Silent Shadows by Natalie Walters

Author:Natalie Walters
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romantic Suspense;Women nurses—Fiction;Single mothers—Fiction;Disabled veterans—Fiction;Soldiers’ homes—Fiction;Love stories;Christian fiction;FIC042060;FIC042040;FIC027110
ISBN: 9781493421312
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2020-01-24T00:00:00+00:00

EIGHTEEN

PECCA CRINGED. Please be careful. Please be careful. That was her prayer all afternoon as she watched Maceo and his friends bounce, climb, swing, and fall all over the place inside the trampoline park. The giant warehouse kept the kids busy for hours. They barely sat still long enough to eat pizza and sing “Happy Birthday,” even leaving the pile of presents on the table, forgotten.

“This party was a great idea,” Lane said, scooping up a plate with a half-eaten piece of birthday cake left on it. “I think we’ll do this for Noah’s birthday.”

“I’ll pay you not to have it here.” She looked over to the monkey ropes just in time to see Maceo racing through the air on a zip line. He made some Lord of the Flies noise before releasing his grip and dropping into a giant pit filled with huge chunks of blue and red foam. “I don’t think my son realizes how much that prosthetic costs. If he breaks it . . .”

“Aren’t they pretty durable?”

Pecca sat next to Lane. “They are, but he still needs to be careful.”

“I think these belong to one of those boys.” Shirley carried over a pair of socks and set them on the bench. “I thought I was done collecting smelly clothes.”

“Ha.” Lane licked chocolate icing from her finger. “I thought once I married Charlie I’d have some help.” She quirked her lip. “Now I’m just picking up little-boy and big-boy clothes with varying degrees of smells I don’t want to identify.”

“It’s called man, woman.” Charlie planted a kiss on Lane’s head as he straddled the bench. “And you know you love it.”

Lane made a face that said otherwise, and Pecca sighed. She glanced over to Colton, who was being pulled toward a dodgeball game Maceo and some of his flag football teammates were trying to organize. Did it make her sound pathetic to admit that she maybe wanted to be the one to pick up after Colton?

Claudia would say it was because she had a thing for broken and wounded souls. Said that’s why she was drawn to Javier—wanted to fix him. But that wasn’t entirely true. Javier was not like the guys he hung out with in the gang. Something was different about him.

And Colton was nothing like Javier.

“How’s the new alarm system working?” Charlie said, massaging Lane’s shoulders. “You’re setting it every night? Even when you’re home?”

“Yes. Maceo thinks it’s fun.” But for Pecca, it was unnerving. Most homes had alarm systems these days as a preventative deterrent, but she was relying on hers to warn her against an anticipated danger.

“I still think your best defense is a big, scary dog.” Shirley shivered. “Or a Colt. Maybe a Smith & Wesson.”

They laughed.

“I’m the only person in my family, besides my mom, who doesn’t know how to shoot a gun.” Pecca shrugged. “Not sure I’m missing out.”

Lane raised her eyebrows. “Even your sister knows?”

“Yeah, she was on the rifle team in high school and got a scholarship to the University of Texas.

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