Page 129 of Mr. Almost

She runs off to her room, much more awake now. When she makes it back to the living room, I’m picking up some of the toys she left out last night.

“So do you want to do one of those science experiments we watched yesterday? I can get Thomas to bring us what we need.”

“No. I want to go to the park. I want to play on the swings.”

“Not today, honey. We can do something fun here, though.”

“I’ve been inside forever. I want to go outside,” she pouts.

“We can go in the backyard?” I offer.

She crosses her arms over her chest and stomps her foot. I know I am about to have a big tantrum on my hands. We have been playingin the backyard, but she’s grown tired of it already since there’s nothing for her to play on.

I wonder how much a nice jungle gym would be…

I know the park would be better. I could take her. She would be with me. The idea that someone could walk up and grab her has sheer terror rushing through my veins. Even with myself and the security guard, all I can think of is losing sight of her and then not being able to find her.

While her nightmares have started to fade, mine haven’t. Every night I dream of her being taken again, only this time we don’t make it in time or we don’t find her at all.

“Mommy, I want to go to the park. Why can’t we go?” Ari cries.

“Bug, I’m not ready to take you yet.”

“You never let me do anything fun anymore,” Ari cries, running into her room, slamming the door shut.

I have no clue what to do. I know I need to let her go at some point, but how do you get over the panic? How do you get over your child being taken? All I want to do is protect her. Is that so bad?

I can’t help but feel like I’m failing her as a mother, and I hate it.

MASON

Another day of putting out fires.

That’s the first thing I thought when I woke up this morning. Olivia has already left the bed, so I don’t even have her to make my morning a little better before I have to deal with the shitshow that has become our lives.

Everything has imploded. The board is scrambling to get their ducks back in a row. Many of them have mentioned that I should have known about this, but when I brought up the fact that I tried to sever ties with the foundation and they denied me, they backed down. The only one not giving me shit is Mr. Lingle. He knew aswell as I did that something like this was coming. My mother was a ticking time bomb. None of us realized how far she would actually take it. I thought she would simply make some decision with the foundation that would make The Williamson Group look bad.

No, she went full psycho, kidnapping my child and all. To say the media is having a field day would be an understatement.

I’ve been taking many of the interviews via phone calls from my home as much as possible, citing the need to be with my family at this time. The ones I can’t put off, I go in quickly and finish them before heading back home. I refuse to take any outside of Boston.

While the foundation is taking a hit, I’ve been able to spin the story in a way that The Williamson Group is protected. I’m the poor father who almost lost his child. That’s all they can talk about.

The foundation will recover. I’ve already agreed that Eli will step in to manage it until we hire someone to take over. He’s working on that now. He doesn’t want to leave my side for long. He’s planning to move the home base back to Boston, the way it was always meant to be.

Leaving our bedroom, I find Ari and Olivia locked in a heated battle in the living room.

“Mommy, I want to go to the park. Why can’t we go?” Ari cries.

“Bug, I’m not ready to take you yet.”

“You never let me do anything fun anymore,” Ari cries, running into her room, slamming the door shut.

“You are going to have to loosen the reins sometime,” I say as I walk toward her.

“She was kidnapped. How can you be so nonchalant about this?”

I rock back on my heels as her words hit me right in the chest.

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