Page 15 of Oathbreaker

Colt asleep.

So heavily asleep that he doesn’t shift in the least when I pad across the floor and sit on the edge of the bed, calling softly.

So deeply that he doesn’t move when I gently shake his shoulder.

I bite back the urge—and no surprise the guilt that comes—to shake him awake.

I walk back out, quietly shut the door, and go back upstairs, intending to take a bath and catch up on the never-ending pile of laundry that all moms of small children have while watching something inane on TV.

But I don’t make it that far.

I lay down—just for a few minutes.

And the next thing I know, the alarm is waking me.

I hit send, blearily poke my head in on Colt to find him still sleeping.

So, I give in to the fatigue, the weariness that’s gnawing at my bones, and I go to bed.

I’ll figure out how to tell everyone all the things I need to tell them in a few more hours.

Just a few more hours.

I lay down.

And let sleep come.

The next thing I’m aware of is voices.

Heart seizing, I jerk upright and realize that it’s morning, that sun is shining through my windows.

That Royal and Jade must be here.

Bringing Frankie home.

Gasping, I launch myself out of bed and hurry down the stairs, intercepting them before they can get anywhere near the guest bedroom.

“Mom!” Frankie exclaims, rushing toward me and wrapping her arms tightly around my waist.

My heart spasms.

God, I love my girl.

“Hey, baby,” I say, and I do it calmly even though my heart is threatening to pound its way out of my chest, keenly aware of the time bomb hopefully still sleeping in the guest room down the hall.

“Uncle Royal and Auntie Jade and I all wrote a song together. Do you want to hear it?”

I squeeze her tightly for a moment then push down my freakout. “Absolutely,” I tell her. “But you need to bring your things up to your room and put them away first.”

Her bottom lip juts out, as though she’s considering arguing that…and if she might win that argument.

I just lift my brows at her and wait.

She sighs, sticks out her bottom lip a teensy bit further, but to her credit, she drops her arms and goes and grabs her backpack from her Auntie Jade.

I watch her start up the stairs then whip around to face Royal and Jade.

“I need to talk to you.”