Protecting Love (LarssonSiblingSeries #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Unedited 💓

Finn - Yep, our beautiful Finn is coming first today! ♥️

Over the next few days, I keep a close eye on Betty, following her places so she knows I'm here. It's nice that she's able to spend a bit of quality time with her family and I think the label see that too as they've allowed her a few days off. I'm still pulling my hair out. And I reckon she's the cause of the single grey hair I found in my stubble this morning, but it's not going to stop me.

I'm breaking in, whether she likes it or not.

Walls don't mean shit to me.

"Wow, George, look at Aunty Betty surfing those waves," Laine says, trying to distract the kid from shoving a handful of sand in his mouth.

I glance out to the water, making plans go over there to make sure she's safe when I see her trying to tackle a big wave and lose. The collective gasps tell me everyone else saw and then when she doesn't surface my heart beats right out of my fucking chest. I sprint across the sand hearing Selma start to shout for Viktor to do something, Laine not sounding much better.

The guys that were supposed to be helping her start to yell orders to one another while I taste acid in my mouth. The first guy dives into the water and starts to swim with a board strapped to his back. Noah's running close to my side, but stays at the waters edge while I wade into it. I'm waist deep before I dive forward and push my way through the strong currents, keeping my eyes open underwater incase I see anything, panicking when I don't.

I surface for air and hear poor Betty's mum screaming at the top of her lungs. Then head straight back under, still seeing no sign of her. The strength of the current is petrifying as I'm pulled back to where I started, seeming to be getting nowhere. I kick my legs as fast as I can praying to god that I see her soon.

My lungs burn when I come back to the surface, coming face to face with Betty's spluttering mouth. "Betty," I shout, reaching out to grab onto her arm, sealing her body close to my chest. "Are you all right?"

"Finn, Finn," she replies, wrapping her arms around my neck," coughing so hard it sounds like her lung is coming up her throat.

Keeping hold of her I float onto my back, taking us to the shore. Knowing she's lying when she promises her hysterical mum and sister that she's okay. I lay her down on the towel on the sand on her side and smack the shit out her back, so any water in her lungs comes up through her mouth.

"I'm sorry," she wrenches, spluttering again. "The wave just took me off my feet.

Selma kneels down in front of her and puts hundreds of kisses on her head, speaking in fluent Dutch.

"I'm fine, mama. Just a little winded," she says, her breathing steadying down.

Betty turns onto her other side so she's facing me, tears swimming in her eyes. "Finn," she says, her voice breaking.

I lean down and rest my nose near her ear, closing my eyes for a beat. "It's okay, baby. Just keep breathing. Nice deep breaths for me."

"Finn," she repeats, turning her neck to push her lips on my cheek. I move a fraction to kiss over her eyelids.

We stay still for a while and then she says, "That scared me."