The Price of Mason (Forbidden Men 10)

“Boo,” Sarah answered.

Together, Reese and I quipped, “Boo who?”

Sarah cracked up even more. Reese’s eyes turned huge as if she worried her little buddy was going to fall into another seizure, but I laughed with my sister and lifted her up into my arms as I stood.

“Let’s get you into bed, kiddo. We’re missing out on some valuable Harry Potter story time.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” Reese added, trailing us into the bedroom and even pulling the blankets back for me to set Sarah on the bed. Then she settled in beside my sister, so I took the other side, and the three of us read chapter seven of The Chamber of Secrets together.

Seizures usually wore her out, so Sarah fell asleep before I even finished the scene.

Realizing she was starting to snore, I quieted my voice and glanced across her sleeping form to check on Reese.

As soon as her gaze met mine, her chin trembled and tears flooded her eyes. I closed the book and placed it on the nightstand. After setting my mouth against Sarah’s forehead, I crawled off the bed and moved to the doorway of the room, pausing to watch Reese fuss over Sarah a moment longer, smoothing her blankets around her and then kissing her cheek.

“’Night, little buddy. I love you so much,” I heard her say.

When she stepped into the hall and shut the door behind her, I finally asked, “Are you okay?”

She sniffed and rolled her red-rimmed eyes before hugging herself. “I’m not the one who just had a seizure.”

I shook my head. “Don’t worry about her. She’s going to be fine.” Then, because I couldn’t handle not touching her a second longer, I took her hand and tried to tug her down the hall. “Come on. Let’s get you a drink.”

Reese shook her head and resisted. “I need to clean up the bathroom. I think there’s still water in the tub, and the towels are everywhere, and—”

“Don’t worry about that either. I’ll clean the bathroom later. Just…come and sit down for a second. You look like you need to get off your feet.”

She looked at me again, more tears trembling in her eyes, so I dragged her to the kitchen and poured her a glass of water.

When I held it out, she merely looked at it as if drinking anything would cause the waterworks to gush harder.

She looked up at me, her eyes pleading. “Are you sure she’s going to be okay?”

I shook my head, smiling softly, loving how much she cared about Sarah. “You know, your eyes look really big and blue when you’ve been crying,” I heard myself say.

Incredulous shock filled her expression. She plopped into a chair, staring at me as if I’d lost my mind. “Wha… How can you possibly think about eyes at a time like this? Your sister just—”

“Shh.” I got rid of the cup and took her hands, tugging her right back up from the chair. “Come here.”

Confession #19: I really wasn’t a great friend, was I?

I finally hugged her as I’d been aching to do since I flew through the front door. She sank gratefully against me, latching onto the back of my shirt as if it were a lifeline. When she buried her face in my shoulder, I swept my hand along her spine and pressed my cheek to her temple, wishing I could always be this close to her.

“She’s going to be fine,” I murmured. “She is fine.”

She looked up at me as if I were actually someone to trust. “How do you know?”

I smiled and brushed the backs of my knuckles across her cheek. “Well, I have this theory. If you love someone enough, you can make them invincible. Like your feelings for them are so strong, they work as a magical shield, protecting them from all harm and pain.”

She sniffed, her lips trembling into a half smile. “Like the protective spell Harry’s mom used to save his life from Voldemort? Her love protected him.”

I kissed her nose. “Yeah. Kind of exactly like that.”

“I like that theory.” She placed her cheek back on my shoulder. “I wish it were really true.”

I brushed her temple with my lips and exhaled sadly. “Yeah. So do I.”

I’d protect her from Patricia and strangers who took knives to her. Nothing would ever hurt her again if it were true.