Page 120 of Kylie

I was home. I was safe. My children were safe.

I took another deep breath as logic and reason returned. The nightmare I’d been living in was over. The security net was back in place, and there was no reason not to trust it.

“We’re safe,” I said, willing it to be true.

“Yes, baby. We are.”

His words rang with conviction, though I was pretty sure that amplification was only in my head. But it was what I needed. Clarity. Reason. Logic.

I was safe.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

Kylie

“I can’t quite pinpoint what it is, but you look different this morning, Kylie.”

I smiled at Dr. Briggs. “I can tell you it has nothin’ to do with my makeup.”

“You’re right. It’s more profound than that.”

For whatever reason, that made me feel good. “Thank you.”

“So? Do you care to share what’s put that beaming smile on your face?”

I shifted on the couch, getting more comfortable. “Well, for starters, I had a panic attack last night.”

Dr. Briggs’s eyebrows rose slowly. “Do you know what triggered it?”

“My daughter.” I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Kate and I were handin’ out candy while Travis and Gage took the others trick or treating. I had to go to the bathroom so I left her on the porch. It was only for a few minutes at the very most. When I came back, she wasn’t there.”

“And your mind immediately went into panic mode.”

“I thought someone took her.”

“Someone?”

“Martin. I thought Martin Calloway had stolen my daughter from me.”

“I can only assume, since you’re here and you were smiling, that she wasn’t taken.”

“No, she wasn’t. Thank God.”

“That looks like real relief on your face.”

“It is. Even thinkin’ about it causes me stress.”

“Which is natural. Those aren’t imagined fears. You have real reasons to worry because of what happened to you and to Kate in the past.”

“I know.”

“It’s okay to worry. And it’s even okay to panic. The trigger was tangible. It doesn’t lessen what you went through, but it does explain why it happened. When did you realize she was safe?”

“Travis came in the house. They’d just come back and saw Kate chasin’ Houdini.”

Dr. Briggs’s eyebrows rose again. “And who might Houdini be?”