Arslan
Reagan had to be kidding. It hadn’t been but six weeks since the abduction. How could she think anyone could get over that so quickly?
But I saw the look in her eyes and knew we needed to be alone to talk about this. “Come with me.” I looked at Lucas and Sean. “You can give us some time.”
Nodding, they walked away as I took Reagan up to our bedroom so no one would bother us. She pulled away from me as soon as we walked through the door. “Arrie, I don’t like this. You’re making it seem as if someone is actively after us. Now, I’ll admit that I liked how secure they made me feel that first week. Now it seems too much. And I’m stressed out, too.”
I went to sit next to her, as she’d taken a seat on the chaise lounge. Holding her hand, I ran my fingers over the back of it. “Baby, I hired everyone so you wouldn’t be stressed out. Now, I need you to relax. Everything will be fine. You’ll see.”
“I want a more normal life.” She frowned at me. “I know you’re used to this. I know we all went through something terrible.”
“And you know our son needs this.” I’d witnessed how much better Skye felt with so much protection around. He’d slept in the living room with the bodyguards when we still lived in the apartment. They were like his angels. If Reagan thought I’d take that kid’s angels away, she was crazy.
Her chest rose and fell with a heavy sigh. “Arrie, I don’t want him to become dependent on other people to make him feel safe. You and I can do that for him.”
“At this time, I have to disagree with you, Reagan.” I knew she would play the mother card, and stopped her before she could. “As his father, I can see he needs this right now.”
She narrowed her green eyes at me. “And as his mother, who has been a part of his life since the beginning—”
I stopped her there. “I don’t want to throw stones, Reagan, so I won’t. But you know why you’ve been there since the beginning and I haven’t, don’t you? Don’t answer that. I don’t want to go there. There will come a time when we can scale back on our security. Now isn’t that time.”
“Well,” she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Then I foresee our son getting accustomed to this and never feeling safe without so much security.”
“And I don’t.” She hadn’t grown up as I had. “I had just as much security as we have now when I was growing up. And then I went off to college and left that behind. Quite easily, I might add. By the time I left home, my father had made sure that I had plenty of training on how to defend myself. That’s why I’d taken the shooting classes. That’s why I still have a personal trainer to keep my body strong. Which you seem to enjoy, by the way.” I flexed my bicep and saw the twinkle in her eye as she watched it move. “See.”
Another sigh had her chest rising and falling. “But he’s not you, Arrie. You never went through what he has.”
“Even more reason for him to have this extra cushion of security until he’s able to defend himself.” I pulled her to me, kissing her soft lips. “Let me be his father, my love. Let me do what I feel is right for him,” I whispered.
She looked at me with sad eyes. “Okay. But I need to talk to you about something else now. I’m afraid I won’t be getting pregnant as soon as we’d hoped.”
How she knew that, I had no clue. “Tell me why.”
“My body’s been through much—and so have I. I know not only the physical trauma, but the mental one too, has taken a toll. I’m worried all of the stress won’t allow me to get pregnant right away. You know the way trauma can mess with a body—it takes time, maybe even years, to get over it.”
“Okay.” I knew we’d deal with whatever. “So, if it doesn’t happen right away, then it doesn’t happen, baby.”
She threw her arms up in the air. “Easy for you to say. You and Skye are foaming at the mouths for a baby. I feel all that pressure. Don’t you realize that?”
I didn’t want her to feel any pressure, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have brought up having a baby if I’d thought she’d feel this way. “Okay, I’ll talk to Skye, and we’ll chill on the baby stuff.”
“As if he’d stop.” She looked at me then turned to walk to the window. “He’s never been more excited about anything in his little life. He’s going around trying to be a tough guy so he can be the best big brother the world has ever seen.” She looked back at me. “He wants to be as big a hero as you are to him.”
I knew she didn’t mean that to make my swell my chest with pride, but I couldn’t help it. “He sees me like that?”
“Who doesn’t?” Reagan came to me, putting her hands in mine as she kneeled in front of me. “You’re an amazing man. You’re so strong and resilient. And it bothers me that I can’t keep up with that. That I can’t be as amazing as you are. It bothers me a lot.”
