Page 19 of Silver Sanctuary (The Silver Springs #3)

Eleven

L acy stepped into the apartment in front of Nash, his hand still resting on the small of her back, guiding her through the motions.

She felt numb. From the medication? Maybe.

More likely it was from her brain, screaming at her that she was truly starting over with nothing to her name.

They’d lost all their clothes, all of Embrie’s favorite books—she had to break the news to her.

“One second at a time, baby. Remember?”

Lacy nodded, afraid to speak and break down in front of Mae, who was standing next to Nash’s sofa.

“Hey, you two. Hawk went home to make sure Embrie felt comfortable going to sleep, but I’ve been here the whole time in case she woke up and needed something.

She went out like a light in the guest bedroom after some hot cocoa.

Brie was nice enough to read me a princess story; she is such a great kid. ”

“Thank you for getting her tonight—for watching her for me.” She took a step closer to Mae, wincing as the movement pulled at her sore ribs.

“I won’t ask how you’re feeling, because I can see it’s not great. You just rest, and feel better. Nash, let us know if you need anything, okay? We can have Embrie over for breakfast and I can take her to school today if Lacy needs to just take it easy.”

“That’s okay.” Lacy did her best to smile. “You’ve already done so much for me. I’ll be up and ready to take her to school—I have to open the shop anyway. Flowers won’t keep without me looking after them. And the trailer… that’s gone now. Have to figure all that out.”

“Lacy…” The stern look in Nash’s gaze made her want to laugh. Instead, she just closed her eyes and let her heartbeat sway her body, back and forth. “All right, I need to get this one to bed. Thanks for everything, Mae.”

“Call us if you need anything.”

“We will.”

Lacy’s eyes were still closed, and honestly, she didn’t know if she had the strength to open them again.

“Let’s go, sleeping beauty.”

Her feet moved but the motion seemed disjointed and like someone else was controlling the movements, certainly not her own brain.

She needed to remember to tell Nash that she wouldn’t take more pain medicine.

There was something about feeling so out of control in her own body that was making her stomach ache.

“Here we go. Just sit down and I’ll get you ready for bed.”

Lacy forced her eyes open, and honestly, it was one of the toughest things she’d had to do.

“Shh. Don’t wake…” Brie . Lacy very clearly wasn’t in the guest room.

She let her eyes roll lazily across the room, taking in the dark wood of the bed frame and the sleek leather chair in the corner.

Even the air smelled like a more concentrated version of Nash.

She was in his bedroom. In his bed. “Nash, no. I can sleep with Embrie.”

“You’re staying in my bed tonight, where I can watch over you. I’m half tempted to take you back to the hospital and make them monitor you at least overnight.”

“You heard the doctor. I’m fine.”

More grumbling came from behind her, a light flickering on and off almost a heartbeat later.

Nash came around the bed, back into her field of vision and that heartbeat she’d just been counting for the passing of time nearly stopped right in her chest. Because there in front of her, was Nash, in a fitted shirt that rippled across his chest and exposed the incredibly sinful ink tattooed up and down his arms.

“Are you in pain?” His worried words washed over her.

“No. Why?”

“You gasped.”

“Oh. That definitely had more to do with this funny little swoopy thing my heart did seeing you like…” Her fingers waved in front of her. “Well, all like that.”

“In my pajamas?”

She let her eyes drop. Good lord! The man was wearing gray sweatpants—the hottest thing she’d ever seen him in—and she was going to have to lie in bed with him all night like that?

“Lace? Don’t lie to me. If the pain is bad, we need to deal with it.”

“Oh, there’s no dealing with this kind of pain. Honestly, Nash, I should sleep in with Embrie. What if she wakes up and is scared?”

“I’ll go check on her then. If you don’t want to be in the same bed as me?—”

“The problem is I want that too much, handsome.”

His eyes went wide for a second before he chuckled. “All right, sweetheart, less flirting, more getting ready to rest. I grabbed some of my comfiest things if you want to change before I tuck you in.”

“No pants. I get too hot.”

“Christ,” he mumbled under his breath. Nash’s hands trembled as he unbuttoned her pants, his fingers skimming lightly over her hips as he helped her step out of them. “Do you want to just stay in the sweatshirt for the night?”

“Yes,” she whimpered as his hands settled on her waist, waiting for her decision. Tears burned in her eyes. She tried so hard to stop them from falling, but it wasn’t enough.

“Lacy. Fuck, I can’t stand this. I want to kill these fuckers.”

“Will you… will you hold me, tonight?”

He walked to the other side of the bed, clicking the small light on the side table off, so just a dusty glow from the nightlight in his attached bathroom filtered out toward them. The next thing she knew, Nash was helping guide her back.

