Page 63 of Liberating Lily

But he just held his hand there, waiting patiently. “Take my hand, baby. Let me help you.”

“I still don’t understand why you want to.”

“I want to help you because you’re going to be mine, because you deserve someone looking after you, mo bhreáthracht. You deserve everything. So take my hand and let me be that person.”

But could she believe him? Right now, she wasn’t sure that she could believe what anyone told her.

And she knew they couldn’t have forever together.

You didn’t have forever with your kidnapper, did you?

But right now, she just needed him. She needed his care and attention.

So she reached out and took hold of his hand. He squeezed hers slightly.

“Oh baby, you’re so cold. What happened? Why did you scream? Did you have a nightmare?”

“Uh-huh.” She let out a sob, nodding.

“Oh, baby, you poor thing. Can you come out of there and tell me what it was about?”

“I don’t know.”

“You know, I never realized how dirty it was under this bed. I’m feeling a bit embarrassed. So maybe you could come out, so I don’t have to wonder if you’re going to end up with dust bunnies in your ears.”

She nearly smiled. Dust bunnies in her ears?

That sounded like something her sister would say.

“You don’t want those dust bunnies bouncing around inside your ears, now do you?” he asked.

“Dust bunnies aren’t real,” she told him.

He gasped dramatically. “What? What are you talking about? Of course, dust bunnies are real. They’re made out of dust and they bounce around underneath the bed, creating a huge mess. And I really think that you need to come out of there before they get upset at you saying they’re not real.”

She rolled her eyes at his silliness.

But she still found herself sliding out from under the bed. He sat back on his bottom and drew her onto his lap, wrapping her up tight in his embrace.

Oh, God. This shouldn’t feel so good. It really shouldn’t. But she couldn’t deny that her body instantly started to relax in his hold, and a feeling of safety moved through her.

“You’re okay. I have you. You’re safe. I’m not going to let anyone harm you.”

He rocked her gently back and forth and she buried her face into his chest, breathing in deeply.

“What happened, baby? You had a nightmare?”

She nodded. She wasn’t sure that she was ready to talk about it.

Lily wasn’t sure if she’d ever be ready to talk about it.

He stood with her in his arms and sat on the end of the bed. Maybe she should try and get off his lap but it was just so comfortable here.

“Will you tell me what it was about? It must have been pretty scary for you to scream and hide under the bed.”

It had been absolutely terrifying. Because it hadn’t really been a dream, had it?

“I don’t think it was a dream so much as a memory.”