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James Campbell will never be able to leave Prairie Hills Mental Hospital. Every day he slips further into a mixture of dementia and schizophrenia, and is often violent.
It doesn’t matter what I say to him, he doesn’t know what’s real anymore.
Tyler, Draven, Atlas, Mav, and I got married last year in Hawaii. We timed it so that we had a huge gap between our tours and made it a family trip. I loved every minute of it, but was happy to come home after our month was up.
There’s nothing quite like sleeping in your own bed.
Looking down at the baby bump starting to show, I bite my lip. “I need to fill out the paperwork to ensure guardianship with the law firm,” I sigh. “It’s not a good idea for me to go see him anymore, especially while I’m pregnant, but I can make sure he’s well taken care of.”
Nodding, he drives me to the law firm to fill out the paperwork. Mav, Atlas, and Draven are at the hotel, waiting for us to finish so we can swing byMusic Horde Recordsfor a meeting on what the future ofThe Midnight Lightswill look like.
With the baby coming, I know I don’t want to be on the road for weeks at a time. I’m tired and would love to do a few concerts a year instead of a full tour moving forward. Music will always be a part of me, I just need to figure out how to meld the rockstar with being a new mom.
As we arrive, tears prick my eyes as he opens the passenger door for me. “How didn’t we notice any of the symptoms?” I whisper, looking up at Tyler as he takes my hand to help me up.
I’m four months pregnant and an emotional mess. My hormones are wild right now, so I have no issues letting my husband pull me into his arms to hug me tightly.
“Layla, so much was happening when Lennon was taken that you couldn’t have been expected to notice anything else,” he whispers into my hair. “Please stop blaming yourself. Let’s get this over so his care is taken care of and we can move on.”
Swallowing hard, I dash away the tears escaping from my eyes as he closes the door behind me. Hand in hand, we walk across the parking lot to handle something I keep putting off.
It seems wrong not to handle it all myself, but traveling to Los Angeles for issues my dad may have isn’t feasible when I live on the other side of the country.
I haven’t even mentioned any of this to Lennon because Dad was never a father to her, and now he’ll never get the chance to be.
Fuck these baby hormones suck.Blinking away a new wave of tears, I smile at the receptionist as we walk into the office.
“We’re here to see Mr. Thomas Meyers,” Tyler says to her, sensing I need another moment to pull it together.
Jordan and I share Power of Attorney for my dad, and he is in the middle of some mafia trouble in Chicago at the moment. This is the other reason why this has to be done, neither of us are able to provide the care Dad needs.
“He’ll be right with you,” the receptionist says with a smile, nodding to the chairs for us to be seated.
This is just another decision I’m making to prepare for my future. Butterflies flutter in my stomach as I walk to the chairs before I realize that’s not what it is at all. Gasping in shock, my hands wrap around my tummy, a giggle bubbling up.
“What’s wrong, Layla?” Tyler asks. The question is almost a bark but I shake my head as I feel my baby move again. Tyler has been reading a lot of baby books and has been very worried about every step of the pregnancy. He was especially worried about us flying until my midwife swore it would be fine.
“The baby moved,” I breathe, still in awe as I look up at him. Tyler wilts in relief, practically collapsing into a chair as he pulls me to stand in between his legs.
“Hello, Little One,” he says, kissing my belly. I’m wearing a long-sleeved lavender sweater dress and leggings because of theweather, and I know Tyler is restraining himself from getting skin to skin with my belly. “We all love you so much. Even when you spontaneously move and make Mommy make sounds like that.”
My fingers get lost in Tyler’s thick brown hair as I giggle at him. Looking up at me behind his black-rimmed glasses, I can read the relief in his eyes.
“Ooops?” I tease him, bending to kiss his lips. “I promise I’m fine.”
“Mrs. Donegal?” I hear. The five of us decided to choose a last name to take together so that we would step into our new life fresh and united. Smiling as I turn, I see Mr. Meyers is ready for us.
As we walk together to his office, I’m reminded that this is just another way I’m making strides in the direction for our family. Wishing things were different won’t make it so.
As the door closes behind me, I can only be grateful the facility Dad is at is reputable and treats him really well.
SIX YEARS LATER
The kids are playing with their cousins outside in the woods, in the new treehouse the guys worked together to make. The thing is impressive, and I have to admit that it’s really nice to live across the street from my sister and Tori and Tesa.
“Elora and Sloane are fine,” Atlas chuckles into my ear. Devlin and Saira are the oldest in the pack while Melly is at college. “Tori begged them to see the secret fort before she winked at me.”
“What do you have planned?” I giggle as he pushes me against the wall to slowly kiss me. I was seconds away fromgoing across the street, because while Elora is six, Sloane is only three and a wild child. She’ll be the first to climb a tree with her cousins.
