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“Just like that.”
She had a feeling he was leaving a lot out, but that didn’t matter right now. What mattered was Olivia.
“I can… I can call her right now?”
“Right now and anytime you want after this,” he said.
She exhaled slowly, trying to calm the slamming of her heart. She was suddenly nervous, like she was talking to someone new for the first time. “What if… what if she’s forgotten me?”
Roman reached for her hand. She let him take it, because right now she really needed someone to hold her hand. “She could never forget you, Ruby. You’re her mother.”
Ruby nodded. “So just… call her? On Adam’s phone?”
“Just call her. You won’t get any trouble from Adam.”
There was a certainty in his voice that both chilled and thrilled her. She didn’t know what Roman had done, how he’d arranged for the phone call to take place, but she had a feeling it hadn’t been simplya little chat.
She reached for her phone and looked at him. “Will you stay?”
He squeezed her calf. “I’ll be right here.”
She sucked in a big breath, like she was getting ready to take a deep dive, and dialed Adam’s number.
Her head swam as it rang, a buzzing sounding in her ears. She and Adam had been divorced for over a year and her body still went into fight-or-flight mode when she thought he might be angry.
I am safe in my body.
“Hello?” He sounded the same, but there was an edge to his voice.
Anger? Fear?
“Hey,” she said. “I’d like to talk to Olivia.”
She wouldn’t ask permission. Even now, that was something she wouldn’t do.
She heard a muffled shuffle on the other end of the phone, and then…
“Mommy?”
Ruby stifled a sob. She had to stay calm for Olivia, play along with the business trip story for her daughter’s sake. “Hi, honey! Oh my gosh… I miss you so much!”
“When are you coming back?” Olivia asked.
She was using her sulky voice and Ruby didn’t blame her a bit. It was taking every ounce of control Ruby had to hold it together. “Soon, honey.” She scrambled for another topic of conversation, because the truth was, she had no idea when she and Olivia would be reunited. “How have you been?”
“Fine.”
But she didn’t sound fine. Ruby could picture her daughter toeing the floor with her small feet, angry but unable to express it.
Because Adam was right there?
The thought was like a brick on Ruby’s chest. Was Adam losing it with Olivia now that he had her full-time?
“Tell me more,” Ruby said. “What have you been doing at school?”
Olivia started to open up, haltingly at first, then with more excitement, two months of her life pouring out over the phone.
Two months.
