It was over now, but all of the past, it hit me at once. My tears soaked his shirt as his hand rubbed my back soothingly.

“I need Avery,” I managed to get out through a sob.

He nodded, pulling back and wiping my tears with his thumbs. 

Of course I wanted Callan in this moment, to hold and comfort me, but I wanted to make sure Avery was safe. I needed to see it for myself.

After all the years of worrying that Jason might drag her into this, even while he was in prison, I needed that reassurance. 

He was so close to her, so able to take her and leave forever. 

I needed my little girl.

Callan led us through the groups of giggling children and adults milling about. As we broke through the throng of people, I spotted Avery and instantly broke into another sob. 

I tried to hide it from Avery when I was worried or panicked, but I couldn’t. Not this time.

She was safe and unharmed. Untouched by the man who had done too much damage for far too long.

“Aves,” I gasped out, and she ran to me, worry etched into her features. 

I kneeled as her arms came around me, and I held her tight. Children needed their parents, but they never told you how much a parent needed their child, too.

“Mama,” she mumbled into my shirt. “Callan found you.”

Through the tears, I looked up to him, finding him watching us with a love in his eyes I didn’t think was possible. 

“He did, baby girl. He did.”

40

Callan

After giving our statements to the police, I drove Sage and Avery to my house. Though Jason and the man that was working with him were arrested, I couldn’t bear to have either of them out of my sight tonight, or possibly for the rest of forever.

Sage had gathered herself rather quickly after seeing that Avery was unharmed and safe, but I could tell she was still shaken up.

I wasn’t sure what Jason was attempting to do when I found them in that narrow pathway, but I wasn’t going to wait a moment longer to find out. Sage had looked so defeated, her head tilted back against the storage container while Jason lifted her skirt.

If I had been one second later…

I killed the engine, my hands gripped so tight on the steering wheel I thought it might break into pieces. The memory of seeing that man from the bar standing at the opening to the alley like he was making sure no one went down that way instantly made alarm bells ring. Thankfully, Lennon had been in line for a corn dog for Oakley when I saw him. Otherwise, I would’ve gone in completely alone.

Hell, I’d walk through fire if it meant Sage came out unscathed.

“I can carry her inside,” I said to Sage as she sat in the silence.

She turned around in her seat to see that Avery was asleep.

“Sorry,” she said as I unbuckled the seat belt.

“Don’t be. It was a long night.” I got out, coming around the hood of my truck to Avery’s door. I gently unbuckled her, then picked her up. Her head flopped against my shoulder. She was out.

Sage got out and closed both the doors, then followed me up to the house. I fished the keys out of my pocket, unlocking the door to let us in. Sage bolted it behind me as I headed down the hall to one of the guest bedrooms.

Maybe one day it could be Avery’s room.

I peeled back the sheets, then eased her onto the bed, cradling the back of her head as I laid her on the pillow. 

My fingers brushed some of the hair off her forehead as my other hand covered her with the blanket. She looked so similar to her mom, down to those little hairs that always dangled in their faces. 

I wondered if, one day when we had kids, they'd look just like Sage, or if they would be a perfect blend of us both.

Tiptoeing out of the room, I eased the door shut, being careful that the knob didn’t make a loud click.

Heading back down the hallway, I found Sage in the kitchen, putting a kettle on the stove. “Tea?” she asked.

I came up behind her, turning her around so she was facing me. “I’ll make it.”

“Okay,” she said, her green eyes sparkling up at me with something so deep, so raw, that I wanted to hold her close for the rest of my life to ensure she’d never feel the way she did tonight again. “Thank you.”

“It’s only tea, baby.”

She shook her head. “For stepping in. You’ve never hesitated when the moment calls for it, and I think that’s always been a problem of mine.”

“Hesitation?” I asked.

She nodded.

“That’s not a flaw, Sage. It’s a reaction ingrained into you because of the consequences that happen when you don’t. But you never have to hesitate around me. Lay it all out, the good, the bad. All of it. You want to get mad at me? Get mad. You want to cry? Sob like there’s no tomorrow. But, baby, never hold it in. Not with me.”

The words were what she needed to hear, and what I needed to say. 

“I’ve been in your shoes, maybe not verbatim, but with thinking that I had to think before I reacted, to filter myself to appease someone else. We don’t have to do that, not with each other,” I told her. 

“Your ex?” she asked, bringing it up for the first time.

I nodded. “You and I are both soft people, Sage, but there’s nothing wrong with being soft. The world tries to make it seem like we have to be hard, have our guard up at all times, but that’s not right. It shouldn’t be. I’m just happy you’re alright, and that he’s gone for good.”

“Me, too,” she agreed. “Already, it feels nice not having to look over my shoulder or worry that he might show up.”

My hands rested on her hips. “I’ll be looking over your shoulder for you. No more doing it alone.”

Her lips lifted in a slight smile. “No more doing it alone,” she repeated.

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I love you.”

“For a million years,” she murmured.