Under Siege (Wingmen Warriors 3) - Page 175

"I hear ya." Shelby shuffled to the cabinet, pulled open door and reached behind the coffee mugs. She tossed two bags of M&M's on the counter, crispy and plain.

Julia's secret stash. She sat at the kitchen table. "How did you know where those were?"

Shelby angled an adults-can-be-so-lame look over her shoulder. "That's a rookie candy-hiding move. You'll have to do better than that when Patrick's older." She opened freezer.

"Let's see what Ivy has squirreled away."

She rifled through the frozen goods, pitching bags of peas, corn and waffles in the sink before sighing. "Ahhh, pay dirt." Shelby spun around, a freezer bag full of Christmas candy dangling from two fingers. "Ivy's learned to hide things a little better than you, but then she's had a lot of practice lately."

Shelby sifted through the bag, nudging aside candy canes, foil-wrapped kisses, a chocolate Santa with his head bitten off. She cocked her head, then resealed the bag. "No need to teach her how to bury them better yet. Let the kid keep her illusions a while longer. She'll learn to hide things as well as I do soon enough."

Julia straightened. Suddenly, their midnight feeding frenzy became about more than food.

Like her father, Shelby hid her deeper feelings and thoughts well behind understatements.

Shelby hitched a knee up onto the counter, hefting her self up until she stood in front of the cabinet. Arching up onto her toes, she peered into the top shelf. She shuffled aside a dusty food processor to reveal a gold box.

The kid was good, no doubt. Julia wouldn't have touched that food processor for another fifty years.

Shelby leapt to the floor, Godivas clutched to her chest, and plopped down to sit at the table. She tugged the red bow and lifted the lid. "Silly to waste Mom's bribes on Aggie anymore, I guess."

Blinking fast without looking up, Shelby dug into the box, picked a white truffle and ate the first bite of her mother's presents in over a year. She chewed slowly, swallowed even slower, a new level of acceptance and maturity marking her face. "Not bad." She scooched the box forward. "Here. Try some."

Guilt hammered Julia in relenting blows. Zach was right that a break-up now would devastate all three of the children.

Julia covered Shelby's hand with her own. "Hon, I'm so sorry you had to hear all of that.

Your dad and I really have been trying to do the right thing for you kids."

Shelby didn't look up and Julia suspected she was covering more of those tears she'd hidden from Zach while she let herself soak up the comfort. Julia wanted to hug her and tuck her into bed and reassure her everything would be fine, but she couldn't lie.

Finally, Shelby slid her hand free. "My dad always hides his candy the best of all. He used to keep it in his truck, but I haven't been able to figure out where he hides it since Mom left."

There it was. Shelby's message hidden under all those understatements, but no less powerful for its subtlety.

Julia stacked the empty brown candy papers and thought of Zach's joking offer of Little Debbie cakes from his desk drawer. The man definitely hid his snacks and secrets better than the girls. He filed everything away in his office, submerging himself in work, tackling the world's troubles as a line of defense against acknowledging his own.

Zach took the needs of so many on those broad shoulders without anyone to take care of his. She wanted to build a real home for him, one where fathers didn't hurt their sons and wives didn't walk out.

He deserved all that and more. He deserved to have someone fight for him. And she wanted to be that someone.

Zach had insisted his actions counted more than words, and if so, then that man loved her. Even if the stubborn guy didn't know how to put the label on his feelings. Yet.

Julia crumpled the candy wrappers. She'd insisted she was stronger and that she loved him. Time for her to prove it by doing exactly what Zach had said. Show him. She would love him enough to put aside her pride and stay.

Shelby scooped up two more chocolates and stood. "Guess I'll try to catch some sleep."

Julia touched Shelby's arm lightly as she passed and counted yet another blessing in the form of this woman-child dispenser of chocolate, hairstyles and wisdom. '"Night, hon."

"G'night."

Julia watched her stepdaughter cross the kitchen and realized more than one Dawson needed reassurance. "Shelby?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you watch Patrick for me for a couple of hours once your dad gets back?"

Shelby blinked fast before shrugging as if it was no big deal when they both knew otherwise. "Sure. No problem."

Tags: Catherine Mann Wingmen Warriors Romance
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