Page 59 of Defending A Promise
His fever must have broken sometime during the night because his temperature is back to normal, and all his vital signs are strong. It’s like a weight has been lifted off all our shoulders, and the room is filled with a cautious optimism.
When Lois and Daniel Ashford arrive, fresh from the airport, the floodgates open for Riley again. She bursts into tears the moment she sees her parents, tears of relief and joy this time, as they wrap her and Nicholas in their arms. It’s clear how much Nicholas has missed his grandparents, and he clings to them, soaking up their affection like a sponge.
I watch from the sidelines, feeling like an outsider in this intimate family moment, but not in a bad way. It’s more like I’m seeing a glimpse of what could be—what I hope will be—my future.
Nicholas doesn’t seem to remember much of yesterday, which is a blessing. He recalls going to school in the morning with Riley, but beyond that, his memories are fuzzy at best. He doesn’t remember the kidnapping, the shooting, or even being in the hospital until he woke up this morning. Riley, ever the protective mother, vows to keep a close eye on him, watching for any signs of trauma that might manifest later. She’s already talking about therapy, about making sure he has all the supporthe needs, and I’m struck once again by her strength, her determination to protect her son at all costs.
As I stand in the doorway, watching Riley and her parents fuss over Nicholas, I realize something. I’m not just in love with Riley; I’m in love with this life, with this family. And I’m going to do everything in my power to be a part of it.
Chapter 25
Riley
The detectives want to talk to me and Declan today, and I can’t help but feel a knot of anxiety tightening in my stomach. Now that Nicholas is home, my parents are here, and life seems to be settling down a bit, part of me just wants to forget that any of this ever happened. But there’s another part of me, a stronger part, that needs to understand how any of this could have happened in the first place. The guilt gnaws at me, a constant reminder that I didn’t realize sooner that the real estate agent, Roxanne Dawson, knew about my son without me ever telling her. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for that.
Declan has been incredible through all of this. He’s given up his room for my parents and has been sleeping on the couch every night since we brought Nicholas home. I’ve been staying in the spare bedroom next to Nicholas’s room, unable to stray too far from him. Bella has taken on the role of vigilant protector, rarely leaving Nicholas’s side. If he’s awake, so is she, her eyes never straying from him. She might not understand exactly what happened, but she knows something did, and like me, she’s become fiercely overprotective.
“The detectives are here,” Declan calls out from inside the house. I’m sitting on the patio, watching Nicholas play in the pool, with Bella stationed at the edge, her gaze fixed on him. She won’t go in, but she won’t leave his side, either.
Detective Kowalski and Detective Smith follow Declan through the sliding glass doors onto the patio. They nod at me before taking a seat next to my parents, who are quietly observing the scene. Declan walks over, his presence a comforting anchor, and gently picks me up, sitting down with me perched on his knee. It’s a simple gesture, but it speaks volumes about the support he’s offering me.
“How’s the little guy doing?” Detective Smith asks, nodding toward Nicholas, who’s now splashing happily in the pool.
“Really good,” Declan answers, his voice steady. “His temperature has been normal, and his last bloodwork shows no signs of infection.”
“That’s good. Does he remember anything? Any nightmares?” Detective Smith inquires, his tone gentle, almost fatherly.
I shake my head, grateful that Nicholas has been spared that particular trauma. “He doesn’t remember a thing, and I’m thankful for that. No nightmares yet, either.”
Detective Smith nods, a small smile of relief touching his lips. “That’s good. Real good.”
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what’s to come. “So, what do you have? Did you figure out her motives for all this?” I ask, eager to rip off the band-aid and face whatever truths they’ve uncovered.
Detective Kowalski opens her notebook, her expression serious. “Yeah. We found a lot at her place. She kept a journal and was meticulous about the details. She was quite disturbed.”
“Wouldn’t you have to be to stalk a single mother and then kidnap her child?” my mom snarks, her voice dripping with the kind of protective anger only a mother can muster.
Detective Kowalski nods, “Yes, ma’am, you’re right. But this went beyond the pale.”
“How?” Declan asks, his arm tightening slightly around me, as if bracing himself for what’s to come.
“Well, for starters, she believed that Nicholas was her son and that Riley was the one who kidnapped him from her.”
“What?” I blurt out, utterly confused. “How did she figure that?”
“Apparently, about a year before you… how do I put this delicately,” Detective Kowalski hesitates, glancing between me and my parents.
“Just say it,” I urge her. “They know everything.”
She blushes slightly, but continues, “Okay. About a year before you and Nicholas’s father… were involved, he had visited Hibiscus Harbor and had a brief relationship with her.”
My stomach churns, the revelation hitting me like a punch to the gut. I had slept with the same man as the woman who kidnapped my son. The thought alone makes me feel sick.
“When she saw that you had posted your ultrasound on social media, she became infuriated and convinced herself that the baby was hers. She began to devise a plan to get him ‘back,’” Detective Kowalski says, using air quotes to emphasize the delusion.
“For five years, this woman stalked my daughter and grandson,” my dad states, his voice hard with anger and disbelief.
Detective Smith nods, his expression grim. “She was totally convinced that she was supposed to be the mother of Nick’s child. She even had photos around her house—stock images that come with the frames—but she had cut and pasted picturesof herself, Nicholas, and Nick onto them. She was living in a fantasy world, convinced it was real.”
