Page 58 of Silver Linings

“Why don’t we walk over there with you?” Gunner replied.

“I’m perfectly fine going on my own.”

“Even if you are, I’d feel better going with you.”

“Gunner, stay here with your friends. I’ll only be a minute. Are you good with holding onto Sage or should I try to take her with me?”

“I’ll hold on to her,” he said as he patted her baby’s back. “I wanted to take her to see that statue over by the river walk, anyway.”

Lily’s eyes widened. “Just make sure?—”

“Lil, I was in the Navy. I know how to make sure she’s safe around water. Besides, that river is more like a dried-up creek right now. She’ll be fine.”

“My brain knows that, Gunner, but my anxiety doesn’t.”

“I won’t take her near the water, I promise. Just to the statues and then we will come right back.”

The park where they had set up the picnic was absolutely brimming with summer fun. Families played basketball games, children rode their bikes along the meandering paths, and every picnic table was filled with overflowing dishes and coolers. When Lily thought of the life she wanted Sage to have, the picture that day painted was exactly what she had in mind.

Although it would be a few more years until Sage could enjoy everything that made Silver Springs charming, Lily was falling more in love with the town with each passing day.

“Oh, excuse me.” Lily smiled at a woman who brushed past her on the small footpath. The bathrooms were on the edge of the park, surrounded by forest, and it was more of a trek to get over to them than she was expecting. As she shut the door behind her, Lily wondered if Sage would be all smiles for Gunner while she was away, or if her baby could sense the physical distance between them. Lily certainly could, and even though she’d only been gone a few minutes, she was more than ready to be back with her family and new friends.

She washed her hands in a hurry, opting to wipe the water off on her shorts rather than wait for the air dryer to do its job. Besides, she’d once had someone tell her that the dryers were a breeding ground for germs, and she wanted to protect Sprout as much as possible.

As she stepped out of the restroom and turned to make her way back towards the group, a hand clamped over Lily’s mouth. Her hands flew up to wrench the arm away from her face, but it didn’t move. Panic flooded her veins as the person behind her slowly moved her away from the bathrooms and towards the edge of the forest lining the park.

“Stop fighting me,” a man’s voice growled low in her ear. “This won’t be fast, but it will be fun, I promise. Maybe you even want it. Never seen a married woman before who didn’t wear her wedding ring when she went out. Are you a little slut who wants more than what your husband can offer?”

Saliva filled her mouth as her stomach rolled. No. No way was she going anywhere with the person trying to kidnap her. She needed to think. If she could get his hand away from her mouth, she could scream and alert the team.

Without hesitation, Lily stomped down on the man’s shin while she bit into the flesh of his hand. He stumbled, releasing his grip on her with a yelp. The scream that tore through Lily’s throat sent birds scattering through the trees and she ran as fast as she could back towards the picnic area.

“See, Sprout. I told you this statue was neat.” Gunner couldn’t help but smile as the little girl in his arms stared wide-eyed up at the massive statue in front of them. She was going to love history just as much as he did, and that made his heart swell with pride. “I can’t wait to take you up north. There is such rich history all around us. Maybe your mom would even let us watch a civil war reenactment one day. I’ve always wanted to see one.”

“Fatherhood looks so good on you, Reap,” Stone said from over his shoulder.

“I never would have thought I’d get to have this, Doc, but it really is the best.”

“You deserve it. Lily and Sage have really changed things,” Stone smiled.

“For the better,” Gunner added.

“Oh, definitely. You were such a grumpy bastard. I mean, you still are, but it’s nice to see you smile at them. Maybe one day, your team will get to see it, too,” he laughed.

Gunner was about to snap back at his friend when a scream ripped through the air. He immediately moved to get Sage into Stone’s arms and took off running. All he could think about was how stupid it had been to let Lily go to the bathroom by herself. If something happened to her…

His eyes scanned the area, finally landing on his wife running through a crowd of people. He tried to look for anyone leaving the area, but all his eyes could focus on was the look of pure terror painted on Lily’s face. Fuck.

Her frantic eyes finally landed on him, and they didn’t stop running towards each other until her body slammed into his.

“Lily!”

“I’m okay. It’s okay.”

“What happened? Why did you scream?” he asked as his face landed in her hair. Her whole body shook against him.

“Where’s Sage? Is she okay?”