Beautiful Broken Promises(63)

Raegan slammed the door open and I watched as she rushed both Kate and Braden through the doorway in front of her. Something wasn’t right. She had a death grip on both of their hands and didn’t let go as she kicked the door behind them with her foot. Her face was in absolute panic mode.

“Audrey, gotta go,” I quickly bit out, tossing my phone to the couch and rounding it all in the same beat.

With Braden’s hand securely clutched in hers, she reached up and turned the lock. Then I watched as she slumped against the closed door with her eyes tightly sealed. Her breaths were moving raggedly in and out. Her chest was heaving erratically and her obvious discomfort had my own heart rate speeding up.

As far as I could tell, they weren’t harmed, so I tried to keep the calm by walking quickly but with a pace that wouldn’t distress Kate and Braden. I reached over Braden’s head and tapped in the code to arm the alarm system.

“Hey, did you two have fun at the park?” I asked with a bright, forced smile.

“Yeah! Then we raced mommy home!” Kate exclaimed animatedly.

“But mama cheated because she wouldn’t let go of our hands,” Braden laughed while still trying to catch his breath.

I couldn’t even begin to describe how much I admired Raegan in that moment. Whatever was disturbing her, she never let it filter down to the children and that made her the greatest mother I had ever known.

“Okay, go wash your hands, get a drink of water, and then can you guys find some books for me to read?” I asked.

Thankfully, Ash and I had built up a pretty good little library for Kate while Ash was still pregnant. We hit up thrift stores and yard sales every time we saw one, and each time we picked up tons of discounted texts. Happily, they agreed and ran off down the hallway.

Raegan’s eyes were screwed shut and her body was ever so slightly shaking. She had her fist clenched and braced against the door as if she were blocking out all of the evil on the other side.

“Babe,” I whispered, slowly approaching her. “You’re worrying me. What happened?”

Her breath shuddered as she tried to speak, but she was too shaken up. I scooped her up into my arms and moved away from the foyer, closer to the front coat closet. At least over here we were out of eyesight of the kids down the hall.

I slid down the wall so I could sit on the floor and hold her. I began to take deep, steadying breaths in and then slowly releasing them. Over the span of about ten minutes, she started to breathe in time with me. I felt her shaking subside and the racking shudders weren’t so violent anymore. Finally, I sensed the clutch of panic leave me as I felt her take a breath that seemed to be more relief and less anxiety.

My hand ran over her hair and down to her back. The continuous motion seemed to bring her heart rate down to a normal pace. Her nose pushed into the side of my neck and I bent down to kiss her temple—right over her scar. The scar that brought my daughter back to me. I didn’t care how unpleasant Raegan thought it looked, I’d always love it.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” she repeated.

“Don’t ever be sorry. Please, just tell me what happened.”

“I can’t stay in New York, Lane. It’s suffocating me. The buildings and the noise and the people. I can’t breathe…” She said the last word as if she were literally grabbing her next lungful of air.

“Then we’re out of here,” I responded quickly.

“Just like that?” she asked. Her body shifted and she moved her legs so she was straddling my lap while looking up at me.

“Just like that.”

Her arms squeezed around my neck tighter and her lips grazed the skin under my ear. “I ran from an elderly couple,” she whispered, almost silently.

“Come again?”

“There was a couple walking around the playground. For some reason, I just felt like it was them. I know she’s dead, but I got the crazy sense it was her. I grabbed the kids and ran. I’m such a nut case now.”

“It wasn’t her,” I offered gently.

“I understand that now, but—“

“You’re not a nut case. You’re adjusting back to life,” I whispered.

“I ran away from two gray-haired, cane-wielding senior citizens.” A slight chuckle broke through her lips and I knew she was coming back to me…either that or she really was losing it.

“Those old women with canes can be testy,” I jested. She pinched at my side and I grabbed her wrist instantly.