Hayden looked at the person who was the one constant in his life. Cain had given him the one thing he treasured most—her attention. She talked to him as if what he thought and felt mattered to her, and always had, even when Emma was there.
How many afternoons could he remember running around the playground near their house and glancing toward the benches where the nannies would sit to oversee their charges. One minute he would notice only a sea of strange faces, and the next Cain would be there watching him.
She had taught him how to swing a bat, how to deal with bullies, and how important education was. Because she had taken the time and had taken such pleasure in teaching him, he had never hesitated about what he would do with his future. Some people said they loved their children; Cain had proved her love every day.
“Hayden, you found yourself in a dangerous situation and kept your head. That’s not a disappointment to me. You’re my kid and I love you, and when you leave my side and stand alone as your own man, you’ll be better than most because you’ll always think before you use your fists.”
The soft hum of hospital equipment was the only sound in the room after Cain finished. She didn’t have the heart to send Hayden away, but she was getting tired.
After considering what Cain had said, Hayden asked a very innocent question. In a way, though, it summed up what they had been through. “Is that what you’re afraid of for me?”
Emma peered through the window at Cain’s face and noticed how the tight mask that concealed pain relaxed for a moment in a different sort of pain. She felt compelled to go in and see what they were discussing.
“What do you mean?” Cain asked.
“That I’ll use my fists and lose the people I care about like you did? You hit Danny, and Emma left. Was that because you didn’t control your temper?”
“No, Hayden,” said Emma. “Cain didn’t fly into a rage without thought. Cain thought with her heart. Someone had hurt me, and she reacted out of love.” Emma gripped the rim of the door. More than once she had been in the position to listen in on a talk between Cain and Hayden, and again the tone and depth of Cain’s lessons awed her. However, today Cain was trying to eliminate from Hayden’s life the one thing that made her so unique. The uniqueness that had captured Emma’s heart from the beginning and would make her son a special man to someone someday—Cain’s passion.
“Emma, let’s not fill his head with foolish notions.” Cain’s voice was barely a whisper.
“I’m not. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but you’re trying too hard to erase those things you see as lacking in yourself.”
Hayden leaned back as Emma came closer and put her hand on Cain’s face.
“I know you. What makes you so special is the fact that you’re willing to fight for those you love.” Cain’s skin felt a little too warm, and Emma could only guess that the moisture was a result of the pain she saw in the blue eyes. “
The sharp reply was poised on Cain’s tongue, but she let it die away and gave in to the desire to close her eyes.
Emma had won another small victory. “Hayden, could you go out and keep an eye on your sister for me?” she asked.
A nurse met him at the door, pointing at the sign that read “Visiting Hours.”
He put his hands up and shook his head. The moment had turned into something he figured both of them needed to get through without interruption.
The caress of a cool hand towel made Cain stir from the light sleep she had given in to, but she didn’t open her eyes. As Emma ran a soft hand over Cain’s head, Cain recalled the time they were together and she had gotten the flu. The tender touch then had made her feel so loved, magnifying now the loss of what Emma meant to her. When Emma had walked out, the memory of her skin pressed against her would wake Cain in the night. Intellectually, Cain realized there was a simple solution if all she needed was a warm body lying next to her, but it was Emma her heart still craved.
“You don’t have to do that.”
The voice stilled Emma’s hand and tightened her nipples to the point where she felt as if she needed to cover her chest to hide the effect from Cain. Her soft timbre reminded her of her nights in Cain’s bed.
“I’m taking advantage of your weakened condition, so be quiet.”
“You know something, shorty?”
“The pain must be getting bad. Either that or you’re delusional if you think you’re going to get away with calling me that,” Emma teased back.
“I’m beginning to think you’re enjoying having me here with no choice but to succumb to your wiles.”
Emma placed the nurse’s call button closer to her hand and stopped what she was doing. “I’d trade places with you in a heartbeat, I already told you that, and if you want I can get someone else to do this. This isn’t about pushing you.”
“I didn’t say I wanted you to stop.”
The blue eyes opened and pinned Emma with a look she hadn’t seen in forever. Cain almost looked like she cared.
“How about you and me make a deal until all this is over and we settle back into some semblance of a normal life?”
“What did you have in mind, Cain?”
“Well, we share a name and all these kids running around, so what do you say to being friends? That’s one thing we haven’t tried in a while.”