Everything fucking hurt. Her body was ready to sleep for a week, but Lacy knew it would have to be fine with only a few hours of rest instead.

Because being a mom to Embrie meant making sure her daughter was okay with everything that happened.

Her eyes fluttered shut as soon as her head pressed against his chest. He was all citrus and leather, and just the tiniest bit of icy winter air.

Whatever cologne he used… she needed to get some.

The scent was quickly becoming something that told her body she was safe, and she’d need that when she had to leave in the morning.

“Lace?” Nash whispered over top of her head. “Why aren’t you falling asleep? Are you in pain? Maybe I shouldn’t be holding you.”

“No. I just… I don’t have Silky anymore.” She knew it was stupid, mourning her tattered and torn, more dirt than fabric, blanket. But it was the one thing from her childhood that had been a constant. There hadn’t been a single night she’d slept without it since she was five.

“What’s a ‘Silky’?”

“My blanket, from when I was a baby. It was the only thing I had to give me comfort growing up. He kept the nightmares away, Nash. And now he’s gone, just like everything else in that trailer. Up in smoke. A perfect metaphor for my life.”

“I’m so sorry. I’m here now. I’ll make sure you’re safe. Here, and in your dreams. You can rest. I’ve got you now.”

Her face tipped up as her fingers moved toward his hairline. She’d never brought it up before—the scar that was prominent on his forehead—but something about Nash finally seeing her back left her wanting to know.

“How did you get this?” Her fingers traced over the translucent skin, ignoring the burning in her side as she stretched against the bruising. It looked almost as if a moon beam had struck him, the opalescence of the healed skin adding to his handsome features.

Nash pulled her fingers down and pressed them to his lips. “I failed my friends, and that was the price I paid for not being aware in a situation where we could have all died. But never again, Lace. I promise. Nothing is more important to me than keeping you and Embrie safe.”

She nodded as she settled her head back onto his chest. And for the first time in her life, she didn’t need her tattered and torn blanket to feel safe as she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Nash’s alarm went off a few, short hours later and the grit in his eyes as he blinked made him groan in protest of being awake. His body seemed to naturally wake up ten minutes before his alarm each day, without fail, but that morning he hadn’t. And the reason why was easy to see.

Holding Lacy in his arms had given him the best rest of his life.

Not that he hadn’t gone to sleep full of restless thoughts, because he knew the days ahead of him would be busy and tough, trying to get Lacy to agree to his plan.

But there was just something about holding her, having her heart beat against his side, her breath warming his chest, that felt so fucking right.

He never wanted to wake up without her in his arms again.

His phone vibrated in his hands, a message coming in from Hawk.

It was only ten minutes after five, but the team had a strict schedule that they were all accustomed to keeping.

It was a good thing, too, because Nash wanted to slip out of bed and help Embrie get ready for school when the time came.

Lacy needed all the rest she could get, and his hope was she’d stay in bed all day.

Hawk:

I let the team know what happened last night. I’m taking over your duties at The Trident for the rest of the week with Stone. Gage is sticking to the office, so is Gunner. Take as much time as you need to make sure Lacy’s okay.

Thanks, bud. I appreciate it.

“Nash?” Lacy’s eyes fluttered open.

“Shh.” He hadn't meant to wake her. “How are you feeling? Are you in pain?”

“Just a little sore. What time is it?” Her body moved just an inch or two and the way she contorted her face let Nash know the truth.

“Time to get you some more pain meds with something to eat, and then you need to go back to sleep.”

“I can’t.” She sighed. “Embrie?—”

“I’m going to get Embrie up and to school. And I’m going to see if one of the girls can’t come over and be here with you while I do that, okay?”

“I don’t want to be an inconvenience. ”

“Stop. You’re not. You’ve only been asleep for a few hours and you need to heal from what happened. Family steps up like that for each other.”

“I’m not family…”

“Yes. You are.” He saw the question, clear as day on her face, but there was time to make his plans perfectly clear to her after she’d been able to rest more.

And, he was hoping, spending the day recovering might make her more agreeable to what he was going to set into motion.

“Close your eyes. I’m going to get your meds and a snack. ”

“Yes, sir.” Oh, fuck. Lacy would never know how much that response, and the way her lips tipped up in the corners, affected him.

He set off to the kitchen, writing texts to Lily and Mae.

He wanted their help getting the things Lacy and Embrie would need to feel comfortable staying with him, and all the things they’d need to have replaced after the fire.

But most importantly, he hoped they'd be willing to watch over Lacy while he took care of some business.

Starting with Jake and what the fuck actually happened at the clinic.