Eli (Mallick Brothers 4)

And then she cocked an arm back.

And slapped him across the face.

The crack was enough to make me start, my entire body stiffening, completely not understanding what was happening.

But not a second after the smack landed, the woman threw herself at her son, her entire body shaking as she sobbed silently.

His arms jerked, unsure for a second, before they raised, closing around the mother he hadn't seen in six years, and holding on tight.

I had to look away, quickly blinking the threat of tears out of my eyes. My gaze drifted over to Fee who was nestled against the chest of a man who looked just like Eli, but with a lot more tattoos. Her eyes were streaming, but she looked right at me and mouthed silently Thank you.

"Son," a deep male voice called, drawing my attention back to where Helen had pulled away, and was frantically swiping the tears off her face.

Eli's dad, Charlie, was a glimpse at what Eli - and all his brothers - would look like as they aged. Meaning, they would do so incredibly well. He was tall, square-shouldered, fit, with their same perfect, classically handsome bone structure, light eyes, and black hair. Except his had some streaks of gray and he had some lines by his mouth and eyes that somehow made him not look old, but rather, distinguished.

He clamped Eli on the shoulder, then used his shoulder to pull him in for a hug. Sure, it was a manly hug, but it was a hug nonetheless.

Helen's gaze moved from the men, looking right at me, giving me a nod. "This was you," she declared.

"No," I objected immediately. "No. Actually, Fee, Lea, Dusty, and Scotti came to me and--"

"No," she objected, shaking her head, giving me a small smile. "That wasn't what I meant. Though I do think you had a part in him being here as well. But this was you. You brought him back from the dead."

The words landed with impact, making me take a step back.

Where I plowed into Peyton.

When I swirled, I found her standing there, picking stuffing off a spoon.

"What?" she asked, big-eyeing me. "It was just sitting there, looking all warm and soft and delicious."

There were a few chuckles across the room.

Eli pulled away from his father, looking at me. "This is Autumn, for those of you who didn't go behind my back to meet her," he said, sending a pointed, but not unkind, look at Fiona.

"What? Psh, you can't claim to be how I know her. She introduced me to BOB years and years ago," she declared, making me smile.

"Who is Bob?" one of the kids asked, making everyone laugh.

"And this," he said, motioning toward Peyton who wasn't the least bit uncomfortable when all eyes fell on her, "stuffing thief here is Peyton, Autumn's sister."

"Where's the ugly cute dog?" a little girl asked, coming forward.

There was no mistaking it. She looked just like her older sister. She had the same black hair, green eyes, face, and frame, though she was maybe around nine.

And whatever lightness Peyton's appearance had brought about in Eli faded as his eyes fell on the girl who would have just been about three when he went away. Just a baby still, really.

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple poking out with the effort. "He's probably trying to find some scraps in the kitchen, Izzy," he said, giving her a smile that was clearly strained.

The girl's brows knitted a little at the familiarity, but turned to grab the hand of a girl who was maybe five or six, but blonde-haired and blue-eyed, and started dragging her toward the living room doorway. "Come on, Mayla, let's find the dog."

The silence fell again, somehow even more oppressive than before.

"Uncle Eli?" the girl who had called to him before repeated, stepping another foot forward in her black leggings and heavy white cabled sweater.

Eli took a breath that was so deep it made his chest shake before he slowly let it out.

"You're really getting good at drawing, Becca," he said, giving her a small smile.

And she launched herself at him.

He actually went back a foot, clearly surprised. I guess maybe he had expected anger, or sadness, or maybe even complete disregard from her.

There seemed to be none of that as she clung to him, her feet dangling a few inches off the ground as his arms went around her, lifting her up slightly.

He was talking in a whisper to her, clearly wanting to keep the moment private, but I swore I heard him say, "I kept them all, Beccs. Every last one."

I had to turn away again, blinking.

"Autumn," a deep voice called at my side, making me start. I looked up to see anther replica of Eli, but this one was slightly older, very serious-looking, and wearing a very expensive-looking suit. "Thank you," he said, ducking his head a little. "From all of us, thank you."