The scream was high and shrill. Mia! It was coming from Mia in the backyard. Felt like a big-bore bullet to Gage’s gut, ripping him raw. He jumped from the utility vehicle and charged around the house.

David lay facedown on the grass in front of the fort, Coop kneeling next to him and assessing his injuries. Mia stood at the top landing of the fort, her face stark white. Gage wanted to go to her, but first he had to find out what happened to David. Gage raced across the lawn, and Hannah burst through the back door with Eryn.

Gage reached David first and squatted down. “What happened, Coop?”

Coop’s eyes were dark with concern, and nothing ever spooked him. “David climbed onto the rail to reach for a squirrel. He fell before I could even warn him to get down.”

David turned over and a long moan escaped his lips.

Hannah knelt next to him. “Son, are you okay?”

Her soft, pleading voice wrenched Gage’s heart, and in that instant, he would do anything to take away her fear and pain.

David’s chin wobbled as if he might cry, and his eyes misted. “My arm hurts.”

“I think it’s broken,” Coop said. “I’ll get the first aid kit.”

“Let me see.” Hannah took one look at the arm and clamped her mouth closed.

“Are you mad at me, Mommy?” David’s tears seemed imminent now.

She smoothed back a lock of his hair. “You know what you did was wrong?”

“Yes.”

“And you promise never to do it again?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m not mad.” She pressed a kiss on his forehead. “But we’ll need to go back to the ER to have you checked out.”

“No. Mommy. Please. Do we have to go? I…”

“I’m afraid so, Son.”

“I’ll go with you.” Mia’s voice came from behind.

Gage spun to see her standing behind him, clutching her well-worn doll. The last place he wanted to take her was to the ER. She liked hospitals about as much as he did, but Gage would foster the interest she seemed to be developing in her new friend.

“I’ll carry David,” Gage offered.

Mia looked at him with a serious expression. “And I’ll hold his hand.”

He smiled at his daughter and couldn’t get over the change in her normal timid behavior. “Then we have a plan, Bug.”

Hannah kissed David’s forehead again. “Here’s Coop—he’s going to wrap your arm up. Okay?”

“Ow! Ow!” David yelped as Coop carefully moved his arm to splint it.

Hannah’s face pinched like she was the one in pain, but she soothed her son, and he quieted down. Gage gently picked the boy up and headed for the driveway. Mia held David’s good hand and Hannah stood to Mia’s side, her hand resting on Mia’s shoulder. Gage was touched seeing Mia come out of her shell and warm up to David—and Hannah, too.

Coop hurried up next to him. “I’m sorry, Hannah. Gage. This wouldn’t have happened if I’d gone into the fort with the kids.”

“You’re too big, silly,” David said.

“Right.” Coop smiled but focused on Gage. “Are we good, man?”

Just like Coop. Like all the members of the team. Putting other peoples’ safety first and when someone got hurt, blaming themselves. Gage did the same thing, but Coop had no responsibility in this injury.

“Remember when you were a kid?” Gage asked. “How fast things happened and you or your friends got hurt?”

“Yep. Had my share of broken bones.”

“Me, too,” Gage said. “You’re not to blame.”

“It may have happened with all of us out here,” Hannah added. “No need to feel bad, Coop.”

He gave a firm nod of acknowledgement. “Mind if I ride along to make sure David’s all right?”

“Glad to have you. In fact, I’d appreciate your help.” Gage sent silent signals to Coop reminding him of the need to protect both David and Hannah on the drive.

Coop nodded and moved around the car.

Gage briefly considered sending out a decoy vehicle, but Hannah’s attacker couldn’t have seen David fall and couldn’t possibly expect them to be leaving the compound. And the routine patrols on the road all morning found no sign of the intruder.

Still, Gage turned to Eryn who was standing by the front door. “Ride shotgun.”

Gage wanted to say more, but he didn’t need to scare the others, and Eryn was smart enough to figure out that Gage wanted her eyes and ears on the area for the drive.

