To Forgive & Hold Safe (The Broken Men Chronicles Book 4) by Carey Decevito

my stomach flutter with nerves.
    “Okay, baby girl,” Adam said.
    He bent over and kissed his daughter’s cheek.  Anne did the same, then looked at me with a silent plea that I look after their daughter.  I shared a small nod in the couple’s direction, which seemed to work at reassuring them.

Chapter 1 6
    Hannah let go of my hands the moment her parents left the room, but her sobbing grew in intensity.
    My heart broke for her.
    “Hannah,” I said with gentleness.
    “Just shut up,” she said as she lay on her side still facing me.
    Despite the pain that I was dealing with, I wanted to take some of hers away so she could breathe a bit easier, to lighten the load, if only for a little while.
    Her long auburn hair had fallen into her face.  I just wanted to see her.  Crouching down, I pushed her hair back to tuck it behind her ear.
    “How do you do it?”  She gasped.  “How do you make it h-hurt less?  I mean…”  Her voice cracked and she launched herself at me, wincing in pain and sobbed some more.
    I had no choice but to sit on the mattress beside her, one arm wrapped around her waist to hold her up, while the other attempted to soothe her by rubbing light patterns on her back.
    “I haven’t done anything,” I mumbled into her hair.  “It’s been three years and I’m still hurting, but it hurts less every day.”
    She nodded into my shoulder and continued to cry, her body shaking.
    “Shh.” I began rocking us back and forth.  “It’ll be okay, I promise.”
    Her hysterical crying subsided enough and she sighed.
    “That’s what I thought.”  She pulled away.  “Before I found out about the baby, I mean.  It’s all I’ve ever wanted, you know?”
    Hot tears continued to fall as I continued to watch her and those sad eyes of hers.  Her hand came up to touch my face and when it came back wet, I realized that I had shed a few tears along with her.
    “She was crazy, you know,” Hannah whispered.  I looked at her in confusion.  “Your wife, she had it all and she was blowing it for some old flame.”
    It wasn’t the subject change I was expecting, but it did make her tears slow down which I was thankful for.
    “Yeah, well…” I let my words hang.
    “I heard everything, you know.  I know you think you’ve done something wrong.  I may not know you past you saving me or the fact that you’ve bonded with my parents over these past few days, becoming some kind of a friend to them, but you’re worth something, Ben.  Thank you for being here.”
    I was choked up.  Her eyes were peering so far into me that it felt like she could see my innermost secrets.
    “I couldn’t stay away.” My gaze met hers.  “Not after I told you I wouldn’t leave you.”
    She hugged me and held on with a death grip.  Her tears had dried for the time being.
    “You should really try and get some rest,” I mumbled into her hair.
    “I don’t think I can sleep right now.”
    “How about you try?  I’ll stay.”
    “Will you keep reading to me?”
    I tensed and knew she felt it just by the hand that began to rub my back in an effort to soothe.
    I thought about her request for a short moment.  Hadn’t I wished for her to wake up so I could hear her thoughts?  Why was I hesitating?
    Because she’s awake now and she might just tell you what she thinks whether you want to hear it or not.
    Despite my hesitation, I knew that I would most likely never finish reading those journals unless Hannah was beside me.
    “Are they that boring?” I asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
    “Nah, the story’s fine.”  She pulled back to look at my face.  “It’s that voice of yours that makes me sleepy.”
    I harrumphed.  “Your dad warned me about your wit.  Saw a bit of it the night I found you.  I kind of like it.”
    “Yeah, leave it to the injured girl to crack a few when she’s bleeding out.”  She rolls her eyes.  “You should see me on a good day.”
    The thought of that had me