Harmless(13)

Cam stared after Roan as he shot to his feet and practically sprinted down a narrow hallway. Cam looked over at Gannon briefly, but his husband looked as confused as he felt.

"I'll wait for the police," Gannon said. "I think you should probably go check on him."

Yeah.

Someone probably should.



ROAN THREW OPEN THE BEDROOM door and smacked the light switch on the wall.

Relief slammed into him, damn near taking him to his knees when he saw Liam in his crib. Sure, the baby was screaming bloody murder, but at least he was safe where he was.

Pulling in a calming breath, Roan reached for the little boy, lifting him into his arms and murmuring softly as he held him close to his chest.

Aww, damn. He was soaked clean through. The outfit Roan had dressed him in before going to the game was drenched.

"It's okay, baby boy. I'm so, so sorry. Shh  …  shh  …  shh. God, it's gonna be all right. I swear to you."

Roan ignored the pee soaking through his shirt, doing his best to soothe the tiny little boy he clutched in his arms.

"Liam, I'm here now. I've got you."

It only took a few seconds for Liam to quiet, his screams turning to choked sobs as he fought to catch his breath. God only knew how long Liam had been lying there, screaming at the top of his lungs. The duplex that shared a wall with Cassie's was empty, so no one had been there to hear him. Roan probably would've heard him if he hadn't been shocked to the roots of his hair at finding his sister laid out on the living room floor, her body cold …  

Cassie was dead.

A shiver trickled down his spine as his brain processed everything that'd taken place in the last few minutes.

"I've got you," Roan whispered to Liam as the reality of it all sank in. Liam's mother was dead. "I promise. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Roan turned to the door, finding Cam standing there staring at him. His eyes were wide, his jaw damn near unhinged.

"Uh …  Holy  …  sh-"

This was what Roan had been trying to avoid by keeping his friends away. Not because he necessarily wanted to take on the task of raising his sister's son on his own, but because it was all too much to handle and he was trying to deal with it.

The house was a disgusting mess. It didn't matter that Roan cleaned it morning and night, it was as though Cassie purposely messed it up. Roan hadn't wanted anyone to see the place, certainly not his friends.

And no one should've had to come in to find Cassie's lifeless body on the floor, proof that she hadn't tried to stay on the straight and narrow dangling from her arm.

"Is that … ?" Cam seemed at a loss for words, his eyes wide, eyebrows scraping his hairline.

"My sister's son?" Roan nodded. "Yeah. His name's Liam."

Cam took a step closer. "He's tiny. How old is he?"

"One month, yesterday."

"Cam? Roan?" Gannon's calm, smooth voice floated into the room from somewhere down the hallway. "The police are here."

Roan looked at Cam. "I know I have a lot of explaining to do, but … "

Cam shook his head. "I'll talk to the police. Tell them what I can."

"I need to change him," Roan whispered, looking down at the sweet little boy cradled in his arms. He was trying to fight the tears, hating that this precious boy was going to go through life without his mother. Roan's own mother hadn't died, but he'd lived his life as though she had.

"Sure thing. I'll  …  uh …  Yeah."

Roan turned to the changing table and placed Liam squarely in the center, then went to work removing the wet clothes and changing his soggy diaper as quickly and efficiently as he could. God knew he'd had enough practice over the last four weeks.

When he was finished, he dumped the soiled diaper in the pail, picked Liam up, and cradled him against his shoulder, keeping his hand across Liam's back, his fingers keeping his head secure. He took a second to peer around the room. Everything was new. The crib, changing table, dresser. Roan had purchased every piece of furniture, every stitch of clothing, the diapers, wipes, powder, baby bath. All of it.

Every single thing Liam had, Roan had bought for him. And not begrudgingly either. He'd bought it because he wanted to ensure Liam had what he needed.

"What're we gonna do, baby boy?" he whispered as he headed toward the kitchen.

A quick peek at the counter proved what he'd feared. Cassie hadn't fed him tonight. Every day Roan filled the bottles with water and placed them on the counter so Cassie would have them. The only thing she had to do was add formula. Roan even kept the can beside the bottles with a Post-It note advising how much formula for her to use. By providing the bottles, it allowed Roan to keep track of what she'd done and what she hadn't. For the most part, his sister had tried. More accurately, she had wanted to try.