He kissed her through the lace of her bra and she cradled his head against her as his lips found her nipple. Through the fabric he suckled and she could barely keep her balance on the bench. One of his hands reached around her, rubbing her buttock as he teased and kissed her breast.

“Aaaahhh!” A terrified scream pierced the night.

“Christina!” Tiffany sat bolt upright. J.D. released her.

Buttoning her dress and calling herself a moron, she raced to the house, up the back steps and through the door.

“Mommy!” the little girl cried. “Mommeee!”

“I’m coming, sweetheart!” Tiffany flew up the stairs.

J.D. was on her heels.

“Daddy! Daddy!”

“I’m here, baby,” Tiffany said, running down the hallway and tearing into her daughter’s room. “Right here.”

Christina was in the middle of her bed, rocking back and forth, tears streaming down her little face. Tiffany scooped her daughter up and held her tightly, kissing her cheeks, holding her buttocks with one arm and her head with the other. “It’s all right, Chrissie, Mommy’s here. I’ll always be here.”

Sobbing, Christina clung to her. “I scared.”

“I know, honey, I know. But there’s nothing to be scared about. I’m here.” She dabbed at her daughter’s eyes and taking up Chrissie’s favorite blanket sat in the rocker near the bookcase, the rocker she’d used when the children were infants. J.D. stood in the doorway, looking as if he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue and a second later Stephen, his hair at odd angles, half staggered into the room.

“Nightmare?” he asked and Tiffany nodded.

“Bad dream!” Christina whispered.

“You gotta do somethin’ about it,” Stephen said, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

“I’m trying. Shhh.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Stephen rolled his eyes at his uncle, then returned to his own room.

“Can I do anything?” J.D. asked, his face tense.

She shook her head, but held his gaze as Christina, giving up a tiny sigh, snuggled against her. “We’re fine,” Tiffany said and ignored the doubts in his eyes. “Just fine.” She picked up the well-loved floppy-eared stuffed rabbit and tucked it into her daughter’s arms. “Here’s Bub.” Then she pressed a kiss to her daughter’s curly head and kept rocking.

Thankfully J.D. took the hint. “If you need anything—”

“I won’t.”

“I’ll be upstairs.” She held her breath as she heard him climb the steps to the third floor. Christina calmed as she always did and her eyelids slowly lowered as the tempo of her breathing steadied. Humming softly, Tiffany continued to rock until she felt her daughter’s bones turn to butter.

Gently Tiffany tucked Christina into the bed and tiptoed into the hallway. She left the door ajar and walked toward her own room, pausing for a second at the open door to the third floor.