BAILEE The air left my lungs in one big swoosh of air as I heard the words. She was safe. “Where is she?” I asked breathlessly. “She is being looked over by the paramedics right now,” Keller said, and my hand instantly grabbed Alex’s to steady myself. “Is she hurt? Did he hurt her?” I asked
ALEXANDER It was hard to take my eyes off Bailee and Brinley as they lay curled up in my bed. Seeing them there made me feel complete and whole. My woman, my future daughter, and my unborn baby. I had a family. They were my family. Every few minutes, I had been peaking my head into the room,
ALEXANDER “What’s going on, man?” “Nothing.” He said a bit too quickly before running his palm down his face. “It’s just been nice having people around again… my people. I’ve been alone for so long. No matter how many tickets I sent or how many times I called or texted, my family hadn’t shown up
BAILEE As I woke, my body was stiff and overly warm. Brinley was curled into my side, her head on my shoulder, sleeping partially on top of me, and I sighed in relief that she was actually here and safe. I stared at her for a long while, worried that she would disappear and I would wake up alone,
BAILEE “You’re being weird,” I muttered to Ben as he sat across from me at the dining room table. “You are weird.” He threw back, and the corner of my lips pulled up in amusement. There he was, back to himself. “Is this about the Range Rover because I came into some money recently, and I can
ALEXANDER The sign over the front of the building was chipped and outdated, something I hadn't noticed until now. I took a second to stare at it for a moment longer as I waited for Ben to get Brinley out of her car seat. He was a good uncle, but man, had it been satisfying to crack a few ‘Manny -
ALEXANDER “Oh, Alex!” My foster mother, Kaylee, exclaimed, and I tensed in surprise as she rounded the table to wrap her arms around me. It felt like a trap. It was a cold, cruel trap. “Love, let’s sit down and let him get his bearings. It’s been a long past few days, I’m sure.” My foster fathe
ALEXANDER “We are sorry, son. So sorry.” Nial said, and had I not gone through the training I did for the army, I would have cracked as he called me son. Instead, I just nodded. There was nothing more I could ask of them besides regret and an apology. Anything else seemed unreasonable. “How ca