Page 73 of Protected from Reprisal
Yara kisses me back. “My parents. I wish you could have met them.”
That protective feeling sweeps over me again. The feeling of wanting to bundle Yara up and carry her with me everywhere. To always be there to protect her.
Three words burst to life; silent, but there just the same.
I love you.
Could I, though? After only a month or so of dating? Isn’t that far too soon?
Then again, didn’t Webb tell me he started falling for Noelle the first time he met her?
Plus, I’ve known Yara for years. It’s not like she’s some stranger I’m still learning about. I know her history. Her interests. What makes her laugh, and what makes her sad. I know about the experiments she used to do as a kid, and how her parents always supported her, no matter how much trouble she caused. I know how she used to watch old episodes ofVoltronwith her dad, and that theVoltronfigure he gave her is her most prized possession.
And now I know what it’s like to kiss her. To hold her. To fall asleep with her tucked into my arms. I know that when I wake up with her warm body snuggled against me and her soft hair tickling my chin, it’s the best feeling in the entire world.
I know I’d do anything to protect her. Anything to make her happy.
So, if I look at it that way, is it really so strange that I could be falling in love with her?
I just wish I knew for certain that I’m good enough for her.
“Okay,” Rafe says, breaking into my thoughts once again. “I want to thank everyone for sharing. If we could just have a moment of silence…”
As he trails off, everyone in the room goes silent. And in that silence, we take a moment to remember the people we loved. The people who might not be physically here, but still live on in our memories.
I remember my dad, and the memories we shared. Helping him with his vintage cars, handing him tools with a grease-stained hand, eagerly listening and watching everything he did.
I remember the anticipation I’d feel whenever he was due to come back from another deployment, and the relief that would come over me as soon as he walked through the door.
I remember thinking how brave he was. About how much I wanted to be just like him.
And I remember those last days with him, standing by his side in the hospital, feeling so damn guilty I hadn’t gotten there sooner. Somehow, despite the pain he was in, he knew. And he used his last words to tell me how proud he was of me.
“It’s the… greatest honor… of my life,” he wheezed, pulling down his oxygen mask so I could hear him. “Having you… for a son.”
Long-sworn-off tears prickle behind my eyes.
Somehow sensing my surge of emotion, Yara takes my hand with her uninjured one and gives it a gentle squeeze. I kiss her head, breathing in her vanilla scent and letting her closeness comfort me.
Rafe clears his throat again, signaling the end of the silence. His jaw works as he collects himself. Then he exhales heavily and says, “Well. That was…”
“It was lovely,” Eden offers. “It’s hard to think about the people we’ve lost, but it’s nice, too. Remembering them. Imagining them looking down on us, being so proud…” She pauses, tearing up.
Rafe wraps his arm around her. “They would all be proud, I think.”
Would my dad, though?I wonder. Would he be proud if he knew how badly I failed?
“So,” Rafe continues, “there’s just one more thing I wanted to mention. It’s a surprise, but a very,verywelcome one.” He glances at Eden. “Do you want to say it? Or me?”
A smile brightens her face. “You can.”
He gives her a soft smile in return. “Okay.” Turning to the rest of us, he grins. “We’re having a baby. He?—”
“Or she,” Bea interjects.
“Or she,” Rafe agrees. His hand splays over Eden’s stomach. “He or she is seven weeks along. It’s still early, but we wanted?—”
Eden’s mom shrieks. “You’re pregnant?” She leaps up from her seat and races over to Rafe and Eden, flinging her arms around both of them. “I’m going to be a grandma! Oh, you two, I’m so excited!”
