filling with pride. He held his fist toward the iPad’s camera for a fist-bump. Noah did the same. “That’s my boy!”
“You said if I did that, you’d take me to the range again.”
“I did, didn’t I?” Mitch laughed at his son’s tenacity. He’d already taught both kids gun safety and proper handling of a weapon. He took the approach that it was better to teach them proper handling and respect of a weapon than to hide it and hope they never found it. Curiosity bred danger in that situation. “I’ll get it worked out with Aunt Sienna.”
Noah pumped both hands in the air. “Yes!” He went into a full endzone touchdown dance.
Laughing, Sienna directed him away from the camera. “He’s been bugging me to Skype so he could tell you that.”
“I’m glad you called.” And he was. Something about her and the kids set his day right.
“Daddy,” came Ella’s sweet voice as she returned with a book in hand. “Can I read you a bedtime story?”
It was morning in Afghanistan, but he’d never turn down hearing his daughter read to him. She had skills she wanted to show off. After climbing into Sienna’s lap, Ella brushed her light brown hair from her face and opened the book. She held up a hand to Sienna. “Don’t help me, Auntie Sie, I can do this.”
With a smile, Sienna nodded, casting a look at the camera, at Mitch. “Okay, Ella. It’s all you, sweetie.”
Something knocked loose in Mitch’s chest. He felt something he hadn’t since Ellery’s death. It both startled and worried him.
Focus on Ella
. But his gaze lingered awhile longer on Sienna. She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, her auburn hair hanging loose and free. In the years since Ellery’s death, her sister had stepped in and been a surrogate mother to Ella and Noah. She’d covered gaps when Mitch got deployed. Never complained. Always helped.
“Daddy?”
Mitch blinked. “Huh?” Had he been staring? “Did you fall asleep again?” Ella asked, exasperated.
“Well, it was a bedtime story, wasn’t it?”
“For me, silly,” Ella said with her adorable giggle. “Auntie Sie said it’s morning there. You gotta work, Daddy.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“Okay, you two,” Sienna said. “Say night to your daddy then go climb in bed. We have an early morning. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Ella’s face grew large in the camera then blurred as a noisy kissing noise reverberated through the feed. “Night, Daddy. I love you!”
Mitch’s throat constricted. “Love you, too, baby girl!”
“I’m not a baby. I’m six!”
“Yes, you are. Now, off to bed,” he said, fighting the tears. He wanted to be there with them. Hold her and smell that strawberry shampoo in her hair.
“Night, Dad,” Noah said, once again fist-bumping the camera.
Mitch returned it. “Proud of you, champ. Warrior on!”
“You, too. Night.”
Choked up, Mitch turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose.
God, just get me home to them. Don’t take me from them, too
.
“Hey.” Sienna’s silky soft voice eased out of the speaker. “They’re doing good. You’d be proud of them.”
“I
am
proud of them. Miss them like crazy. Sucks to be away from them.”
“I know. And they miss you, too.” She folded her arms on the table and bent forward. “Listen…”
“Uh-oh.”
“Yeah,” she said, bunching her shoulders. “Ella’s teacher said something to my mom about me taking care of them.”
He braced himself. “And they said something to you?”
“They did.”
“They weren’t happy.”
“No.”
“Why can’t they just accept that I can love my kids and still be a soldier?” He grunted. “Sorry to drag you into this.”
“Drag me into it? I’m their aunt. My sister and I might have had our differences, but those kids mean the world to me. I really gave my parents a piece of my mind at their accusations.”
It was a salve to the wound her parents inflicted. “Wait. What accusations?”
Sienna winced. “They
“You said if I did that, you’d take me to the range again.”
“I did, didn’t I?” Mitch laughed at his son’s tenacity. He’d already taught both kids gun safety and proper handling of a weapon. He took the approach that it was better to teach them proper handling and respect of a weapon than to hide it and hope they never found it. Curiosity bred danger in that situation. “I’ll get it worked out with Aunt Sienna.”
Noah pumped both hands in the air. “Yes!” He went into a full endzone touchdown dance.
Laughing, Sienna directed him away from the camera. “He’s been bugging me to Skype so he could tell you that.”
“I’m glad you called.” And he was. Something about her and the kids set his day right.
“Daddy,” came Ella’s sweet voice as she returned with a book in hand. “Can I read you a bedtime story?”
It was morning in Afghanistan, but he’d never turn down hearing his daughter read to him. She had skills she wanted to show off. After climbing into Sienna’s lap, Ella brushed her light brown hair from her face and opened the book. She held up a hand to Sienna. “Don’t help me, Auntie Sie, I can do this.”
With a smile, Sienna nodded, casting a look at the camera, at Mitch. “Okay, Ella. It’s all you, sweetie.”
Something knocked loose in Mitch’s chest. He felt something he hadn’t since Ellery’s death. It both startled and worried him.
Focus on Ella
. But his gaze lingered awhile longer on Sienna. She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, her auburn hair hanging loose and free. In the years since Ellery’s death, her sister had stepped in and been a surrogate mother to Ella and Noah. She’d covered gaps when Mitch got deployed. Never complained. Always helped.
“Daddy?”
Mitch blinked. “Huh?” Had he been staring? “Did you fall asleep again?” Ella asked, exasperated.
“Well, it was a bedtime story, wasn’t it?”
“For me, silly,” Ella said with her adorable giggle. “Auntie Sie said it’s morning there. You gotta work, Daddy.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“Okay, you two,” Sienna said. “Say night to your daddy then go climb in bed. We have an early morning. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Ella’s face grew large in the camera then blurred as a noisy kissing noise reverberated through the feed. “Night, Daddy. I love you!”
Mitch’s throat constricted. “Love you, too, baby girl!”
“I’m not a baby. I’m six!”
“Yes, you are. Now, off to bed,” he said, fighting the tears. He wanted to be there with them. Hold her and smell that strawberry shampoo in her hair.
“Night, Dad,” Noah said, once again fist-bumping the camera.
Mitch returned it. “Proud of you, champ. Warrior on!”
“You, too. Night.”
Choked up, Mitch turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose.
God, just get me home to them. Don’t take me from them, too
.
“Hey.” Sienna’s silky soft voice eased out of the speaker. “They’re doing good. You’d be proud of them.”
“I
am
proud of them. Miss them like crazy. Sucks to be away from them.”
“I know. And they miss you, too.” She folded her arms on the table and bent forward. “Listen…”
“Uh-oh.”
“Yeah,” she said, bunching her shoulders. “Ella’s teacher said something to my mom about me taking care of them.”
He braced himself. “And they said something to you?”
“They did.”
“They weren’t happy.”
“No.”
“Why can’t they just accept that I can love my kids and still be a soldier?” He grunted. “Sorry to drag you into this.”
“Drag me into it? I’m their aunt. My sister and I might have had our differences, but those kids mean the world to me. I really gave my parents a piece of my mind at their accusations.”
It was a salve to the wound her parents inflicted. “Wait. What accusations?”
Sienna winced. “They
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