It took a while to get everything sorted out. Once the coroner showed up to take the bodies away, Dad gave the okay to clean up the mess I’d made of Lexa’s carpet. Reid must have been on standby because he brought in a crew, took up the carpet and laid out a new one in the living room in under an hour before replacing the door.
Lexa frowned down at the new color. “I guess it will do,” she said with a grimace. “Maybe keep a few other color selections on hand for the future, though, cuz.”
“You take what you get and don’t throw a fit,” Dad told her as he watched the room slowly empty of the construction crew before turning his gaze on Delaney. She was still in my arms. There had been no attempt by her to make me put her down, and I was all too happy to carry her around for the rest of forever if she wanted me to. “Spider went over to check out the garage. Bastards wrecked your apartment, broke the front window of the shop, and bent in the doors of half the garage bays. Your mom wants you to stay at the house tonight.”
I knew better than to think it was a request. If I didn’t take Delaney over there tonight, I knew Mom would come looking for us. Giving my dad a simple nod to let him know we would be there, I reluctantly placed my girl on her feet. “Treasure, go get the things you brought with you.”
She leaned into me for a moment, and I kissed the top of her head. Giving me a tiny smile, she bounced up the stairs to get the overnight bag she’d packed for herself earlier to spend the night with my sister.
“See you at home,” Dad said after saying his goodbyes to my sisters.
Ryan, Nova, and Ciana had left after the deputies had, and they were at my parents’ house when we got there twenty minutes later. Lexa, Tavia, and Delaney had taken forever to say their goodbyes. I was glad the three of them were becoming friends, but it was three in the morning and I was about to crash. I just needed a bed and my treasure so I could sleep.
But as soon as we walked into the house, Mom was all over Delaney, making sure she was okay. With wide eyes, Delaney allowed herself to be mothered. Only after Mom had made sure Delaney was perfectly fine did she turn her attention on me. But she knew me. She understood that I needed her to comfort Delaney in every possible way more than I needed anything else from her.
“Are you hungry?” She was already shoving a plate of sandwiches into my hands. Her voice wasn’t soft, as it had been with my girl—not that Delaney would have known that—but harder, her normal tone whenever she spoke to me. Mom didn’t do soft and sweet often, and rarely with me. But that just showed me even more how much she loved me. “Eat this before you fall into a coma, kiddo. Who knows how long you will be out after the adrenaline of the day finally deserts you?”
She was right. I was running on fumes. I inhaled the food, then scooped up Delaney and carried her up to my childhood bedroom. Kicking off my boots, I stripped to my boxer briefs before going into the bathroom to wash my face. When I returned, Delaney had the covers pulled back and was sitting in the middle of the bed.
Fuck, but I couldn’t remember seeing a more beautiful sight. Her hair was hanging over one shoulder as she sat cross-legged with her back against the headboard. I could see the tiredness in her eyes, but she patted the bed beside her and gave me a smile that was so bright, it warmed all the cold places that had lingered.
I face-planted beside her, and she instantly started stroking her fingertips up and down my back. In no time, I was out.
23
Delaney
Max was still asleep when I left his old bedroom the next morning. Pulling my hair up into a ponytail, I walked into the kitchen to find it crowded with people, some I knew, some I couldn’t remember meeting.
As soon as they spotted me, Nova and Ciana threw their arms around me.
“How are you feeling?” Nova asked.
“I’m okay,” I told her with a small smile, before glancing around shyly at the others.
She tugged me forward. “Come meet the others.”
I was introduced to Ciana’s parents, Ciro and Scarlett, as well as her younger brothers, Vito and Benito. Both were named after their grandfathers and were identical twins. They were about the same age as Nova, from what I garnered, but the two of them looked years older than she was.
I’d met Nova’s parents, Felicity and Jet, the night before when Max and I had first arrived. Her brother, Garret, was seated at the huge kitchen table with everyone else, but other than giving me a brief appraisal and a single nod in greeting, he’d mostly sat there eating his breakfast. It wasn’t hard to see the differences in the two siblings. They looked a lot alike in appearance, but their personalities were as different as night and day.
Nova was sweet sunshine with a dash of sassy and feistiness, while her brother was a moody asshole. Making a mental note to avoid him as much as possible, I let Nova push me into a chair at the table on the opposite end from Garret.
Raven placed a plate of eggs, bacon, and home fries in front of me. I thanked her, and she gently ran a single finger down my cheek. The action was one my own mom used to make, bringing tears to my eyes that I had to quickly blink away.
The night before, I’d been blown away by how she’d so readily welcomed me. Considering I was responsible for her son killing three men at point-blank range, I’d thought she would be angry with me, but she was more concerned about me than she seemed to be about Max. I no longer had the feeling that she disapproved of me being with her son.
As Lexa had said, her mom seemed to already consider me part of their family.
Someone placed a glass of juice in front of me, and I spent the next half hour eating and getting to know the others at the table. They all seemed intrigued and maybe even a little fascinated by me. By the time our plates were empty, everyone who had no ASL knowledge had a few signs down. Having them want to learn to communicate with me warmed my heart.
Not long after the kitchen was cleaned up from our huge meal, Nova started saying her goodbyes, while the other guests gathered their luggage. Nova and her brother spent the summers with their family in New York City, and she was flying back with them.
I was sad to see one of my newest and closest friends go, but I knew she would be back before school started once again.
At the front door, she threw her arms around me, giving me a tight hug. “I’ll text you every day,” she promised when she pulled back. “If you need anything, just let me know. I might be in another state, but I can light a fire under people if I need to.”
After she stepped back, Ciana gave me a hug, and we exchanged numbers. “By the way,” she said slowly, her eyes bright with amusement. “Last night was the most fun I’ve had in forever. Seriously, best ‘sleepover’ ever.”
“You are so weird,” Nova said, signing so I could understand. “Don’t listen to her, Delaney. She gets plenty of excitement back at home.”
Grinning, I waved to them as they walked down the driveway to where two limos were waiting for them. Ryan was already standing at the back door of one, and Nova practically bounced toward him. He gave me a brief wave before urging Nova inside and following her.
As I watched, Garret rolled two suitcases toward the second limo, his dad carrying a box behind them. It looked like he was planning on staying longer than Nova from how much stuff he was taking with him.