Well, not home. Not her home.
She swallowed hard and tried to ignore the ache in her chest over the fact she no longer had a home to go to.
Flynn, being Flynn, didn’t listen, hopping out of the car and limping around to her side of the car. He’d done a pretty good job of wrenching his knee—it was bandaged and from what she could see, quite stiff and swollen. Scans showed he hadn’t done any serious damage—at least there was that. Not that it would have mattered to Flynn at all. He was the kind of patient who made a doctor pull out their hair for the lack of interest in their own health and wellbeing. When she’d pointed out he should be the one in the wheelchair when they were leaving the hospital, he had looked almost insulted and insisted he’d had worse. There was no way he was going to do what Doctor Campbell in the hospital told him to do, which was to stay off it and give it a chance to heal. Stupid man.
Stupid man who had come after her to apologise even though she was the one who’d slapped him.
Stupid man who had stood up for her with Chandra and invited her into his own home despite the difficult nature of their relationship.
Stupid man who was still in love with his dead wife.
Although, why any of that should matter, she had no idea. It didn’t. Matter. Not at all. Not even a little bit. Not to her.
She opened the door before he managed to limp halfway around the car and hopped out, the bag of her smoky and slightly singed clothing banging at her side.
She looked down at the shorts and t-shirt and canvas sneakers she was wearing. They weren’t anything like her normal clothes, but they were clean and the right size and she was so grateful now that Reid had gone and bought them for her alongside a few spares and clothes for Carter as well.
How was she ever going to repay that kind of kindness?
Flynn hobbled up to her and held out his hand. ‘Here, let me take that.’
She rolled her eyes at him and gestured to Reid. ‘Would you make him go and sit down? He really needs to get off that knee for the next day or so.’
Reid pulled a face. ‘And how would you like me to make him do that?’
‘Hog tie him to the sofa.’
‘You know, I’m standing right here,’ Flynn said.
‘Yes, that’s part of the problem.’ She pointed at the house. ‘Go. Sit. And accept your nephew’s help to the house.’
‘What about you?’
‘I think I can manage to get inside the house fine by myself. I don’t have to stand on my lungs.’
‘Here,’ Reid said, offering his arm to Flynn. ‘Or I could pick you up and carry you over the threshold.’
‘Try it and Nat will lose two of her favourite toys.’
Reid laughed away the threat.
‘I don’t know why you’re laughing.’
‘You, threatening to do anything that would anger Nat—now that’s funny.’
Flynn muttered something about no respect and Prita couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Should you be laughing?’ Reid asked when Prita began to cough.
‘It’s hard not to when you two are so funny.’
‘Mum!’
She looked up in time to see Carter jump down the front steps from the porch and run over to her, arms out wide, Barb coming behind him shouting, ‘Slow down, Carts!’
He didn’t listen and smacked into Prita, his little wiry arms going around her, the force of his enthusiasm sending her stumbling back into the car door with a grunt.
‘I’m glad you’re okay, Mum,’ he said as he pressed his head under her breast and hugged her fiercely.
‘Me too, beautiful boy.’ She kissed his head and hugged him back.
‘Careful of your mum, Carts,’ Flynn said. ‘She’s still not one hundred percent.’
‘He’s okay. He didn’t hurt me.’ Carter looked up at her, tears in his eyes. She cupped his face. ‘You didn’t hurt me. I promise.’
He shook his head and wiped his hand under his nose, sniffling, but didn’t say what the problem was.
‘What is it, sweetheart?’
‘Maccy. Was he … was he in the fire? Is he dead?’
Oh god, she should have got in front of this particular worry, called him or something, but what could she say other than, ‘I don’t know, beautiful boy. But he’s a smart cat. The back door was open when I got there and I’m sure he would have used it to run away from the fire.’ At least, she hoped he had.
‘We need to go look for him now. What if he’s hurt or scared?’
She exchanged a quick look with Flynn over Carter’s head. She really didn’t want him going to see the wreck that was now their home, nor have him chance finding Machiavelli’s body if he hadn’t escaped the fire.
‘I think your mum needs you to stay here with her, but how about I take some food and see if I can coax him that way? You know I’m good with animals.’
Carter nodded, the dark expression fading. ‘He likes chunks of chicken the best.’
‘A discerning cat.’
Carter smiled. He actually smiled. She wanted to kiss Flynn. The thought had heat flaring through her body. The thought of kissing Flynn shouldn’t be so strong. She hadn’t been able to get the words he’d said to Chandra about them being lovers out of her head. It was stupid. She had to stop feeling like this. If only she knew how. But even though he was making her son so very happy, she couldn’t let him hurt himself. Not for her. ‘You can’t go. You need to stay off your knee.’
‘My knee’s not that bad. And Maccy needs to be found.’
‘I think I should go with you,’ Reid said, picking up on Prita’s looks his way.
‘I’m fine,’ Flynn said, his grumpiness reappearing. ‘There’s no need to molly coddle me.’
‘There is a need to drive you there, though,’ Barb pointed out. ‘How are you going to
