Blood Vow (Black Dagger Legacy #2)(126)

Just as she was getting out by the garage, Rhage was materializing.

As she saw him, there was a temptation to rush into his arms and wail again, but she was over that. She didn’t have the energy, even if the emotions in her chest remained that big and hard to manage.

“Come on,” he said in a dull voice. “Let’s get this over with.”

They entered through the back door, using the code, and then walked through the kitchen, heading for that library.

When they entered the formal room, Bitty was sitting on the sofa in front of the fire. Next to her uncle.

Damn, the family resemblance was so clear.

Do not cry, Mary said to herself as she forced a smile. Do not make Bitty feel one ounce of guilt over this.

You’re the adult. She’s the victim of domestic abuse, an orphan, and a child.

Do not make this worse.

Of course, all that self-talk didn’t really change the way she felt. But at least the stern lecturing distracted her from melting down.

Marissa was seated beside the pair of blood relations and she got to her feet with enviable grace. “Thank you for coming.”

As if they were outside third parties attending a meeting in a lawyer’s office. For, like, a fence dispute.

Except they were third parties, Mary reminded herself.

Somehow, she and Rhage managed to sit down on the sofa across from Bitty and Ruhn. Things were said. Who knew what. And Rhage was as quiet as she was.

God, she couldn’t meet Bitty in the eye for more than a second or two, and she needed to work on that—

“So, Ruhn? Or Bitty?” Marissa said. “Would you like to speak now?”

There was a long silence, and Mary was the one who broke it. Looking right into Bitty’s eyes, she said in a voice that mostly didn’t crack, “It’s okay, Bitty. It’s all right, it’s all going to be—”

“So you’ll let him move here?” the little girl said. “And live with us?”

Mary blinked. “I’m sorry—what?” She shook her head. “I’m sorry?”

Bitty looked at her uncle. “I want him to come live with the three of us. And he said he would. He doesn’t need to be adopted like you guys are doing with me. But he has no family, and we have a big family, and Father always says the more the merrier? And we live in a big house. There is room. Ruhn can help, you know. That’s his job.”

Mary shook her head again. Opened and closed her mouth. “Wh-what?”

Rhage leaned forward. “I’m sorry, what are you saying?”

Ruhn cleared his throat. “I don’t have anything to keep me in South Carolina. Bitty’s my only family and I could use a fresh start—I don’t have to live with you all—”

“Yes, you do.” Bitty looked at him and spoke firmly. “We have a big house. And we have a cat and a dog. You like cats and dogs. You will come and live with us, and my parents will make sure you have work—Mom? What’s wrong?”

Mary couldn’t answer. Not with the tears streaming down her face and her breath catching in her throat and her whole body feeling like it was going to explode.

Putting her head in her hands, she was so overcome, all she could do was sit there and cry.

Bitty’s voice was close to her when the little girl spoke next. “You’ll like him, Mom. I promise.”

All Mary could do was reach out … and pull her daughter in tight. There were no words, no words, no words at all.

Wait. No, there were: “I know I’m going to just love him.”

Rhage’s first thought was that this was the dream. He was finally in a dream, and of course, his subconscious was kicking out a fantasy world where everything worked out okay. Yup. Any second, the alarm was going to go off and they’d be back in hell.

Except … no electronic dinging.

Rhage put a hand out, aware that Bitty and Mary were hugging and talking and Mary was crying.

The fighter side of him, the part that had been honed by countless cluster-fucks in countless engagements in the war, was no more willing to believe this than he would Santa Claus coming down a chimney.

Rhage got to his feet and nodded at Ruhn. “I want to talk to you. Alone.”

The uncle didn’t hesitate to rise to his full height. “Anywhere you want.”

Naturally, nobody was going to let him be alone with the guy: Vishous, who Rhage hadn’t even been aware of being in the room, came with them as they stepped out into the rear part of the foyer and closed the doors of the library.

But Rhage wasn’t about to, well, rage.

He kept his voice down and his eyes leveled on the guy. “I thought you came here to take her away.”

The male nodded. “That’s right.”

“So what’s changed? And think this over carefully. Because my shellan is bleeding to death in there. Again. And I’m getting really fucking bored with what’s making her cry.”

Ruhn stepped off, but didn’t back away. Instead, he paced around, his big body clearly unable to contain his emotions.

“Yes, I wanted to take her back to South Carolina with me. I did. And I won’t apologize to you or anyone else for wanting to do right by my bloodline. But then I got here … and I was only told she was in foster care. I didn’t know that you all had started an adoption process until later. I really liked the both of you, and it was clear Bitty was well cared for. But last night … when you came through that door and you’d been shot at?” He pointed to the front entrance of the mansion. “You were frantic to get here and help them. And when Bitty saw you, she was terrified and relieved. Then the three of you were together. Right there.”