Chapter 9
The next few days were a blur of police reports, court dates, and security installers. We got a temporary restraining order against Tyler, ordering him to stay five hundred feet away from Lila, Leo, and the house. Richard put cameras on every corner of the property, changed all the locks, and even bought a big, friendly golden retriever puppy from the shelter, naming him Max.
“Dogs are the best security system,” he said, as Max licked Leo’s face, making the baby giggle. “And this one’s already got a soft spot for the kid.”
Lila was jumpy. She jumped at every loud noise, checked the locks three times before bed, wouldn’t let Leo out of her sight for even a second. Richard took time off work, staying home with us, never letting any of us go anywhere alone.
We thought we were safe.
We were wrong.
It was a Saturday afternoon. The weather was beautiful, warm and sunny, so we decided to take Leo to the park. He loved the swings, laughing so hard he could barely breathe every time we pushed him higher. Richard pushed him while Lila and I sat on a bench, watching, eating ice cream. Max lay at our feet, chewing on a stick.
I got up to throw our trash away. I was ten feet from the bench, by the garbage can, when I heard Lila scream.
I spun around.
Tyler was there. He’d come out from behind the trees, moving fast, heading straight for Lila and Leo. He had a knife in his hand, the blade glinting in the sun.
“Give me the kid!” he shouted, grabbing Lila’s arm, yanking her toward him.
Lila fought back, kicking and screaming, holding Leo tight to her chest. “Get away from us! Help! Someone help!”
Richard was off the swing in a second. He ran at Tyler, tackling him hard to the ground. The knife went flying, skittering across the grass.
They rolled around, punching and grunting. Tyler was younger, faster, but Richard was furious. He got on top of Tyler, slamming his fist into his face, over and over, his face twisted with rage.
“Never,” he shouted, “come near my family again!”
Two men from the park ran over, pulling Richard off Tyler. The police showed up five minutes later, sirens blaring. They cuffed Tyler, dragging him to the car, his face bloody and swollen. He was yelling, threatening to come back, to kill us all, but the cops just shoved him in the back seat and drove away.
I ran over to Richard. He was sitting on the grass, his knuckles split and bleeding, his suit torn. Lila was beside him, holding Leo, who was crying, his face red.
“Are you okay?” I asked, kneeling beside him, touching his arm.
Richard nodded, breathing hard. He looked over at Lila and Leo, his face softening. He reached out, wiping a tear from Leo’s cheek with his unhurt hand.
“Are you two okay?” he asked.
Lila nodded, crying so hard she could barely speak. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead to Richard’s shoulder.
“Thank you,” she sobbed. “Thank you for saving us.”
Richard put his arm around her, pulling her and Leo close. He kissed the top of Lila’s head, then kissed Leo’s soft hair.
“I’ll always save you,” he said quietly. “Always.”
The police told us later that Tyler had warrants out for his arrest in two other states—for assault, drug dealing, and domestic violence. He’d be in prison for a long time, maybe even the rest of his life. He’d never hurt anyone again.
That night, after we’d cleaned Richard’s cuts, after Leo was asleep in his crib, after Max was curled up on the floor by the nursery door, we sat in the living room, drinking tea.
Lila was quiet, staring into her mug. Then she looked up at Richard, her eyes soft.
“Dad?” she said.
Richard froze. His tea paused halfway to his mouth. He looked at her, his eyes wide.
No one had called him that since Ethan died.
Lila smiled, a small, wobbly smile. “You’re my dad now,” she said. “You and Mom. You’re the only family I’ve ever really had.”
Richard set his mug down on the table. His hand was shaking. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He just held out his arms.
Lila got up, walking over to him, and sat down beside him, letting him hold her. He cried into her hair, quiet, happy tears, and I cried too, sitting on the other side of him, holding both their hands.
We sat there for a long time, the three of us, quiet and warm and safe.
May you like
Somewhere, I knew Ethan was smiling.
He’d given us Leo. And Leo had given us each other.
