Chapter 35

Emma's POV

I awake the following morning with the sumptuous sensation that my sleep has been so rich and deep I have not dreamed at all.

Suddenly, I feel there are strange men in the house.

For a minute I grab the pillow, my body stiffs with fear, because from the sound of them, they are upstairs, somewhere really nearby.

I force myself to get out of bed and hobble to the door. And grab the baseball bat, ready to hit the robbers.

"Roberta?" My voice is thin.

The kitchen door opens. It's Roberta. She is listening to something on her phone as she cooks the food. She smiles and says something along the lines of ‘I got to hang up’.

There is a chair on the landing that Austin sits on blearily.

“I thought there were robbers in the house,” I say.

“We wish, then we can kick their ass,” Austin says, grinning.

Roberta laughs weakly.

I like how differently Roberta fills the chair. She is one-third of Ryan’s size and dresses in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt.

In time the water in the kettle