right? I did this right?” Colt asks.

Smirking, she nods. “Yes, you did it right. Goodnight, Noah. Are you being good for Daddy?”

He nods. “We are!”

“Good. You both sleep tight, and I’ll see you soon.”

“Mama!” Calla shouts. “Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma.”

“Good night, sweet girl. Mommy loves you both.”

“I don’t know if this helped or made things worse, but I wanted you to see them before they went to bed,” Colt says, shifting to set Calla in her crib.

Smiling, she holds back the tears. “It was nice. Thank you, Colt.”

“Have you eaten yet?”

Holding her glass up, she smirks. “Drinking my dinner tonight.”

“Been there. It doesn’t go well. Trust me. Eat something.”

“Good night.”

They hang up, and she breaks down into sobs. Resting her head on the kitchen table, she lets out a cry of pain. Not being with her kids hurts worse than she ever thought possible. With her childhood, she never imagined having kids. Now, she can’t stand being away from them.

Looking at the clock, she decides fifteen minutes of wallowing is more than enough time, and she stands to splash cold water on her face in the bathroom. Enough is enough. She’s a tough, badass woman, and it’s time she remembers it.

A knock from the front door startles her, and she splashes water onto her shirt. The only person she gave her address to was Karmen. And even if she gave it to Colt, he couldn’t be here. It annoys her how her heart hopes he stands there with the kids for her to wrap up in her arms.

“Hey, babe,” Shep says when she opens the door.

“What are you doing here?” She looks outside, expecting to see others. “How did you know where I live?”

He pulls her into a hug and holds her tightly as she clings to him. “Colt gave me your number to have Brock trace. Said you might need a friend tonight.”

Damn her estranged husband for being sweet when she wants to be angry still. If only he’d been this version of himselfbeforeshe decided to walk away, they wouldn’t be where they are right now.

“He video called me to say goodnight to the kids. I never expected any of this, Shep.”

Leading her to the steps, they sit, his arm still wrapped around her shoulders. “None of us expected any of this. Especially with the two of you.”

“I’m so fucking angry.”

“Why?”

“Because he does sweet things like this now. Video calling me, which, why the fuck did he do that? He switched back to a flip phone five years ago because he hated the new technology.”

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