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Tyler wanted to rush over and pick her up. He wanted to snuggle her and make sure that she was okay. Tyler cared deeply about Lilly in a way that he had never experienced before.
And that waspreciselywhy he knew he had to show some restraint. If something had happened, a traumatic incident perhaps, the last thing Lilly needed was to be overburdened with emotion or a sudden shock.
Lilly needed a balanced and even-handed approach right now. So, despite wanting to charge over and immediately embrace his loved one, Tyler promised himself he would show restraint. No matter how hard that was.
Tyler calmly but firmly announced his arrival, and he could see from the look on Lilly’s face that she was upset, worried, and also taken aback by his arrival.
‘D-D-D-Daddy,’ Lilly said, pulling herself up off her feet. ‘I-I-I-’
‘Hush, come here,’ Tyler said, opening out his arms and then gently wrapping them around Lilly as she buried herself in his chest. ‘Take a minute. You’re safe now. Whatever prompted you to write that note, we’ll figure it out. Together.’
Tyler could feel Lilly’s heavy breathing on his chest. The sound of her sniveling was apparent too.
‘Daddy’s here. You don’t need to worry,’ Tyler said, making sure that Lilly could hear over her muted sobs. ‘But it’s time for you to calm down and tell me everything.’
Tyler listened in shock as Lilly explained. He was taken aback by the what the sheriff had said to Lilly. He was disappointed too that the sheriff hadn’t waited for both of them to be there together to break that kind of news.
But what was done was done.
The only thing left to do now was to look forward.
‘Here’s how this is going to play out,’ Tyler said, cupping Lilly’s delicate chin in his hands. ‘We’re going to walk up to that man’s house. We’re going to explain in the cold light of day and we’re going to offer our apologies for any distress caused. If he’s a reasonable man, this should be enough for him to drop the charges.’
‘But what if he’s not?’ Lilly said, her voice full of fear.
‘We’ll deal with that when and if it happens,’ Tyler said. ‘All we can do is control what we can control. And that begins now.’
‘B-b-b-but, I’m scared,’ Lilly said, fear etched over her pretty face.
‘You’re doing this with your Daddy, you don’t need to fear anything anymore,’ Tyler said, taking Lilly’s hand and beginning to walk toward the house. ‘Just remember. You’re Lilly Whistle, future bestselling YA author. You’ve got this.’
Tyler could see that his words were inspiring some confidence in his Little. The pair of them approached the smart oak door and Tyler pressed his finger on the black buzzer.
It felt like an eternity, but soon enough the man was standing at the door. He didn’t look overly happy to see either Lilly or Tyler, but to his credit he let them speak.
Tyler was impressed by how Lilly was holding herself. Standing straight and making eye contact with the man who had put her head in a spin was impressive. And Tyler was even more impressed when it was Lilly who took the lead and began to explain to the old man exactly what had gone down that night.
Tyler was blown away by how clearly and maturely Lilly was speaking. Lilly may have been a Little to her core, but when she wanted she was more than capable of speaking like a top-level lawyer. It must have been the author in her coming to the fore!
‘Well… maybe I did overreact,’ the man said, exchanging a look with his wife as she stood next to him. ‘It’s hard not to feel like the younger ones are always causing trouble these days. Maybe I got this one wrong though. I’ll call the police and explain that all charges are cancelled. I do apologize for any stress I caused you, young lady. You too, sir.’
Tyler watched as the old man and his wife held each other’s hands and smiled at each other. It was a sweet moment. As mad as Tyler had been at the man, he could empathize and see that life as a senior citizen wasn’t always easy – even in such a friendly place as Stallion Valley.
‘That’s fine, it’s all settled now,’ Tyler said, bidding goodbye to the man and walking down the toward the gate with Lilly.
‘I think I’m going to personally deliver them a copy of my book when it’s published,’ Lilly said. ‘Not all of us young folk are troublemakers!’
The pair of them laughed. With all charges dropped, it was clear that life could go back to normal again. But Tyler still had something he wanted to say. There was something he’d wanted to say before but had held back on.
But before Tyler could speak, Lilly jumped in ahead of him.
‘Daddy, after what happened with the cycle, that’s me all done with pranks and practical jokes,’ Lilly said, a slightly rueful look on her face.
‘No!’ Tyler replied. ‘Absolutelynot. Life is about balance. You love to play jokes, and it brings people joy too. Keep at it! As long as you’re able to work toward your other goals, keep doing what makes youyou. Maybe don’t hide anyone’s cycle though any time soon?’
Lilly was grinning from ear to ear. Tyler could tell that she was happy to hear his words.
‘Never lose that sense of spirit and mischief,’ Tyler continued. ‘If for no other reason than I won’t ever run out of excuses for paddling those cheeks as red as the roses in that bush!’
