Page 100 of Fourth Point Of Contact

“It’s necessary.”

“He’s not going to ever forgive you for this.”

“He will in time. But we have to do what’s best for that kid, and right now, the best thing for her is to be surrounded by people who will protect her and love her.”

“And Edu?”

“He’ll come around.”

“You’d better hope so. You might have just pushed him over the edge.”

She walked away, and I wondered if she was right. I didn’t want to push him too far, but he needed some help, and he wasn’t going to get it by beating himself up.

22

EDU

“Eden Elizabeth Potter,”the social worker said as she walked up to me with a smile on her face. “It took some sorting, but I finally got all her records. Her birth certificate is under the mother’s name. And since she is basically non-existent, you can see why it took so long to find her.”

“There’s no sign of her? She just disappeared?” I asked incredulously.

“The police have been watching the house since that night, and there’s been no sign of her.”

“She just abandoned her kid.”

“Possibly. If it hadn’t been for your friends, she might have died down there.”

Guilt crushed me once again because of how selfish I’d been. If only I had gone searching for my old man sooner, maybe she could have been spared this.

“I’ve looked into you and your wife.”

My eyes slowly drifted back to her. My palms sweated as I waited for whatever she was about to say. Was I really cut out to take care of this child? Yes, I had my own, but this kid…she had to be fucked up. I was too fucked up for something like this. I knew it.

The social worker smiled at me, but I’d completely missed everything she said. “What?”

“I’m saying, I’m going to recommend that Eden be placed with you. There’ll be a hearing in family court and the judge needs to approve it, but this is the best solution for everyone.”

I swallowed hard. I wasn’t so sure about that.

“Do you want to see her?”

For two days, I’d paced this hospital, wondering if I should visit her. Everything in me said to go to her, but the demon on my shoulder whispered I would be no good for her.

“Yeah,” I answered, not stopping to think any longer.

When the social worker turned to head down the hall, I grabbed her arm, my terror spiking to new levels. “What do I say to her? I mean…after what she’s been through?—”

“Just introduce yourself. Tell her you’re family and you wanted to meet her. Keep it simple for now. Let her talk to you.”

“What if she doesn’t want to talk to me?”

“Then just sit with her. Let her know you’re there for whatever she needs.”

I nodded, giving myself an internal pep talk. I could do that. I could sit there with her. It was no different than sitting in the same room with Harper when she was pissed at me.

“You can do this,” the social worker smiled. “You have kindness in your eyes.”

Did I? I wasn’t so sure about that. I was rough and had a temper on me. Not as bad as my old man. I’d definitely curbed it since Harper came into my life. But this…this was entirely different. This was a different kind of fucked up that I worried I would make ten times worse.

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