Elise pulled the door open and her face was kind. Thank goodness, I didn’t wake anyone up. Elise’s moods were never predictable and I didn’t want to be on her bad side on an off day. “You okay?”
I swallowed back the emotions that were clogging my throat. “It was too quiet.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “So you came to find the chaos?”
She wasn’t lying either. It was chaotic behind her. Everly was running around and her little brother, Henry, was toddling behind her. “When did he start walking?”
I remembered the day he was born. I hadn’t held him, but I had wanted to. I was too afraid my damaged and tarnished soul would rub off onto his wrinkly skin. He let out a shriek that pierced my ears as he realized he wasn’t going to catch up with his sister. I winced. Elise apologized and I waved her off. It was what I came here for. Peace through the noise. Peace away from the silence that death brought.
“He took a few steps the night you brought Aiyanna over and then it was like he couldn’t stop. He has been walking ever since.” Elise looked tired. There were bags under her eyes. “Do you want some water or something?” She was always the perfect hostess.
“When was the last time you slept?” Jace was nowhere to be seen, which meant he was back at the base or he was working out. He was trying to anticipate our next deploy, it would be around the corner any day now. I hoped Aiyanna came back before I had to leave again.
Elise waved me off and got a bottle of water from their fridge. She handed it to me then pulled her blonde hair into a bun on her head. “Don’t worry about me, Derek.”
“Go take a nap.” I pushed her toward her bedroom. “I’ll watch the kids. It will help keep my mind busy.”
She gave me a guilty look like she wanted to do what I told her to but she just couldn’t leave her children. I rolled my eyes. “I don’t care if you go lay in that bed and read for an hour, go take a damn break, woman.”
Everly watched the exchange with a smirk before she launched herself at me. Henry was right on her heels, shrieking the whole way. He smacked his chubby hands on my legs as I swung his sister into the air. I shooed their mother away and said, “I’ve got this.”
I didn’t know if I did or not, but we would find out.
Elise looked over her shoulder before she closed the door. “Someday, you’re going to be an amazing husband and an even more amazing dad.”
I wanted to believe her but there was still so much pain my past that I couldn’t let go of.
I hadn’t expected Elise to take my advice but she hadn’t come back out from her bedroom and I wasn’t about to try to wake her from a much-deserved nap. By the time the front door swung open and Jace walked in, Henry was knocked out on my lap and Everly was on her way there too. He took one look at us piled on the couch and frowned.
“What the hell?” he mouthed.
I shrugged my shoulders. Henry was slung over one of my arms with his arms and legs sprawled out. His little lips were parted in exhaustion. Everly’s tired green eyes found her father and she smiled but she didn’t get up. She was sprawled across my chest watching some princess show on Disney.
“Where’s Elise?” Jace scooped Everly from my chest and I pointed at their bedroom door. Jace nodded as he carried his daughter to her overly girly bedroom. A few minutes later, Jace was back and barefooted. He went to grab Henry from my arms but I shook my head.
“He’s out cold. Everly kept poking him and he wouldn’t wake up for that.” I chuckled and Jace shook his head before he walked to the fridge. He grabbed a Root beer before he threw himself into his recliner and watched me curiously.
“Elise texted me earlier and said he didn’t have a nap today. He hardly slept last night. I know she’s exhausted.” Jace took a sip from his bottle. “Thanks for coming to relieve her.”
I shrugged. “I needed to get away from the silence.”
“How is Aiyanna doing?” I bristled at the question.
I rubbed the stubble on my jaw and shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Something’s bothering you.” Jace could see through me. Everyone else just saw me as broody and grumpy but Jace knew better.
“Yeah, she didn’t text me back when I told her I missed her.” My eyes went skyward and I stared at the ceiling fan.
I could hear the humor in Jace’s voice as he got up and got another drink. “I wouldn’t read into it. She has a lot going on over there. She’s just now seeing her family after ten years. She’s probably exhausted with the emotional pain that came with that or she’s catching up with her family.”
He was right. He was always right and now I felt like a dumbass. I ran my fingers through my hair and nodded. “Yeah, I know you’re right but it’s just been so long.”
Jace patted my shoulder. “Call her in a few hours. See how she’s doing.”
I would do just that.
Chapter Thirty-One
