“It’s not the same thing,” Liam argues with a sigh. “She’s just a kid. She doesn’t know what she wants. She’ll outgrow it soon enough.”
I start to argue some more because I sure as hell knew what I wanted when I was Lily’s age, but he quickly changes the subject. “Be on your best behavior tomorrow. Rumor has it that Davis and Nichols are looking at buyers. Don’t need you guys to seem like a liability.”
Maddox goes upright and rigid. Anxiety oozes from him. The guy hates unknowns as much as I do. “How reliable is your source?”
“Very.” Liam looks at him curiously.
Maddox gives, a quick, short nod,before he makes his way to the bedroom with his phone in hand. Liam looks at me with questioning eyes. “What was that about?”
I shrug, leaning my head back once again. “He’s probably hiring someone to find out if it’s true.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s Maddox, mate. He doesn’t deal well with being surprised. He can’t control that.” A large yawn escapes me as the plane finally settles in the air.
“Maddox doesn’t deal well, period,” Liam assesses.
“He’s trying,” I tell him as my eyes begin to close.
“Is he?” I can hear the disbelief in his voice.
“Believe it or not, Liam, he really is.” I don’t bother opening or lifting my head. Liam doesn’t say anything else, and I soon fall asleep. My nightmares follow.
Rayna’s anguished sounds haunt my dreams. The phone call from the bank telling me that the check was cashed. Both nightmares have me tossing. Some memories, some the result of my subconscious determined to terrorize me, all nightmaresintent on tormentingme. Mockingly reminding me that I have no control over anything in life but me.
They remind me of what I’ve lost.
I awake with a start like I always do, but there is a little body climbing into my lap this time. I suck in a sharp breath as big blue eyes smile up at me. “You had a bad dream, RyRy?” Lyra asks me softly.
I love this little girl. I have a place for her that no one can touch. But after these dreams, Lyra is a harsh reminder of everything that has been taken from me.
But I can’t tell her to go. She wouldn’t understand, and it’s not her fault. “Yeah, princess. I had a bad dream.”
“When I have bad dreams, Daddy sings to me. Want me to sing to you?”
I can’t help but smile at her innocence. God, I wish I could keep it for her forever, but innocence was never made to last. “Go ahead, princess. Sing me a song.”
Her eyes shine as she begins to sing. I expected it to be one of the nursery rhymes Cara has taught her or even the Elvis Presley song Jake sings to her.
I am taken completely by surprise when she begins to sing an old song Maddox and I wrote for her when she was a baby. I’m not sure the last time I even thought about that song. She doesn’t get all the words right, and the tune is slightly off, but for a four-year-old, it is amazing.
My chest hurts where my heart should be. It squeezes tighter with each note and lyric. If I had a heart, it would be swelling with pride and breaking all at once.
When she’s done, I weakly tell her thank you with a kiss on her head. She scrambles off my lap to return to her parents, taking my breath with her.
Maddox sits in his seat just as the pilot announces our descent. “You okay?” he asks casually like he doesn’t know what just happened.
“Fine,” I wheeze out. “H-how does she remember that?”
“I recorded us once. Cara plays it for her sometimes.”
“I wish you would’ve warned me.”
“Why?” He shrugs his shoulders. “Not like I knew she would sing it to you. Besides, it was written for her, right?”
I nod slightly in agreement, but then divert my eyes out the window as New York City comes into view.
Heaven
