Sinful by Joan Johnston Read Free Book Online Page B

loving hand on each child’s head.
    “Please don’t leave us, Aunt Eve,” Brooke begged. “Please!”
    Sawyer looked up at her, tears streaming, his nose running, and cried, “Don’t go! Don’t go! Don’t go!”
    Eve shot Connor an imploring look. “I know I shouldn’t be here. But I wanted to say goodbye to the children before you take them away.”
    He suddenly realized that Eve must be afraid that she was no more likely to see the children on a regular basis in the future than Mr. and Mrs. Robertson were. He shifted his gaze to his children, who were clearly anxious. This would be the first time they’d been alone with him in the nine months since Molly’s death. He’d spent a few hours of court-ordered time with them each week over the past two months since he’d been home, but it had been at a neutral location, supervised by a social worker, and they’d known their grandparents would be coming to get them again. Now he was scooping them up and taking them somewhere strange, without any of the people who’d been their anchors since Molly’s death.
    He could feel his heart racing as adrenaline flowed into his system, much as it always had before combat. He recognized it as a response to the sudden fear he felt. Could he raise two happy, healthy children all by himself? He was about to face the biggest challenge of his life—and the most important one. He took a deep, calming breath and said, “Brooke, Sawyer, it’s time for us to go home.”
    As he stepped toward them, they clung more tightly to Eve.
    “Where’s Nana and Bampa?” Brooke asked.
    Connor didn’t want to lie and tell his daughter she’d be seeing her grandparents soon. But he recognized the stark fear in her eyes at the thought of losingsomeone else from her life. “They’re still in the courtroom. Right now you and Sawyer need to come with me.”
    “Can you come, too, Aunt Eve?” Brooke asked.
    “No, I—”
    “Of course she can.” Connor met Eve’s gaze over the kids’ heads and added, “She can help you get into your car seats.”
    Connor’s heart was in his throat until Eve nodded. She favored each child with a sweet smile. “You’re going to have a wonderful time with your daddy.”
    Connor handed the paperwork to the social worker, then collected the kids’ bags and carried them out the door. Eve followed behind him, a child’s hand in each of hers. What would he have done if she hadn’t been there? Connor had visions of a scene that would have had everyone in the courthouse running to see what all the commotion was about and the judge changing his mind and giving the kids back to Molly’s parents.
    He shot a grateful look at Eve over his shoulder as he headed for his truck. He could see she was talking to the kids but he couldn’t hear what she was saying. He threw the bags into the back of the pickup and opened the backseat door. He reached to pick up Sawyer, worried that the boy might shrink from him. To his surprise, Sawyer reached up both hands and gripped him around the neck.
    Connor resisted the urge to hug the boy tighter. Instead, he enjoyed the few moments of holding his son’s slight weight in his arms, of smelling his little boy’s hair and brushing it back from his forehead.Then he settled him in the car seat he’d put in that morning and attached the belts.
    By the time he was done, he saw that Eve had coaxed Brooke into her car seat and was attaching the belts that would keep her safe. She whispered something in his daughter’s ear as Brooke looked at him with wide eyes. Then Eve stepped back and closed the door.
    Connor came running around the truck to catch her before she could leave. “Thank you. I don’t think that would have gone nearly as well if you hadn’t been here.” That was the understatement of the century.
    “I’m glad I could help.”
    “What did you say to get them to come with me?”
    She looked into his eyes and said, “I told them you were their mother’s most