Page 57 of Lost on Ice
I look between the two before murmuring, “I’ll go get Lilah packed up.”
The two men get to work and I head back to Lilah’s room. She’s sitting in the middle of the floor, playing with a stuffed elephant.
She looks up at me as I walk in.
“Mommy sad?”
Giving her a small smile, I kneel next to her. “No, sweetie. I’m not sad. I just have some adult stuff I need to take care of, so you’re going to go stay with Grandpa for a little while, okay?”
She tilts her head and frowns. “Why?”
How the hell do I try to explain this situation? “Mommy just wants to make sure you are happy and having fun. You’ll be bored while I take care of adult things if you stay here. Don’t worry, though. I’ll come see you every day.”
She looks thoughtful for a moment. “Okay, Mommy.”
I sigh in relief. “So let’s get you packed to sleep over at Grandpa’s.”
We both get up and quickly gather some clothes and a few toys and pack them in a little bag for her. By the time we finish and go back out to the living room, Dad and Jake are finishing up putting the new lock on the sliding glass doors.
Dad spots us and grins at Lilah. “Hey, princess! You ready to sleeve over at Grandpa’s?”
Lilah nods. “Yeah!” She points up at Jake and exclaims, “Yake calls me princess, too!”
An awkward silence falls at her words and I’m momentarily frozen in place as Dad furrows his brows.
I snap out of my daze and quickly hand Dad her bag. “Thank you.”
He leans in and kisses my forehead. “You’re welcome, sweetheart. Keep me posted on things, okay? And be careful.”
“I will,” I assure him. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Squatting down, I hug Lilah. “You be good, baby. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Love you, Mommya!”
I chuckle. “I love you too.”
She rushes over to Jake and he squats down to meet her with open arms.
“Bye, Yake!”
“Bye, Princess.” He smiles down at her. “We’ll see you soon.”
Dad and Lilah take off and I walk to the door, shutting it and locking it behind them. My heart aches and tears form in my eyes, but I fight not to let them fall as I turn to face Jake.
“You okay?” he asks, wrapping his arms around my head to hold me, his big body engulfing me completely.
I shake my head, pressing my face into his chest, tears streaming down my cheeks. “No, but Lilah will be safe, and that’s what matters most right now.”
Jake rubs the back of his neck and sighs. “Yeah, I get that. It’s going to be all right, I promise. The cops will catch the fucker. Also, I made a call to a new security company. I fired the one you hired because…well, because they suck.”
“Oh?” I feel my stomach drop. Is he going to tell me he’s getting me a bodyguard or something so he won’t be staying here anymore? I don’t want to feel as disappointed as I do, but I can’t help myself.
“Yeah, they’re going to send out someone to come install a camera on the front door so we can see who approaches the apartment.”
Relief washes over me and so does embarrassment. God, why am I getting so clingy with him? I need to get my head back on straight and take back control over my own life.
