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He held my gaze, searching out if I meant it or not, and said, “It’s okay, Hadley. We’re gonna be okay.”
I nodded, unable to talk past the lump in my throat. I wanted us to be okay so badly, but it couldn’t happen until Annalise was safely home with us again. How had I ever thought any job was more important than being with her and Benny?
“Let’s go,” Wes said, taking my hand and leading me across the room.
He led the way out of the house to the rental car he’d gotten at the airport—a minivan, which was parked on the curb. I gave him a confused look.
“It was all they had so I took it,” he said.
We got in and drove to a neighborhood a few miles away that other searchers hadn’t gotten to yet, my hands clutched together in my lap the whole way.
“I need her to be okay,” I said softly. “She has to be okay.”
Wes parked the car and we split up, him on one side of the street and me on the other. I tried not to think about how close we were getting to sunset as I called out Annalise’s name and walked up random driveways to look in people’s backyards.
I said a silent prayer that Annalise was safe. Everything I’d ever considered a problem paled in comparison to this. Why had I been so stupid about things with me and Wes? We were happy. We were doing well with the kids. Whether we told the judge it was me or him raising the kids, we could still do it our way. We just needed a chance.
“Hadley!”
I turned at the sound of Wes calling my name, my heart pounding in hopeful anticipation. He wouldn’t yell for me so urgently unless…
“You found her?” I cried as I ran toward him.
He moved his phone away from his mouth. “Not me. Nash did, though.” I dropped to my knees on the sidewalk, sobbing with relief as Wes went back to the phone call. “Yeah, text me the address and call that police officer. Stay with her. Thank you so much, man.”
Wes helped me up and we both ran to the minivan.
“She’s okay?” I asked him as he started the car and pulled away from the curb.
“Yeah, she’s good. Nash found her at a park about three miles from the house. She was sitting on a bench with an older guy, petting his dog.”
“Oh my god.” I shook my head. “Three miles? How did she even make it that far? I’m never leaving the kids with Patrick and Susan, Wes. Never again. They can have me arrested if they want.”
He patted my knee. “Let’s get to Annalise. We’ll deal with them later.”
We got to the park and Wes dropped me off by the playground, where Nash said he and Annalise would be waiting. I spotted them sitting at a picnic table, eating snow cones, and I rushed toward them.
“Aunt Hadley!” Annalise cried as I got close.
She passed her snow cone to Nash and got up from the table, running to greet me. I swept her into my arms and held her tightly, crying with relief.
“I got lost,” she said in a tiny voice. “Am I in trouble?”
“No, baby.” I pulled back and cupped her face in my hands. “You’re not in any trouble. I’m just so glad you’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
“Uncle Wes!” she cried, looking behind me.
Wes came up and hugged her, her feet leaving the ground as he picked her up and held her close.
“Thank God,” he said.
The police officer that had been at the house pulled up in a police cruiser and got out of the driver’s seat. Patrick and Susan exited the back seat of the car and ran over to us.
I glared at them, silently daring Susan to say a single word to Annalise about this being her fault. I was done being nice to Susan. When I thought about the horrible things that could have happened to Annalise because of their negligence, I wanted to rage.
“Wes and I will be staying at the house until the next hearing,” I said coldly.
Susan narrowed her eyes at me. “I never meant for this to happen. We love our grandchildren.”
Wes approached and put an arm around my shoulders, addressing Patrick and Susan.
“We aren’t leaving until the case is settled.”
Patrick nodded, silencing his wife with a look. “You’re both welcome at the house, of course.”
“Aunt Hadley, I’m hungry,” Annalise said from a few feet away. “Can we go to the place with the chickens?”
“Chick-fil-A?” I asked her.
She grinned. “Yeah, I like those chickens.”
“Of course we can, baby.” I looked at Susan. “Why don’t we take her to get some food and then we’ll meet you guys back at the house?”
“Okay, we’ll see you there. I’ll feed Benny if he’s hungry.”
