Tears gathered in Eve’s eyes. For a moment she remained silent, clearly overwhelmed by all that had been said. Cammie looked worried when Eve didn’t respond right away. She got up and clambered into Eve’s lap, putting her free hand to Eve’s cheek.
She patted gently, wiping away the tears that slipped down Eve’s face.
“Don’t cry, Evie,” Cammie said in a solemn voice. “Van says he’s going to take care of us. Everything will be all right, won’t it, Van?”
“Absolutely, sweetheart,” he said gravely, but he was looking at Eve the entire time he reinforced his vow.
Eve hugged Cammie fiercely to her, and then she reached for Travis’s hand, squeezing. The three of them presented a fragile image, but there was also determination. They were a unit. A solid, unbreakable family unit, one that Donovan wanted to be a part of.
Slowly, Donovan reached out for Travis’s hand and then he reached for Eve’s other, linking them all together.
“We’re a family,” Donovan said. “Going forward, you can count on me for anything. If anything ever frightens you, I expect you to come to me. If you have any concerns or just need someone to talk to, I’m always here. We have a lot to work out. There are a lot of things that have to be addressed and resolved. But we’ll get there. Together.”
“I’d like that,” Eve said softly, for the first time openly acknowledging—and accepting—what Donovan had asked her for.
Travis looked relieved. Cammie let out a squeal of delight and then launched herself from Eve’s lap into Donovan’s arms, forcing him to break his hold on Travis’s and Eve’s hands. He laughed as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly.
“I love you,” Cammie whispered next to Donovan’s ear.
For a moment he closed his eyes, a lump forming in his throat that rendered him unable to respond. He sat there, savoring the sweetness of a child’s unconditional love, and he vowed then and there that he would always return it. That not even the children he and Eve would one day have would replace Cammie or Travis in his love and affection. To him they would always be his first children and have a place accordingly in his heart.
“I love you too, sweetheart. I want you to always remember that, okay?”
Cammie nodded against his neck and then burrowed more deeply into his chest. She yawned broadly and went limp against him. He shifted her in his arms so he could hold her more securely and then returned his attention to Eve and Travis.
“What are we going to do?” Travis asked in a quiet voice. “About him, I mean. He’ll keep coming after Eve. He’ll want to punish her for what she did. We can’t let that happen, Van. He’ll kill her. Just like he killed . . .”
Travis broke off and hastily looked away but not before Donovan saw the glimmer of tears in his eyes. Eve’s eyes brimmed with sudden tears as well at the mention of their mother.
It made Donovan’s heart ache to know that Travis was well aware of how his mother had died. That he had to come to grips with the fact that his own father had taken away the most important person in Travis’s life.
“I don’t want you to worry about him,” Donovan said firmly. “What I want you to do is concentrate on getting better and looking out for your sisters. My brothers and I will take care of your father and ensure that he’s no longer a threat to any of you. Can you trust in that?”
Slowly Travis nodded.
“Now, this little lady here is almost asleep on me, so I’m going to put her down and then perhaps you need to consider getting some rest yourself. How is your pain? Do you need more medication?”