Love a Woman Right (The American Soldier Collection 17)

She shook her head. “No, they don’t make me cry. They make me want things. Want happiness, love, safety, and for me to forget the past and all its dangers.”

“You mean like Aunt Val likes Sparrow, Jace, Ridge, and Beck?” She nodded.

He thought about it a moment and then he squinted at her. “They would be like my dads, like Tye, Lena, and Grace have Sparrow and them?”

She swallowed the emotion she felt from his words. That was pretty damn serious stuff. She didn’t even know if they would think of Kenny in that way or how serious they were or if this attraction was simply lust. God, this was a serious conversation to have with a six-year-old who was so in tune to everything. She ran her fingers through his hair and held his gaze.

“I like them. That’s all for now. I need to get to know them better and to be sure that you’re okay with them and like them, too.”

He gave a small smile.

“I want you to be happy like Aunt Val.”

“Okay, so how about we make a deal? We give Ghost, Ford, Laverty, and Evan some time to show us who they are and we get to know them. Then we can take the next steps and allow them closer.”

He nodded his head.

“Ford told me that I was strong and very smart. That I was the man of the house and needed to watch over you and make sure that you’re not sad and to make you smile. I like him.”

“Oh really? When did you have this little conversation with Ford?” she asked as she sat up. Kenny sat up, too, and got off the bed, then offered her his hand like a gentleman. She smiled and took it and then got up.

“A while ago when you were helping his mom make jelly and I missed you and got scared that you weren’t home yet. He told me where you were, what you were doing, and that I was to keep the house safe and watch over you.”

“Well, you did a great job. You’re a good boy and Mommy loves you so much. So, how about we go help Aunt Val with dinner?” He nodded and pulled her from the room and they joined the others in the kitchen.

Sparrow caught her eye and gave her a smile. “Feeling better?” he asked her. She smiled.

“I feel just fine. Thank you.” She looked at Val, who gave her a wink. Lois smiled and then went over to help with dinner. That heavy, uncertain feeling wasn’t so strong right now. She knew she needed time to process her conversation with Kenny, to give a relationship time to develop with the men and always put her son first no matter what. She had to admit, though, that the men had already been a positive influence on Kenny, and the thought of them being role models added to the positives of a relationship with them. There was so much to work on, though, and she needed to take her time and really be sure she was ready for this. That thought brought back the bad memories and her feelings of inadequacy and negativity. She didn’t want to get hurt.

How would the others react to her past and what she went through? She firmed her lips and tried to focus not on the negative, but on all the possibilities of what could happen. She didn’t think she needed a man in her life or the feel of strong arms embracing her, but she had liked it today with Ghost—maybe a little too much for someone who needed to take things slowly.

* * * *

Ghost finished taking a shower and then joined his brothers downstairs in the kitchen. Ford passed him a beer.

He took it and downed half of it as their eyes remained glued to him. They knew he had been with Lois and that something went down. He’d told them they all needed to talk.

“She’s going to need us all to take our time and to be patient,” he said to them. He thought about what she’d revealed and it angered him but also made him feel so compelled to protect her and keep her close. He wanted to see her right now and knew he couldn’t. His brothers were going to react the same way.

“What did she tell you, Ghost? What the hell went down?” Ford asked.

He explained about seeing her by the tree crying and they were immediately concerned, their commanding, intense expressions apparent as they watched and listened.

“We shared something deep in that moment. It was incredible how intense the attraction, the desire was between the two of us. It was pouring and the thunder and lightning got worse and we ran to my truck and then I think we were both trying to process what happened.”

He explained that he’d shared what he was going through with her.

“Seriously? You felt like you could trust her and not frighten her more? That was your fear with getting involved with her?” Evan said to him.

“I know, but what I went through, what I deal with at night with the nightmares, the fear and out-of-control feelings, she understands and she can relate to it.”

“How is that? She was assaulted in her apartment and her sister had to stop Lois’s ex from hurting her and Kenny, right?” Ford asked.

Ghost took a deep breath and explained as Lois had. As he told them about what her ex had done, how Kenny had seen his mom get struck and her clothes ripped and then listen to her cries of pain as Lois’s ex raped her, his brothers were in shock.

Ford slammed his hands down on the island and hung his head.

“I knew there was more to her story. That she was abused, but that? To know her son was there and could hear her cries. Fuck,” Ford stated.