[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
home. A picture of him carrying Butterfly out of Gary s house through the rain entered his mind. He d been
so scared, but rescuing her felt good, like a rush he d never experienced before. He hoped he d done it for
all the right reasons.
By the way, I know we can t afford a Night Chant for her, but there are things we can do. There s a
tribal sing in a few days for John s cousin. Maybe she could come by and see the sand painting, listen and
share the food. She smiled. Maybe just by her being there, her hózhó can begin to be restored.
Bryan felt his jaw clench with fresh rage.
You have a problem with that idea? she asked.
Only the fact that he hadn t thought of it. Frankly, participating in a ceremony to help her find balance
and harmony might be a great way to get her ready for Phoenix.
No.
Good. It s up to her of course, but I m glad you ll be supportive if she decides to explore this.
Yeah. Well, I d better get the groceries in the house and check on her. I think I scared her by
yelling.
I ll help you and then I m heading over to a friend s house.
After carrying the purchases to the house, he told his mom he d put them away if she wanted to get
going. He wanted to be alone when he apologized to Sylvia.
For a few silent moments, he and his mother stood together in the yard, all the words they d spoken
hanging between them. He knew she wanted to hug him, but she wouldn t reach out first this time. She d
wait for him to show he was ready. The thought of giving her a real son-to-mother hug made him ache deep
in his chest. He shut his eyes and remembered wanting this closeness as a kid& to be tucked in at night or
snuggled in a towel after a bath. It hurt. It hurt like hell.
He finally turned to her and met her patient gaze. If I open up to you, if I allow myself to feel and you
fail me again, I don t think I can take it, he wanted to say. He forced his hands to relax and reach for her.
www.samhainpublishing.com 167
Butterfly Unpinned
Her calm demeanor melted, her lips parting with surprise and her breaths increasing. Oh, Bryan.
He gathered her into his arms and held tight. Like trust, his mom was an elusive thing. If he didn t let
go, she couldn t abandon him again. So he kept holding her until the sunlight faded completely.
I don t want to go, son, but my friend&
Who is he?
John.
He stepped back and gripped her shoulders. Jonny from Salt Water Clan? The hell you are! He gave
you nothing but trouble
John Kayani.
Oh.
When he didn t release her shoulders, she caught hold of his wrists and gave a gentle squeeze. Relax.
I m not stupid.
He let go. Sorry. I just assumed&
As you have a right to. It takes time to build up trust after how I treated you.
His hands fell away. I m thick-headed, you know. It s gonna take a while.
She cupped his face. Even though he towered over her, he felt two inches high. If you weren t
stubborn, you would ve given up on me all those years ago. I never said thanks for caring about me, even
when you should ve turned off any feelings for me.
He laughed softly. Stubborn. Yep, that s me.
It s a good trait to have. At least in moderation.
She let go of his cheeks. Part of him wanted to hold her hands there, let her palms heat warm his soul
forever. He watched her leave, her long skirt waving as she walked.
Don t expect me back tonight, she called. When she reached her car, she turned to shoo him inside
the house with a grin. Go check on Sylvia. Grandma s moving the beans around tonight, right?
Moving the what? Jesus, he d forgotten so much. Oh, yeah. She s playing bingo at the church and
staying the night at Mary Nizhoni s afterward.
Janice gave him a wink.
Bryan waved goodbye then turned and practically ran into the house. A few hours alone with Sylvia.
An actual bed, well, sofa bed& Although he really wanted to set her up on the kitchen counter and fuck her
long and slow that way he d thought about it every time he watched her cook.
Sylvia?
She didn t answer, but a noise came from the bathroom. He knocked on the door. Honey, you don t
need to wash up, in fact I d rather you didn t
She wasn t bathing. But she was sitting in the tub.
168 www.samhainpublishing.com
Laura Bacchi and Bonnie Dee
Sweetheart, what s wrong? He stepped into the rust-ringed tub behind her huddled body and held
her as sobs wracked her chest.
God, I m sorry I yelled, hon. And I knew Mom shouldn t have taken you out all day. It was too
much for you. Too overwhelming.
No, it wasn t.
He could barely hear her at first, but when she repeated the words, it hit him that she d heard
everything he d said outside. He pried her gently out of the tight ball she d curled into and turned her to
face him.
Baby, you are strong. I know it. It s just that I can be overprotective sometimes of the people I
love
She gave him a funny look.
I know I was an ass out there, but& Wait, maybe the word love had made her give that reaction. I
do think I love you, you know.
I think I love you, too, she whispered between sniffles.
He fought the urge to kiss her. Hard. The admission, even though tempered with an I think, made his
heart want to burst. So I m sorry if you overheard
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]