“Mom says I can ride shotgun when I’m tall enough to sit in the front seat,” David announced.

Good. He didn’t think anything of Gage’s comment.

“I’d be glad to have you by my side when you can sit in the front.”

“Really?” David asked. “Can I do what your team does, too? They carry guns. I saw Coop’s. He’s hiding it, but I saw it when he lifted Mia to the top of the fort.”

Gage opened his mouth to respond, but what should he say? First, David wouldn’t be here for long, something Gage hadn’t considered when he’d spoken. And a gun? Gage thought boys could be taught how to use a weapon responsibly, and he’d be glad to teach David when he was older, but he was sure Hannah would hate that.

“That’s not something you need to think about.” Hannah used her thumb to wipe a dirty smudge from David’s cheek. “We’re just visiting, remember? We’ll be going home soon.”

“Aw, I like it here. Mia’s fun and I love the fort.”

“Even if you fell out of it and broke your arm?” Gage carefully settled David in his car seat while everyone else took a seat.

“Yeah.” David’s voice held such excitement that Gage really wished the boy could stay. He patted David’s head, then gave Mia a kiss on the cheek to reinforce her brave behavior.

As he backed out, David said, “You’re a good dad.”

The longing in David’s tone froze Gage in place, and again, he didn’t know what to say.

“Can you sit by me?” David asked.

“No, he can’t, sweetie,” Hannah said. “He has to drive.”

His lower lip came out in a pout. “Wish he could sit next to me.”

“Sorry, buddy. This is my car. I need to drive.” David seemed to buy the apology, and Gage moved to the driver’s seat.

He wouldn’t have minded sitting by David, but even with a bum arm, he was still the best defensive driver on the team. He slipped behind the wheel and got them on the road. Gage and his team members didn’t let their guard down and kept a watchful eye all the way to the ER. They sat in the waiting room for two hours before a nurse took David back for an exam. The minute David left, Mia snuggled up against Gage, and he held her close. If she was feeling only a smidgen of his unease at being in a hospital again, she was highly unsettled inside.

“Don’t worry, Bug.” He stroked her soft hair worn in curly ponytails courtesy of Opal. “David will be fine.”

She nodded, but each time the door opened, she sat up to check for her friend then fell back against Gage. Man, he wanted to protect his little sweetheart. Not only from all danger in life, but also from her difficult emotions. His gut twisted. Those feelings extended to the woman and boy inside, too. If he hadn’t bailed on Hannah, David would be his son. What a punch to the gut that was.

Mia squirmed, grabbing his attention. If he hadn’t left Hannah, he wouldn’t have his precious Mia. Not something he could ever imagine.

He scooped her onto his lap, and she rested her head against his chest, clutching her doll tightly. He kissed the top of her head. “Love you, Bug.”

“Love you too, Daddy.” She inched even closer, and peace settled in his heart like a warm blanket in the middle of an icy winter. But why now? Was it because David had gotten hurt and he was thankful for Mia’s safety? One thing was for sure. The feeling had only occurred a few times since losing Cass.

Felt good after years of turmoil. He wanted more of it. Was this a sign from God? A sign that it was time to move on from mourning Cass?

The doors swung open, and David emerged with Hannah at his side. Her eyes were narrowed and tight, holding all the stress she’d been under. David’s forearm held a splint covered in an elastic bandage. Either he hadn’t fractured his arm, or the splint was temporary until the break could be set.

Mia hopped off Gage’s lap and ran across the room to David. Gage tracked her with his gaze, his mouth falling open.

“She sure seems to like David,” Coop said. “Never seen her this enthusiastic.”

“She’s changed all right,” Eryn agreed.

And in only a few short hours. Apparently, all they’d needed to help her open up was a kind child who didn’t gawk at or point out her differences. Not that Gage blamed other kids she’d played with for being unkind. Kids often focused on differences until they could make sense of them. Some went further and belittled, but even the innocent questions had hurt Mia.

Gage got up and joined them. “Are we good to go?”

