Unexpected Eva (Triple Trouble #3)(94)

We have three boys between us. That’s more than enough to keep us busy.

Having spent all day eating, playing games, and watching crap on the television at my parents’ house with Lincoln, we then dropped into the hotel to hand out Christmas gifts for the staff working today. That was Mrs. Kinnear’s idea several years ago, so she runs with it every year, scouring for gifts that suit everyone. She insists Lincoln and I hand-deliver them before the night shift starts.

She’s a dreamboat.

Today is a day of celebration and families; however, many of my staff are younger in age, with no kids, and the lure of triple pay on Christmas Day is a big bonus for them; therefore, finding people to work Christmas Day has never been an issue.

Christmas dinner at the hotel was another fully booked event. Apparently, everything went to plan except for McLeish, the farmer, who felt up several of the waitresses and was politely asked to leave. His wife was mortified. Not so mortified, she continues to stay with him year after year. Fucking pervert.

I pour myself a nightcap and look out into the dark backyard of my house. My reflection stares back at me in the window.

Alone again.

Lincoln stayed at the hotel to organize the New Year’s roster. I urged him to come home with me, but he insisted he wanted to get ahead of the game so have can have New Year’s off.

I wish he would find a girlfriend and settle down. It would stop him working ungodly hours. Been there, done that.

Sensing my melancholy mood, Sam settles beside me. “Hey, old pal. Just me and you again?”

I’m about to switch the lights off when I hear Eva call out, “Knox! Are you home?”

My excitement at her being here kicks up a gear.

She came to see me.

Her hushed tones and gentle coos, as if she is talking to Archie and Hamish, wisp through the echoing hall.

“Knox! Please be here,” she wails.

Why is she shouting?

I dash out of the living room; my emotions derail in a flash.

My whole world shifts.

Standing in my hall is my beautiful girl. Her two boys. One on her hip. The other holding her hand. They’re all in their pajamas. Disheveled.

Everything is wrong with this picture.

Hamish is sound asleep in her arms. Archie’s been crying, and Eva’s face tells the whole story.

I don’t wait another second. I run to her and inspect her face.

“Ewan?”

“Yes.”

Motherfucker.

The entire left side of her face is swollen to double its size and bruising has already begun. Purple and deep red in places. Blotches scatter her skin from crying, and a small cut at the top of her cheekbone oozes fresh droplets of sticky red blood.

“What happened?” Boiling with fury, I grind my teeth.

“Not now.” Clenching her eyes shut, silent tears roll down her swollen cheeks.

I pull her into my arms and kiss the top of her head. “Hey. You’re safe now.”

Eva allows me to scoop a sleeping Hamish out of her arms.

Bending down to greet Archie, he hides shyly behind the protection of Eva’s legs. “Hey, wee guy.” I ruffle his hair softly. Archie sucks on his finger, his head tilted down, unable to make eye contact with me. “Fancy a sleepover?”

“My daddy, not nice. He hurt my momma.”

My heart breaks into a million fragments as my veins boil with raging heat. No little boy should ever witness whatever happened tonight. Christmas fucking night.

And my girl’s face. I almost whimper with the pain I feel for her.

“You are safe here. You see that camera there?” I point to the CCTV camera in the hall. “That sees everything. We have cameras everywhere. Plus, we have an attack dog. My dog, Sam, is here to protect us.”

“I like doggies,” he mumbles.

“He’ll love you. Want to come see him?”

He takes my hand and I usher them into my home. Where it’s safe.

Half an hour later, Eva and I are in my bedroom. The boys are settled into their room next door.

Sensing Hamish and Archie’s sadness, Sam lies down by their bed, standing guard. He’ll stay there all night. He used to do the same with Lincoln when he was unwell as a teenager, too.

Eva pulls herself up and leans back against the headboard, takes the two painkillers from my hand, and swallows them down slowly with the glass of cool water I left on her side of the bed.

Sitting sideways on the edge of the mattress, I squeeze the warm water out of the soft warm cloth and pat it lightly against her cut, trying to clean it as best I can.

She hisses.

“I’m sorry.”

“It stings.”

A few more light dabs and I can finally see what damage he’s caused. It’s a small cut with lots of deep bruising.

“What happened, baby?”

I take her hand in mine.

She takes a deep breath in and exposes Ewan in all his fine fucked-up glory. “We’d had such a lovely day with all of us at Mom and Dad’s. The boys had great fun playing with the chocolate fountain Dad bought. He’s a big kid at heart. Christmas dinner was the best.”

She shuffles down the bed. “By eight o’clock everyone wanted to go home so, acting as everyone’s taxi service, we all bundled into my campervan. I dropped everyone off and went home myself with the boys. It had been a long day. The boys woke me up at five o’clock, excited to see if Santa had been there.”