Page 132 of The Risk Taker
“Sounds kind of like shadow,” I say.
His eyes crinkle, still fixed on Molly. “I know, but I like it.”
Sullivan walks over and passes Molly to Tate. He flicks his eyes in my direction more out of necessity than interest.
“Jude,” he clips. “May I have a moment with my brother alone?”
It’s not a question; despite the polite way it’s phrased.
Slade squeezes my hip, then slides his arm from around me.
“You look like you could do with a drink. Coffee? Or something stronger?” Tate smiles at me as she ushers me away.
She leads me to the open-plan kitchen area, and I look back, searching for Slade, but he and Sullivan have already left the room.
Placing Molly on the counter, Tate bops her on the nose. “No wriggly foxes, okay? I don’t want you falling off.”
Molly nods seriously and sits statue-still as Tate gestures to the coffee machine.
“Please,” I answer gratefully.
She flicks it on, then turns to me, leaning back against the counter. “It’s a lot to take in. I felt like that meeting everyone, and that was under normal circumstances.”
“Yeah, this certainly isn’t… normal.”
She gives me a kind smile. “It’s not. But the main thing is he’s back. The rest will sort itself out.”
“I agree with Tate. I can feel it. Have faith,” Halliday adds, appearing beside me.
I try to smile at her, but I know it’s wobbly and unsure and probably looks more like a grimace.
“You got any of those delicious gingerbread left, Molly?” Halliday asks.
Molly nods slowly, making sure she doesn’t move another inch of her body. Tate laughs and grabs a container from the counter, peeling off the lid.
“You did an excellent job, Molly,” she tells her as she offers Halliday, then me one of the cookies.
I decline, unable to stomach anything, even though the decorated people look delicious. Each one has a different animal onesie iced onto it.
Halliday bites into one dressed as a ladybug and groans in delight. “These are so good. This baby is going to come out demanding gingerbread.”
Tate slides a coffee to me over the counter, then lifts Molly into her arms.
“Sullivan hides his heartbreak behind harsh words, but he loves him. It’s why this has hit him so hard. I didn’t meet him until a while after it happened, but he told me he was in darkness for a long time,” she says.
Tate’s words have me pulling in a breath. She knew I was sitting here worrying about what Slade and Sullivan are doing right now. The concern must be painted all over my face.
“Slade was in darkness too,” I say, unable to hold back. “Except, he had no one.”
“That’s not true,” Halliday says softly. “He had you, Jude.”
“Yeah, he did,” Tate agrees, sharing a smile with Halliday.
I look at them both, my eyes filling with unshed tears. They’re both beautiful women, unique in their own ways. But one thing they share—a genuine love and respect for one another. It flows from them in waves, warming the air around them.
But they’re wrong if they think anything about this has been anything less than horrific for Slade.
“We only met recently,” I tell them. “Before that, he was alone. He was?—”
