Page 152 of Fall of a Kingdom

“Well,” I lifted my hand and touched his cheek. “If anyone knows how to rise from the ashes, it’s us.”

“Phoenixes, aye?”

“Aye,” I agreed. “We’re not done yet, Flynn.”

“We’ve only just begun.” His lips quirked into a smile. “Are you tired? Do you want me to leave so you can go to sleep?”

“In a bit. But for now, I want the boys, and Piper, in here. I don’t want—I can’t have my entire life change. I have to be present. They have to know I’m not going anywhere.”

He gently kissed my lips and then gingerly climbed off the edge of the bed. He went to the door and slipped out into the hallway.

Flynn wasn’t gone long, and he returned with Piper in his arms, and the boys trailing behind him.

“Gentle,” he said to them.

“Get up here, ruffians,” I said with a smile. “I need kisses from my favorite men.”

The boys climbed up onto the bed, being as mindful of my condition as they could be at their age.

“Are you dying?” Hawk asked.

“Not today, love,” I said.

He took my hand and brought it to his lips. “We’ll take good care of you, Mam.”

“I know you will.” I smiled.

Noah snuggled down next to me, his head on my pillow. “Is this okay?” he whispered.

“Better than okay,” I whispered back.

Iain curled up on my other side. “Can I see your scar? I want to kiss it and make it better.”

I reached up to remove the wool cap on my head. Iain brushed his lips against my bandaged incision.

“Thank you. It feels so much better,” I said. “But I’m going to need kisses every day, okay?”

“Okay,” Iain said, settling back down.

I looked at Flynn. His smile was tender as he gently patted Piper’s back. “You want to hold your daughter?”

Tears prickled my eyes. I never thought I’d be able to hold her again. I opened my arms and Flynn placed Piper on my chest.

I breathed her in.

I couldn’t control the future. I couldn’t live for it either. I had to live in the present. Because at the moment, I had everything I needed.

Life had brought me strife and fear. It had also brought me love and a family.

“What are you thinking about, hen?” Flynn asked, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. He searched for my ankle over the cover.

I sighed. “How lucky I am to be alive.”

He squeezed my ankle and let it go. “You’re the heart of this family, Barrett. We’re nothing without you.”

“We need you,” Hawk said. “So you have to get better.”

“I’ll get better,” I promised, feeling emotion thicken my throat. “I’ve got too much to live for.”