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Liesel
Langston figured it out. He knows that I sacrificed something; he just doesn’t know what.
Langston looks at me as Zeke rests his arm around Siren’s shoulders, and they start walking together toward the house.
I freeze. I’m not ready for this conversation. I’m tired of lying to Langston, but I’m not ready to tell him the truth yet either.
He walks toward me, presumably to ask me what I sacrificed. Instead, he kisses me tenderly on the lips.
The kiss tells me everything I need to know. He’s here when I’m ready to tell him. I take his hand and let him lead me back inside the house.
“I’m headed back to the airport to get the kids,” Enzo says.
We are so close to all being safe, so close.
“I need to make a phone call,” Langston says, kissing my hand before stepping away.
I notice Rose and Atlas watching me closely from the living room. They both have their suspicions about me, about this whole situation. They deserve answers, but we need to wait until everyone is here before we talk. There is no use in having this conversation twice.
So instead, I walk into the kitchen, open the freezer and pull out a pint of ice cream. I grab three spoons and walk over to where the kids are sitting on the couch and hand them each a spoon.
“More ice cream?” Rose asks incredulously.
“Atlas didn’t get any the last time.”
We sit together and eat ice cream. They deserve to know who I am. They deserve the whole truth. Honestly, I’d just be fine if I was the ice cream lady to them.
Enzo returns with his twins and Cayden, Zeke and Siren’s baby.
The twins run to Kai, and Enzo joins them.
Siren scoops up Cayden, who has just started walking. She goes to speak to him, then stops herself when she realizes that she can’t. She catches me watching her and smiles before kissing Cayden all over his face, which makes him laugh hysterically.
“We missed you, little man,” Zeke says, grabbing him up and swinging him around, making him laugh more. Zeke smiles brightly at him, not showing any outward sign at all that he’s upset he can’t hear his child’s laughter.
But it breaks my heart.
It shouldn’t be this way. Their family shouldn’t pay because of something my father did.
“We’re going to fix it,” Langston says, coming up next to me.
I look at him.
“I called some doctors that sp
ecialize in hearing and vocal cords. They will be out here tomorrow. We are going to get them fixed.”
I nod, hopeful but unsure if it’s as easy as that.
We hear another car pull up; Langston and I exchange worried glances.
The last car is here, early.
Beckett.
Declan.
“Kai, watch Atlas and Rose, please,” Langston shouts as he tries to catch up with me. I’m already running outside.