She had no idea of how amazing she truly was. So, I needed to show her. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Hurrying down to get Skye, I knew I had to get him to tell his mother some things he’d told me earlier. I’d assumed that it was nothing she hadn’t heard from him before, but maybe he’d never told her to her face.
I found him following Lannie around as they talked about the wedding. “Skye, can you come here for a minute?”
“Sure, Dad.” He ran to me, Randy on his tail.
Putting my hand up, I said, “You can take a break, Randy. I’m taking Skye up to talk to his mom.”
“Sure.” Randy pointed to their apartment above the garage. “I’ll be up there when you need me.”
Nodding, I put my arm around Skye and told him what I needed—what his mom needed—from him. And I talked to him about how we’d have to chill on the baby stuff, because Momma was feeling a little under pressure.
And being the sweet kid he was, he agreed, “I don’t want her to feel that way.”
When we stepped into the bedroom, I gave him a little push, then stood back to let them talk. “Go on, tell her what you told me, son.”
“K.” Skye walked to his mother, who sat on the end of the bed. “Mom, Dad’s told me some stuff, and I want to tell you something. K?”
“Of course.” Reagan held out her hands, as if telling him to proceed. “Go ahead.”
“See, Momma, I think you’re the most bravest person I even know,” he began.
I bit my lower lip as I tried not to tear up. He’d told me the same thing about his mother just days after the incident. He had still been in the hospital, and so had she. It had made me cry then. And it was close to happening again.
“Well, I’m not even close,” Reagan said as she twisted her hands in her lap.
Skye put his little hands on hers. “Momma, you are. You came and saved me from that mean man. You didn’t have to.”
She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Of course I had to.”
He shook his head. “No, you didn’t. You could’ve sent the police. I heard lots of nurses and doctors talking about it when I was in the hospital.”
Reagan looked over his head at me. “Was your father one of those doctors?”
“No.” Skye shook his head. “Other people said that. And you know what else?”
Reagan looked at him with a smile. “What else?”
“You weren’t ever scared of that man.” Skye moved in to hug his mother, and I had to bite the side of my hand to keep back the tears. “You told him you would kill him with your bare hands. I’ll never forget that—you were like a superhero! And I believed you, and he must’ve, too, ’cause he came to unlock the chains on me.”
Reagan’s brows lifted as she hugged her son. “Well, I would’ve. I did mean that.”
He pulled back to look at her. “And I knew you would’ve. I’m glad you didn’t have to do all that, ’cause I think it would’ve been tough for you. I’m glad Dad showed up and got rid of that mean man. But if he couldn’t have come, then I know you would’ve saved me, Momma. I always knew it.”
She held him tight as tears streamed down her red cheeks. “Yes, I would’ve.” Her eyes went to mine, which now had tears pouring from them too. “And you’re right. Ripping that man limb from limb would’ve been tough on me. And I feel lucky your dad did show up and take care of that mean man, so I didn’t have to.”
“Yeah, me too.” Skye stood back after kissing his mother on the cheek. “And you know what else, Momma?”
She wiped her eyes. “What else, Skye?”
“I want to be a big brother.” He held out his hand, and she took it. “But we don’t have to rush about it.”
She looked at me with a smile and then her eyes went back to him. “Well, thank you very much. I want you to be a big brother too, but I think it might not happen real quick for us this time. Your patience is appreciated.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “We’ve got time.”
She pulled his face up to look at him. “Do you like having Randy and the other guys around?”
He nodded. “They make me feel safe.”
Her forehead wrinkled as she asked, “Daddy and I don’t do that for you?”
“You do.” Skye turned to look at me. “You guys make me feel real safe. But I need them too. For now.”
Reagan nodded. “Okay then. You understand my needs. I understand yours. We all are important in this family. Each and every one of us.”
“Yes, we are.” I stepped up then and put my hands on our son’s little shoulders. “And our opinions all matter as well.”
Reagan smiled at me. “Yeah, they do. Sorry if I came off like a brat.”
“Sorry if I came off like a tyrant.” I leaned over to kiss the top of her head.
Skye chimed in, “Sorry if I came off like a kid who just really, really wants some brothers and maybe a sister.”
Laughing, we all hugged, and everything felt much better.
This is the way family is supposed to feel.