He whispered about how beautiful she was and how happy he was to be in their lives. “We’re going to be dancing at this festival when the girls are old enough to make fun of us and tell us it’s gross when we kiss. I’m falling hard for you, darlin’, and every day those feelings get bigger.”
Leah felt like she might cry, but he stole her thoughts with a tender kiss. For a spine-tingling moment, the rest of the world fell away, and there was only the two of them, dancing at a festival, without shadows of lost loved ones or responsibilities. And then two giggling girls barreled into their legs, and they scooped them up, the four of them dancing together as Zeke took their pictures, and that moment was even better than the first.
When they were done dancing, the girls got their faces painted, and they made their way to the bog. They rented waders, and Rosie ended up wanting to ride on Zeke’s shoulders after all. As they stood in the sea of berries close together so Leah could take a selfie of them, a frog leaped at her, landing right in front of them. The girls squealed with delight. Leah moved, but the frog followed, and when she stepped away again, it stayed with her, sending the girls into fits of giggles. She couldn’t help but feel like it was a sign from River, as if he really was with them. But she knew that was silly and quickly dismissed the idea. A nearby couple offered to take their picture, and as Leah moved between Tank and Zeke, the frog jumped again, landing on the bib of her waders, sending everyone into hysterics and warming her to her core. Sign or not, this was a day to be remembered, and Leah couldn’t wait to get the pictures printed out.
After doing everything there was to do and promising Tank and Zeke she’d forward all the pictures to them, Leah and Tank picked up the tuckered-out tykes and got ready to leave. Leah shifted Rosie in her arms as Tank started following Zeke toward the parking lot. “Tank, don’t we need to go back the way we came?”
“No. Zeke parked here and walked over to meet us so he could drive us back to the truck. I figured the girls would be tired.”
“Our dads used to do it with us,” Zeke added.
“But the girls need carseats,” she reminded them.
“I’ve got them,” Zeke said. “I was going to borrow them from Tank’s parents, but I decided to buy my own. That way if anyone else needs to pick up the girls, both families have carseats.”
“I…” She didn’t know what to say to that other than “Thank you.”
As they carried the girls across the parking lot, a man and woman began arguing at the far side of the lot. Tank slowed his pace, confusing Leah, because she wanted to speed up so the girls weren’t exposed to the angry shouts. The guy shoved the woman against the car, and she cried out. Leah flinched.
“Get them in the Jeep.” Tank shoved Junie into Zeke’s arms and shrugged off the three backpacks, blazing a path toward the arguing couple, arms out, hands fisted.
“What’s he doing?” Leah asked as panic trickled in.
Zeke picked up the backpacks. “He’s fine. Let’s get the girls in the vehicle.” He hurried them toward a four-door Jeep Wrangler.
“Where’s Papa Tank going?” Junie asked.
“He’s just taking care of something, Junie bug,” Zeke said. “Climb into your seat.”
As Leah put Rosie in her carseat, she looked through the windshield at Tank arguing with the man. The other guy was shouting, but as Tank’s chest expanded, he stepped closer, his deep voice nothing more than a rumble in the distance. The guy reached for the woman again, and Tank grabbed his arm, wrenching it behind his back, and slammed him face-first into the hood of the car. Leah gasped.
“What’s Papa Tank doing to that man?” Junie asked, on the verge of tears.
“He fightin’?” Rosie asked.
“No, he’s…he’s okay, honey.” At a loss, Leah looked imploringly at Zeke.
“Tank’s got this. There’s nothing to worry about.” Zeke leaned into the Jeep in front of the girls, drawing their attention. “Papa Tank is just having a talk with that guy, okay? Leah, do you have their stuffed animals?”
“In the backpack,” she said quickly. She should have thought about their lovies, but she was in shock. “I’ll get them.”
As she dug out their lovies, she saw Tank sending the woman over to the Jeep. The woman looked scared but not panicked, like Leah felt. Zeke went to meet her, and Tank leaned over the man he was holding against the hood. She didn’t need to hear his words to know he was seething through gritted teeth. His body looked coiled tight, ready to strike. He yanked the guy up and threw him into the front seat, planting himself between the car and where Zeke and the woman stood. The guy sped away, and Tank pulled out his phone, making a call as he headed their way.
“Papa Tank okay!” Rosie exclaimed.
“Yeah, he’s okay,” Leah said, trying not to sound like her heart wasn’t hammering against her chest. “I’ll be right back.”
“I called Cuffs. He’ll be here in ten,” Tank said to Zeke as Leah waited a few feet away.
“I’ll wait with her,” Zeke offered. “The keys are on the driver’s seat. Go get your truck.”
Tank nodded and went to Leah.
“What the heck just happened?” Leah asked frantically. “Is she okay? Are you okay?”
“She’s fine, but she’s got old bruises. This isn’t the first time he’s roughed her up. Cuffs is a cop, another Dark Knight. He’s on his way. Zeke will take care of her and make sure she files a report and gets a restraining order or presses charges. Let’s get the girls out of here.” He turned to get in the Jeep.
“Wait.” She grabbed his arm. “Tank, what if that guy had a gun or a knife?”
He seemed unfazed. “Then better he use it on me than her.”
“You could’ve been hurt—or worse—and the girls would have seen the whole thing.”
“Shit.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “You’re right. Sorry. Get in the Jeep. Let’s get outta here.”
They climbed into the Jeep, and Tank started it up. When he turned to look at the girls, Junie said, “What were you doing?”
“Just having a chat with a bad man. Remember how I told you that the Dark Knights keep people safe?”
The girls nodded.
“But no Wiver,” Rosie said, and Leah’s heart cracked. “You twied.”
“That’s right, baby. I did try my very hardest.” The muscles in his jaw tensed. “But I was able to help that lady out there that’s talking to Zeke. That man was going to hurt her, so I stepped in to make sure he didn’t. Now the police will come and they’ll keep her safe.”
“Did he hurt you?” Junie asked.
“No, sweetheart. There’s not a man alive who can hurt Papa Tank.”
“You stwong!” Rosie exclaimed.
Tank nodded, but Junie remained silent, her little brows knitted. Tank reached over the seat and put his hand on hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry if that scared you, but I had to do the right thing, and the right thing is to help when I can. Okay?”
Junie and Rosie nodded.
He took Leah’s hand and lowered his voice. “I’m sorry you and the girls saw that, but they’ve got to know it’s not okay for a man to hurt a woman.”