Page 114 of If You Love Me

“I’ll always come back to you. I know what happened was really scary, but you were so brave.”

I remembered sitting with Summer as she gave her statement to the police. When she recalled how she’d tried to fight Iona off, it broke my heart that she even had to do that. I knew it hurt her because she loved her. To know that Iona had been secretly pulling her into her office and telling her not to tell me because I would be upset enraged me just as much her taking my child.

She knew I wouldn’t have approved of that, and the fact that the school allowed it to go on for weeks made me pull my baby out of enrollment. My mother-in-law was going to homeschool her until the next school year began. I wanted her to feel safe and not have to deal with the backlash of everything that was going on. She had enough trauma.

The door to the room opened, and in walked Nina, Jersey, and Jaime. When she saw that her best friend was awake, she ran over, politely pushing me out of the way.

“Oh my God!” She cried audibly as she hugged her.

When she got the news, Jaime said he had to pin her down so she could gather herself. She’d grabbed her own gun and was prepared to finish the job if Iona hadn’t died. I’d almost waited to tell her because I knew they were expecting. However, I knew that not telling her would warrant me a cursing out and probably an ass whupping because she didn’t play about her best friend.

“I’m so glad you’re awake,” Nina said, wiping her eyes. “You scared me, Ev. I just got you back. I couldn’t lose you again.”

“I’ve got a lot more fight left in me.” She reached out and rubbed Nina’s belly. “How is my baby?”

“Giving me the blues.”

Evenie giggled as she reached for Jersey. “Hi, Jersey boo.”

“Hi, Auntie Ev. I’m glad you’re okay. We’ve been to see you every day in case you woke up.”

“I appreciate that, baby. Hey, Jay.”

Jaime made his way through us to hug her. “Welcome back, sis… well, again. You aren’t gonna make this a habit, are you?”

That was Jaime’s way of making light of the situation.

Evenie shook her head. “No. Let’s pray this is the last time.”

We sat around talking and catching up until my parents came back in. Of course, they both had to love on Evenie. My mother jokingly told her they had matching war wounds. Her parents came in, and I immediately retreated to my corner. I watched them hug and love on their daughter with my head hung low.

It had been hard to look them in the face since everything went down. Whenever they were here, I planted myself in a corner to give them privacy. The guilt was eating me up. As I tried to leave the room, Mama Cheryl stopped me.

“Stop this, Tyrion,” she said, grabbing my arm. “You’ve avoided us for days. Why?”

I hung my head, but she gently grabbed my chin and lifted it.

“I’m sorry, Ma.”

“Sorry for what?”

“Everything. Iona… if I’d never… this is all my fault.”

“Oh, baby.” She pulled me into a motherly embrace. “Tyrion, David and I don’t blame you for any of this. No one could have predicted this outcome. You don’t have to avoid us because you feel guilty. I don’t want you putting that on yourself. You’re our son, and we love you. If you hadn’t gotten there when you did, we might not have Evenie at all.” She pulled away and cupped my face. “Stay. You’re family, and my daughter needs to feel the love of all of us right now. No more talk of this being your fault, do you understand me?”

I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

She kissed my cheek and pulled me over to the rest of the family. Evenie sat staring silently at her father. For a moment, she reverted to that little girl when he hugged her. That man washer soft spot. She could hold up in front of everybody else, but for him, she would break down every time.

He climbed his ass right in bed with her and let her cuddle with him while Summer cuddled with her. It was quite the sight to see. I was glad to see that my wife wasn’t in a somber mood. She was more than a victim. She was a fighter and one of the strongest women I knew. While I was sure she would have her moments in the days to come, I knew she would push through and come out her best self.

A Week Later

“Watch your step,”I said, guiding Evenie up the front steps.

“Tyrion, I know how to go up the stairs,” she fussed.

“The doctor said take it easy, Mommy,” Summer Rose reminded her.

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