Tank embraced her again, furious with himself for not taking the day off. “I should have been with you today. I’m sorry.”
“You’ve done enough. You’re always here for me.”
“Obviously not always.” He leaned back so he could see her face. “I don’t know if that letter was a sign or not, but I think these are.” He handed her the pictures.
“I’m too upset to look at pictures.”
“Trust me, Lee. You want to see them.”
Her brow furrowed, but she opened the envelope and pulled out the pictures. The picture of the frog on the pocket of her waders when they were standing in the bog was on top. It brought a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She looked at the next picture and the next, her eyes flicking up to his in disbelief, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. “The frog…” She began lining up the pictures on the bed. “It’s in almost every picture.”
“I know. I’ve hiked that area dozens of times with my family, and I don’t remember ever seeing frogs. I called Zeke, and he said he’s never seen one there, either.”
“This is River’s sign!” She swiped at her tears. “I told you I felt him around us that day. He was with us every step of the way.” She leaned over the pictures, pointing to the frog in each of them—just behind Junie’s right foot and beside Rosie as she crouched to pick a leaf up off the ground. On Junie’s backpack as she leaned over to look at something through her magnifying glass. “How did I miss that one?” Leah laughed softly and pointed to another picture. “Look. He’s on a branch behind you in this one.”
“I’ve been thinking about it all day. I can’t figure out how none of us noticed it.” He touched her hand. “Lee, promise me that the next time you’re having a rough day, you’ll call me.”
Her expression warmed. “You can’t just drop everything for me all the time. You’ve done way too much already.”
“I absolutely can, and there’s no such thing as too much.”
“Tank…” She shook her head. “I got the hospital bill today, and it had already been paid in full. I called their billing department, and I know you paid it. As much as I appreciate your help, I don’t want you to feel like you have to take care of us. We’ll manage. We always do.”
“I didn’t pay the bill because I had to. I did it because you and those baby girls of yours, of River’s, had already lost enough. I made those arrangements right after the accident, before you and those little darlin’s became the very air that I breathe. And I’d do it all over again because I know how hard it is to pick up the pieces after losing someone you love.”
“But it was a lot of money.”
“Who gives a damn? Money is just dirty paper that allows us to have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.” He lifted her onto his lap and gathered her hair over her shoulder. “Don’t you see, Lee? The ways I’ve helped just allow you to focus on more important things.”
“But—”
He silenced her with a kiss. “No buts. You and the girls are what matter most. You’re everything that’s good and right in this world, and it’s about time you got a break.”
“You’re too good to me. You have to stop paying for things.”
“And you, my sexy girl, need to accept the fact that that’s not going to happen.”
“Oh, Benson.” She put her arms around him and rested her forehead against his. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I can think of a few dozen things.” He cocked a grin.
She laughed softly, pressing her lips to his. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”
“It’s the other way around, darlin’.” He kissed her again, wiped her tears, and looked around the room. “How far did you get in here?”
“The bag from the hospital.” She picked up the bag and withdrew a silver necklace. “I saw River’s necklace and thought about how Junie used to hold it as she fell asleep and play with it when he carried her, like she does with yours. I was thinking of saving it for her, but I don’t want Rosie to feel left out.”
“We could have it made into two bracelets and give it to them when they’re older.”
“That’s a great idea.” She teared up again and rested her head on his shoulder with a tired sigh. “Can we do this another night? I know I can get through it with you by my side, but right now all I want is to be in your arms…and maybe revisit what you said about us being the very air you breathe.” She lifted her head with a sweet smile. “What would your biker friends say if they knew you were so romantic?”
“Who gives a fuck? I’m not romancing them.”
As he lowered his mouth toward hers, she whispered, “I feel the same about you, Benson Wicked.”
Chapter Eighteen
AFTER NEARLY THREE weeks of brisk fall days and chilly nights, the Cape was blessed with an unseasonably warm weekend for Trunk or Treat. Leah hadn’t minded the cooler weather. Her burly man kept her toasty warm with steamy kisses, cozy cuddles, and endless nights of luxurious lovemaking. But a warmer evening was perfect for the costume she had in mind for tonight. Although, it wasn’t really a costume. She was surprising Tank and dressing up as a biker chick. Madigan was helping her get ready, and she’d come armed with a slew of outfits from the Leather and Lace clothing line, which was designed by her cousin Dixie’s husband, Jace Stone. The bed was littered with the sexiest clothes Leah had ever seen. Nearly every piece was black, silver, gray, or red and made of leather and lace, with silver zippers, buckles, and leather straps or ties that revealed far too much skin for Leah’s comfort zone.
Leah turned to the side in front of the bedroom mirror, admiring herself in a pair of Madigan’s skintight black leather leggings and one of her black-and-red bustiers. She had never worn anything like it before, but she had to admit, even though it was too revealing, she felt sexy in it. She hardly ever wore much makeup, but Madigan had helped her do her face, using a desert taupe lipstick that added just a touch of color and eyeliner that made the green flecks in her eyes look even brighter.
Tank would eat her up in that outfit. He was at the club helping set up for Trunk or Treat while Leah and the girls got ready. Leah probably shouldn’t have waited so long to pick out an outfit, but life had been busy the last few weeks. She and Tank had finally finished cleaning out River’s room. They’d donated most of his things, but Leah couldn’t part with some of his favorite shirts and hoodies, and she’d saved keepsakes for her and the girls. It had been even more difficult and had taken longer than she’d thought it would, but she was glad they’d done it. It definitely helped her take another step forward, which she’d needed in order to return to work. The first day back at the Salty Hog had been the worst, worrying about the girls at Corinne’s and trying to get back into the swing of things. Coming home with the girls after work the first day had also been difficult. Leah had been inundated with memories of River greeting her after work, and it had felt like all those baby steps forward had created a vast emptiness between her and River. She had cried a lot that night, but Tank had known just what to do. He’d run her a hot bath, and as he’d done so many times before, he’d put on the videos of River playing his guitar, held her, and talked with her about how she felt. That was the best part. She didn’t have to hold anything in with Tank.