Dream Wedding(120)

“I don’t think they were being deliberately cruel. I saw the cobwebs and candles when we were walking toward the house. I should have realized what was going on.”

“It’s not your fault,” Ryan told her. He shifted Sasha. “Should you be holding her instead of me? I mean, I got to her first, that’s why I grabbed her.”

In the dim light from the streetlamps, he saw her smile at him. “She’s your niece. You should be the one holding her. I think it’s great.” She turned her attention to the child. “Better?” she asked.

Sasha nodded. “Bad boys,” she said.

“Not bad, just playing. I’m sorry you got scared. But you’re safe now and we’re not going to let anything happen to you. Okay?”

Sasha nodded.

She was so damn small, Ryan thought as he carried the toddler the rest of the way home. The world was a large and difficult place. He would have to protect Sasha as much as he could, all the while teaching her how to survive. The enormity of the responsibility made him shudder, but he couldn’t back away from it now—he was all Sasha had.

When they arrived at the house, they said quick goodbyes to Chloe and Arizona. The doorbell rang again and again as more children stopped by for candy. With each cry of “trick or treat,” Sasha clung tighter to Ryan’s neck.

“She’s not having much fun anymore,” Cassie said. “Why don’t you put her to bed while I man the door.”

“Me?” Ryan shook his head. “You know how to do that stuff. I’ll—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Sasha raised her head and looked at him. “Unk Ryan,” she said. Tears stained her face; her eyes were puffy from crying.

How was he supposed to say no to her?

“You need to do this,” Cassie told him. “She doesn’t need a bath. I even brushed her teeth before we went out and she hasn’t had anything to eat since, so don’t worry about that. Put her in a nightgown, get her in bed, then read to her. She looks tired and I’m sure she’ll fall asleep fairly quickly.”

He wanted to protest that he wasn’t ready to handle this sort of thing. Instead he nodded and carried his niece upstairs to her room. It only took a couple of minutes to get her out of her costume and put her into her pink kitten pajamas. Then she was tucked in bed and he was searching for the right story.

“Unk Ryan?”

He looked up from the bookcase. Sasha’s big blue eyes were filled with tears again. “Me don’t like monsters.”

“I know, sweetie.” He sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled her close. “I’ll protect you. I promise to check the whole house tonight. Every closet, every door. You’ll be safe. Uncle Ryan will keep you safe.”

He didn’t know how much she actually understood. At first he thought he’d gotten through to her because she was quiet, but then he realized she couldn’t talk because she was crying too hard. He drew her up onto his lap and rocked her. She cried as if her little heart was breaking. Finally she murmured a single word.

“Mommy.”

Now Ryan felt tightness in his chest. None of this was fair.

“I know,” he murmured. “I know you miss her. I know I’m a poor substitute for both your parents. I wish I could offer you more, but I’m it. I don’t know how to do things, and to be honest, kid, there are times when you terrify me. But I’m not going anywhere. We’ll figure this out together.” With a lot of help from Cassie, he reminded himself. He wouldn’t have survived this without her.

Sasha continued to cry and he continued to hold her. Eventually she fell asleep. Carefully he lowered her into her bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Then he sat in the darkness and wondered what the hell he was supposed to do now.



CHAPTER EIGHT

THE LAST OF the trick-or-treaters had rung the doorbell about a half hour before. Cassie moved restlessly in the living room and wondered what Ryan was doing. He’d been in with Sasha for so long that if he hadn’t had to come down the stairs—which she could see clearly—she might have thought he’d slipped into his office. But he hadn’t. He was still with his niece.

She moved to the front door and stared out through the beveled glass. The darkness seemed thicker than it had before when costumed children had brightened the sidewalks. She sank onto the wooden bench there, then sprang back to her feet. She wanted to be doing something, but she wasn’t sure what—nothing felt right.

Part of the problem was her concern for Sasha. The poor girl hadn’t needed a scare like the one she’d experienced. It wasn’t a fun way to end her night. Cassie knew the boys had only been playing, but Sasha was too young to understand. At least she would probably forget between this year and next.