“I broke my arm. Gonna get a cast,” David announced, a gleam in his eye. “Orange one.”

Gage wouldn’t tell the little guy that once the cast got in the way or started itching, it would lose its luster.

Hannah sighed. “I need to get him in to see a pediatric orthopedist.”

“I can help with that.” Gage smiled to ease her worry, but she frowned. “Right now we should get back home. Opal must be back from the store by now, and she’ll serve up big bowls of ice cream.”

“Yay,” David jumped up and down, but quickly stopped when a grimace of pain passed over his face. Mia did a dance in her awkward gait that Gage found completely adorable.

He scooped her up into his arms and turned to Coop to give a quick nod of his head. Coop understood and headed out the door to bring the car around. Another nod, this one for Eryn, and she went outside to evaluate the area for a safe departure.

Once Gage got the “all clear” from her, he hustled the others into the vehicle. Coop rode shotgun this time, with Eryn and Hannah in the third seat, the kids in the middle. He glanced in the mirror to make sure everyone had buckled in and traded a be-alert look with Eryn and Coop.

A kid’s broken arm or not, Hannah’s attacker was still out there waiting, and she was no safer now than she’d been before David’s fall.

Hannah’s stomach hurt. Deep down. A cramping, nauseating feeling that wouldn’t abate. Eryn had nailed things on the head. Hannah was being overprotective. Way overprotective. In fact, she now wished she hadn’t allowed her son to play outside. What was next? Did she intend to put him in a bubble? Keep him with her 24/7? He’d be an anxiety-ridden child in no time if she headed down the helicopter parent route, but she didn’t know if she could handle anything else going wrong.

This wasn’t about her, though. It was all about her precious son. About what was best for him. He needed her to stay strong. To not overreact. As Gage had said, kids get hurt. And they did. All the time. That thought only made matters worse and raised so many questions. Like…was Gage right that God wanted the best for her? For David? How could a broken arm be good for any of them? Well, maybe it’d been good for Mia by the way she’d opened up.

Hannah glanced at the sweet little girl in the middle seat, still holding David’s hand in the car. How incredible that she reached out to him, and that he continued to let her hold on. Maybe this was good for David, too, and even for Hannah. After all, it got her thinking about God in a different light. Perhaps Gage wasn’t completely wrong.

Maybe. At least not in this area. But the earlier comment about her and David staying in Cold Harbor? That was way off base.

David’s head drooped and didn’t come back up. Poor baby had fallen asleep from the excitement. Hannah leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Sleep beckoned, but her brain wouldn’t shut down, and Gage infiltrated her thoughts. Being with him again reminded her of all the reasons she’d fallen in love with him in the first place. He was caring. Compassionate. Generous. Willing to go to the ends of the earth for the people he loved. To that, she now had to add doting father and a man who opened himself up to care for and help David. A boy who just a few days ago was a stranger.

She pried open her eyes and looked at him behind the wheel. Confident. Sure. Strong. Like Nick in those respects. But Nick wasn’t a family man. He was a SEAL through and through, something she really hadn’t noticed until after they’d had David. Gage on the other hand…

“Stop it,” she said then clamped her hand over her mouth when she drew everyone’s attention. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for that to slip out.”

Gage’s eyes connected with hers in the mirror and locked in place. Worried he’d read her thoughts, she jerked her gaze away and focused out the window.

She spotted a deer bounding out of the woods heading in collision course with their vehicle. “Look out! Deer!”

Gage swerved the vehicle, tossing Hannah toward the door. At the same time, the window above her shattered.

“Down!” Gage shouted. “Everyone down!”

Eryn shoved Hannah toward the floor, then threw herself over Hannah.

“What is it?” she cried out and tried to rise. “David! I have to get to him.”

She heard David’s fearful cry and Gage calming both of the kids.

“David’s fine, but a bullet shattered your window,” Eryn whispered, likely to keep from scaring the kids. “If Gage hadn’t swerved…well…you…let’s just say that bullet was meant for you.”