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"God, I freaked her out, didn’t I? I was so angry…" I tried to reverse my memory and remember what exactly had happened after Ada to upset her…hell, I didn’t re at all "She wouldn’t take Kate…" I wasn’t sure why I said that out loud Raegan would never do anything like that to me

"No, she wouldn’t," Jax confirmed

"I can’t stand the other option either"

"What’s that?" he asked, turning onto the dirt driveway

"Her leaving Kate Leavingup the porch steps and shoved inside Audrey and Jace’s door Just as I stomped into the foyer, a little blur flew pastthe wood floor as her personal skating rink She ran pastback in front of , dad!"

"I see that," I chuckled

The instant I saw her brilliant blue eyes, a large piece of my heart unclenched and I scooped her up Her arms wrapped around my neck and we squeezed each other like we hadn’t just been eating dinner together only a few hours ago This is how she greeted yain? How had I not suffocated, living without it for so long? No matter what happened with Rae, she would be my constant and I swore I would be hers

But I didn’t plan on letting her an quickly, "we get to have special daddy and Kate ti special tiot to play with the baby I even helped Auntie Audrey give her a bath and she really liked it She kicked her feet really hard! Do you knohen they’re co back?"

A small part of me had hoped that Rae and Braden were in the house soone anywhere But her words confir terrarium had already told me They weren’t here

I looked up and noticed everyone was sitting in the fa us The whole creas there, minus two of theto Aunt E to have special daddy and Kate time"

Her face lit up and she squir on her toes when they reached the floor "We can shen it’s dark?" she shrieked excitedly "Can we eat ice creah, I asked, "Does that sound like fun to you?"

"So ht and eat ice creaet your suit on andand half hopping across the wood floor, straight toward Em and Quinn I pointed to Audrey and Jace and nodded hts as we headed out, which cast a black glow across the darkened concrete Their pool had a black bottoround

I tugged yht When Audrey returned fro candles, I approached them both

"Where is she?"

"At a hotel," Jace responded

My fingers h my hair and I looked to Audrey with clear stress in ht?"

"You?" she questioned "I only got the scene second-hand, but I think she believes you’ll never be able to look at her the sauy just adhter was kidnapped" Leave it to Jace to cut to the chase

"That disgusting asole was the reason Not Rae," I bit out

Audrey dashed towardher arhtly

"You could’ve been hurt You could’ve gone to jail, you idiot," she babbled

"I know, I know It was bad"

"I think you should really think hard before you go chasing after her," she said, co me

"What the hell do I have to think about?"

"The situation" She gestured toward the house "Your daughter was kidnapped, Lane Raegan’s boyfriend was the one that s toward that When you look at Jocelyn when she’s a year old and she’s just starting to walk, you’ll think about what Kate looked like when she was that age Will you look at Raegan and wonder, if she hadn’t been your nanny, would you have lost all those years?"

"So Raegan should be punished for her scu ex? Which, by the way, punishes all four of us?"

"No, I don’t think that all But I do kno resentment can build over time Even irrational, nonsensical resents now, so they don’t surprise you later"

"Take the night to process everything you were told tonight, an process it as well I know she feels terrible," Jace added

I began pacing the length of the black pool How could they tell ht?