Page 18 of Harvested By The Mountain Man
Inside the office, Jake isn’t alone. Principal Harris stands stiffly near the desk, arms folded like he’s ready to step between them if things get ugly. His eyes alternate anxiously betweenHannah and Jake, as though trying to keep the peace without quite knowing how.
“Hannah.” Jake’s voice is smooth, like he thinks he still has the right to say her name that way. “You look good. Better than when I left.”
Her spine stiffens. “What are you doing here, Jake?”
He spreads his hands, palms up like some repentant saint. “I came to see my daughter. I thought it was about time.”
“After four years?” Her voice shakes with anger. “You don’t get to show up out of nowhere and pull her out of school.”
Jake’s jaw works, but he recovers with a smirk. “She’s mine too, Hannah. You can’t keep her from me forever.”
That’s when I step forward. “Sounds to me like you already tried keeping yourself from her.” My voice is low, but sharp enough to cut.
Jake sizes me up. “And you are?”
“Someone who cares about them,” I say simply. “Which is more than you can claim.”
His eyes narrow further, a flash of something ugly behind them. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“The hell it doesn’t.” I shift closer, just enough that he has to tilt his head to keep eye contact. “If Ivy’s safety is on the line, it concerns me plenty.”
The tension crackles, heavy enough to choke on. Hannah stands between us, breathing fast, trying to hold it together.
“Jake,” she says, voice shaking but strong, “you don’t have permission. If you want to see her, we’ll talk. But not here. Not today.”
“And sure as hell not without me,” I add.
Jake’s smirk falters, just for a second. He grabs his jacket from the chair, brushing past me as he heads for the door. His shoulder clips mine – deliberately.
“Civil,” he mutters. “We’ll see.”
I don’t move until he’s gone. My fists are tight, nails biting my palms, but my focus is on Hannah. She’s pale and shaking, one hand pressed to her stomach like she’s holding herself together. I step closer.
“She’s safe. He didn’t get near her. That’s what matters.”
Her eyes meet mine, wide and wet. The office door shuts behind Jake, leaving a heavy silence. Hannah presses her hands to her temples, drawing in a shaky breath.
“Where is she?” she asks the secretary. Her voice cracks on the word.
“In her classroom. I’ll walk you.”
We move down the hall, Hannah just a half step ahead of me, like she can’t get there fast enough. Children’s artwork lines the walls with smiling pumpkins and construction-paper leaves.
When the teacher opens the door, Ivy looks up from her desk. The second she sees her mom, she bolts across the room. Hannah drops to her knees, catching her in a hug so fierce it nearly topples them both.
“Mommy?” Ivy’s small voice muffles against her shirt. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing now,” Hannah whispers, pressing kiss after kiss into her hair. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters. You’re safe.”
Ivy’s arms wind tighter around her neck, like she feels the tremor still running through her mom’s body. I stay near the doorway, giving them space. The other kids whisper, the teacher ushers them back to their projects, but I can’t take my eyes off the two of them. Hannah clings like she might never let go.
A knot twists hard in the pit of my stomach. I don’t know what kind of man Jake was, but I know what kind of man he isn’t. And standing here, I swear to myself I’ll never let that little girl or her mom face fear like this alone again.
Chapter 17
Hannah
Outside, I clutch Ivy’s hand tight as we step off the curb, my other hand gripping her backpack strap like it’s a lifeline. Levi’s reassuring presence keeps me moving forward.
