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“I want Raven,” Lexa sobbed, clinging harder to o”
“Baby, I won’t be gone long,” I promised her as I crouched down to her eye level “Please don’t cry,” I begged I couldn’t handle her tears They twisted so in my chest and made me want to cry too
Lexa threw her arms around my neck and buried her wet face in my chest “I want to be with you Please, momma”
My entire being melted and I held her closer It wasn’t the first time that Lexa had referred to me as her momma before She’d said “my momma” several times, but it was the first tilanced at Willa, a little worried about what I ht see there For the first three years of Lexa’s life, she had been the closest thing that Lexa had to ame “momma” Would she hate me for it?
When Iand I relaxed, thankful that she wasn’t going to take thisupset
Kissing Lexa’s cheek, I cupped her face “I love you so ht?” She nodded her head as tears poured down her cheeks “How much do I love you?”
“To thethe words I told her every night as I tucked her into bed
“I proone a little while” Her chin started to tre down again “And at six, your Aunt Willa is going to bring you toto welco the world has ever seen” I kissed her cheek then pulled her tightly againsttoo much pizza and ice cream”
She was still sniffling when I stood, but thankfully her tears had stopped “Maybe you can make Uncle Jet a friendship bracelet as a surprise He will like that His favorite colors are blue and red”
Blue eyes brightened ever so slightly “O-okay”
I kissed her again then rushed out the door, terrified that she would start crying again if I lingered By the tiot to the bar, Willa had already texteddown and they were already ot to work
Decorating wasn’t such a hard job, if you had help Of course, I didn’t All the guys had ridden down toaround the bar while Willa helpedone of the sheep to help ht, and I didn’t want the as a special day for me
It took et the place decorated the way I wanted it, and by the tio before Jet and the guys arrived Tired, I cleaned up in the bathrooo home and cuddle with Lexa for a little while…
The thought had barely crossed my mind when I jerked to a stop in thebehind the bar, a bottle of Jahter in the other What the hell did he need so like that for? “Who the fuck are you?” I demanded
Theme his even white teeth He wasn’t hard on the eyes; he was actually pretty good looking—in a preppy athletic way that screamed ‘I’uy held hi handed to him The way his eyes raked over me made me want to scratch his face up withabout hi almost sinister that creeped me out in a way I’d never experienced before