I slid my arm around her waist, pulling her back to my chest.
“Shh, Liv.”
“What if he wins? What if he takes her away? How am I going to deal with this, Van?” she whispered, her voice raw.
“He won’t. I promise.”
Her breathing became harsh. “You can’t make me promises like that.”
I tugged her back to the living room, turning her to face me. The pain in her face made my chest ache.
“We’re going to get all the information we need, and we’re going to fight this, Liv.”
“I don’t have the resources. He knows that.” Panic began to overtake her. “How can I fight him? He’s right—he has everything on his side!”
Tears formed in her eyes, her earlier strength now depleted. She was falling apart in her panic, and I realized I needed to let her. She needed to give in to the fear before she could face it.
I pulled her into my arms. “Let it out, Liv. It’s okay.”
She began to sob. Her tears bothered me because of the way she cried. Silently, her body shaking so hard from the force of her cries, yet no sound coming out. I knew she was used to handling everything on her own, hiding her fears, and not showing the world anything but a brave face.
But I wasn’t just anyone. She needed to know that.
I lowered my face to her ear.
“I told you earlier I’ve got you. I meant it. You and Mouse are safe with me. Nothing, and no one is going to hurt either of you. Especially not some lowlife from your past who thinks he can waltz in and take what’s mine. Both of you are mine now, and I will protect you with everything in me. Know that, Liv. I have you.” I paused a beat, knowing I had to say it. “I love you.”
Her body stilled, and she looked up at me. Her cheeks were wet with tears, the pain and worry etched into her eyes. I wiped away the tears. “I love you,” I repeated, hoping my declaration would give her some strength. “And I’ve got you. We’ll figure this out together—you don’t have to handle this alone. You don’t have to handle anything alone ever again, okay?”
She buried her face in my neck, fresh tears pouring down her face. But this time, I heard her cries—quiet and raw, but loud enough for me to hear. She was allowing me to feel her pain.
Between her sobs, I heard the words I would hold on to the rest of my life.
“I love you too, Van.”
I held her and let her cry herself out. Her body slumped into sleep on my lap, no doubt from the exhaustion and stress of the day. I sat quietly, my head lifting at the sound of light footsteps. Mouse came around the corner, clutching her doll. She stopped when she saw me holding Liv, a frown marring her face. She hurried forward.
“What’s wrong with Mommy?”
“Mommy had a bad headache, so I was giving her some snuggles. She fell asleep.”
“Oh.” She stepped closer, patting Liv’s leg with her little hand. “Grammie gets bad headaches too. Are you going to look after her tonight the way Mommy does with Grammie?”
“Yep.” Wanting to prepare Mouse for finding me here in the morning because there was no way in hell I was leaving Liv alone tonight, I added, “I’m going to stay the night and make sure she’s okay.”
She furrowed her little brow. “I sleep in the guest room at Grammie’s, and Mommy sleeps beside me.” She eyed me. “We don’t have a guest room, and I don’t think you’ll fit on my bed.”
I chuckled. “I’ll sleep on the sofa, Mouse.”
Her face brightened. “You can sleep beside Mommy. She has a big bed!”
I nodded. “That’s a good idea, Mouse. Then if Mommy needs me, I’ll be right there.”
She bobbed her head in agreement. “Okay.” Once again, she looked dubious. “I don’t have any pajamas to lend you. They’re too small and won’t fit you.”
This kid was going to be the death of me with her caring attitude and the way she fussed—the same as her mother.
“Probably not. But I can sleep in my clothes, and I’ll go home and change in the morning. We can make breakfast before I go—maybe pancakes.”
Her eyes brightened. “Mommy loves pancakes. Maybe that will make her feel better?”
“I’m sure of it.”
“Okay, I’ll go back to bed.”
“Did you need something, Sammy? I can get it for you.”
“I woke up and thought I heard a noise. I wanted to ask Mommy, but it must have been you humming.”
“I was humming?”
“Yes. It was nice. You can keep humming if you want. I liked it.”
I hadn’t even noticed I was doing so. I knew my mom used to hum to me when I was upset as a kid, and I must have unconsciously done it to help Liv relax.
“Sure, Mouse. If you like it, I will. Sure you don’t need anything?”
“No.” She turned to go, pausing before she disappeared down the hall. “I like you here, Mr. Van.”
“I like being here, Mouse.”
She bobbed her head. “Good. You can talk to Mommy about living here all the time if you want. Or we can live in your house. I’d be okay with that.”
I stared after her, her words surprising me, yet somehow not.
An idea began to form, and studying Liv’s sleeping form, I wondered how hard she would fight me on my plan.
I decided to find out in the morning.
Van
I woke up cramped and stiff. I was across Liv’s bed, Mouse curled around me on one side, Liv on the other.
Not long after I carried Liv to bed and lay down, holding her close, Mouse had appeared, climbing up beside me.
“I can’t sleep, Mr. Van.”
“What’s wrong, kiddo?” I asked quietly, not wanting to wake Liv.
“I don’t know.” She furrowed her little brow. “Mommy never gets headaches. Only Grammie. Is Mommy sick?”
“No, Mouse. I promise. Mommy is okay. Sometimes grown-ups have bad days and they get extra tired. That’s all.”
She mulled over my words and tilted her head. “Like when I spill my juice and can’t find my boots?”
“Yes.”
“Oh. So, tomorrow will be a new day, like Mommy says to me?”
“Exactly.”
She huffed out a sigh. “Okay. But I don’t want to go back to bed. Can I stay here?”
I lifted my arm, and she slid in beside me, burrowing close. She was asleep in less than five minutes, her breathing becoming deep and even. Liv clutched me tightly, even in her sleep, and my mind was full, going over what I needed to do. It was past four when I finally drifted off to sleep, uncomfortable but refusing to move. I held both of my girls. They needed me and I wasn’t letting them down.
Blinking, I met Liv’s gaze. It was tired but calmer than last night.
“Hey,” I murmured.
“Hi.”
“You okay, baby?”
“I’m better. I can’t believe you stayed all night. I can’t believe I slept.”
“You were exhausted.”
“You must be in agony. Me and Sammy on you all night? Did you get any sleep?”