Page 84 of Lost on Ice
Detective Peterson seems fairly confident, and he’s the one who should know.
I should just let myself relax and enjoy the possible peace. I won’t bring Lilah home yet—not until we’re certain the threat is gone—but maybe sleeping there by myself won’t be so stressful tonight.
That evening, Lilah, Dad, Vivianne, and I all watch Jake’s game together. When he scores the winning goal, we all jump up andcheer—even Dad. Lilah tries to rush forward and knock on the TV, but we catch her before she can get her fingers on it.
“Yake! Yake! Yake!”
I laugh and hug her to me as she waves at the image of Jake skating across the TV.
“All right, sweetie,” I tell her once Jake disappears from view. “It’s time to get ready for bed.”
“No!” Lilah exclaims, wiggling against my hold. “No! I want Yake!”
“Jake’s not here, baby,” I calmly tell her. “Remember? He’s at an away game. You’ll get to see him tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” She blinks up at me, going still.
I nod. “Yes, tomorrow. Which means you’ve got to go to sleep so tomorrow comes, okay?”
She appears thoughtful for a moment, then says, “Okay.”
“Tell Grandpa and Vivi goodnight.”
I let her go so she can run to Dad and give him a hug and kiss, then she does the same for Vivianne. Taking her hand, I lead her upstairs. We go through her bedtime routine, and after our story, I tuck her in.
As I pull the blanket up over her, she mumbles, “See Yake tomorrow.”
My heart clenches as I stare down at her and watch as she succumbs to sleep with Jake on her mind.
God, I can’t do this anymore. I need to come clean to Jake. I need to tell him that he’s Lilah’s father. It’s not right that he doesn’t know. It’s also not fair to Lilah.
Still, I can’t help but worry about the what-ifs. What if he’s angry and wants nothing more to do with us? What if he thinks I’ve betrayed him and tries to take Lilah from me? What if I let him into our lives and it doesn’t work?
The thought terrifies me. I cross Lilah’s room to the door and pause to look back at her, my heart aching. Turning off the lights, I step out into the hall and let out a long sigh.
“Are you okay, dear?”
I jump and look up, meeting Vivianne’s concerned look. She’s standing just a little way down the hallway, regarding me intently.
“Huh?” I murmur. “Oh, I, uh, I’m fine…”
Vivianne’s gaze turns sympathetic, like she can read my mind and knows exactly what’s really bothering me.
“Come with me,” she gently says. “Let’s have some tea.”
The invitation is more appealing than I’d have anticipated, so I follow after her when she turns to head downstairs and into the kitchen. Dad’s in the living room in his Lay-Z-Boy, dozing off already. Lilah wore him out today.
Vivianne sets a kettle on the stove and digs out mugs as I sit at the kitchen table. Once the kettle’s whistling, she pours the hot water in the mugs with tea bags and brings me one.
“All right.” She sits down next to me and gives me a gentle smile. “So, what’s going on? Something’s on your mind, but I have a feeling it’s more than that awful stalker you’re dealing with.”
Well, we’re getting straight to the point I see.
I tap my fingers against my mug for a moment, contemplating what to say. Part of me wants to tell her the truth—to get it off my chest. Confess to someone and get some real advice.
I look toward the kitchen door, half expecting Dad to appear at any moment.
He’s in his chair, though. In the living room. I know he is, and I’m also pretty confident he’s down for the count. My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I ignore it, not wanting anything to interrupt what I’m going to say.
