Page 162 of Stolen Fate

My heart pounded in my chest for a moment, when I thought they were asking if Elliot was my son, but then Ethan said, “They boy you are taking care of in New York?”

I nodded and let out a deep breath. “Yeah, that’s Elliot.” I turned to my brother. “How’s Dad?”

“Recovering. He’s doing well. Demanding to know when he can be discharged,” Ethan replied, a small smile touching his face, though I could see the stress of all this had affected him more than he let on. It was in his eyes.

Like Mom, he wasn’t really good at hiding what he was feeling. It always showed in his expressive green eyes.

“I can see him?”

Ethan nodded and pulled me into his arms. And for the first time in a very long time, I let my big brother comfort me. With his big arms wrapped around me, creating the illusion of safety, I felt a bit better, even if it was just that, an illusion.

I pulled away when Elliot and Emilia made their way over to us. “Can you please watch Elliot for me while I visit Dad?” I asked them.

“Of course,” Ethan answered me.

I shook my head. “You don’t understand. I need you to really watch him, okay? Please don’t let anything happen to him. Okay? And if he needs me, just bring him in.”

I grabbed a hold of Ethan’s as I spoke, and he frowned down at the grip. “He’s safe with me, Evelyn, I promise,” Ethan said slowly. “He’s safe with us.”

I knew I was acting weird, and I could see Katie and Emilia sharing a look, but they didn’t say anything, and I didn’t have time to explain to them who Elliot was or why I had such a problem letting him out of my sight.

I crouched down in front of my baby, and he shot me a smile similar to my own back at me. “Elliot, sweetheart. I have to go see my dad now. Can you stay out here with Emilia for a few minutes? I promise I won’t be long.”

“I will, Evelyn. I promise I won’t go anywhere.”

I smiled and ruffled his hair, hugging him and taking in his comforting scent. I still couldn’t believe I got to hold my son like this. Grabbing Ethan’s and Katie’s hands, I pulled them down so they crouched in front of Elliot as well.

“This is my brother, Ethan, and this is my best friend, Katie.”

Elliot’s smile widened. “Does your name start with the letter ‘e’ too?”

Katie laughed and shook her head. “No, it starts with the letter ‘k.’ It ends with an ‘e’ though.”

He looked back at Emilia, and I knew before my visit was over, she would have shown him how to write everyone’s name once more.

I stood as my family surrounded my son, and I quickly opened the door and moved inside before I lost it.

I closed the door gently behind me and looked over to the bed, where Dad sat with his back against the headboard. He was wide awake, and he was looking at me with tears in his eyes.

“My treasure. Come here and give your old man a hug.”

And perhaps it was all the stress of the past few days, but I completely lost it.

I ran over to my dad and buried my face in his chest, crying out six years’ worth of tears, while Dad rubbed my back, comforting me in the way only he could.

“Hush now. Tell me,” he said when I pulled away. He wiped away my tears with both hands, and I saw heartbreak in his eyes.

I knew that he wasn’t talking about how I had been these past couple months, but for the past six years, starting with the reason why I left home in the first place.

I closed my eyes as new tears sprang to my eyes, and after one deep breath, I told him everything.

Every single heartbreaking detail—how sometimes it had felt like I was going to be crushed by all the burden that was left to me when Mom had died, how terrified I was that we would lose the house, and how much more terrified I was that day at the hospital, giving birth to Elliot alone.

I wiped my tears on my shirt when I was done, and when I looked back at my dad, he was crying as well.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. So sorry I made you carry all that burden with you. I was the parent in this relationship, and I let you carry all of those responsibilities on your shoulders, making you feel like you had to solve everyone’s problems yourself, and that you couldn’t come to me.”

“Dad, it’s not your fault. You lost the love of your life. Anyone would be broken by that.”

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