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Losing what little grip he had left on his patience, he raised his voice and declared, “Doesn’t change the fact that I’m her dad.”
The officer gave Lawson a placating smile as he handed back the ID. “Look, I’m new around here. There was a minor brought in a couple hours ago, but—”
“Call the Lynchburg police department. She was reported missing yesterday afternoon. My name will be on the report.”
“Okay. Sir, please calm down. Give me a second. I’ll look in the database.”
Lawson freed a sigh of frustration, turning his back to the officer as he buried his fingers in his hair. He knew he needed to take a few breaths. If he caused a scene, they wouldn’t take him to her at all.
“Sir, I found it,” he said a couple minutes later.
Lawson spun around, his hands falling to his sides as he looked to the officer.
“I’ll call someone to take you back.”
With a nod, Lawson tried his best not to let his impatience at having to wait longer show. Then he heard her calling hisname. He looked over his shoulder as Nora-Jean burst through the same doors he’d run through not five minutes earlier. Atticus was right on her heels—but Lawson only had eyes for his woman. It gutted him to see what nine more hours without Evelyn had done to his songbird.
Her eyes were red and puffy. It was the only color she had left in her face. She’d pulled her hair back, but it was falling out of the hair tie, like she’d been yanking at it in desperation. One look at her, and he didn’t have to ask if she’d eaten or slept. She’d done neither. While he didn’t blame her, he knew when they walked out of the police station with their daughter—he’d have both of his girls to worry about.
“Where is she?” she begged to know, looking from Lawson to the officer and back at Lawson.
He reached for her hand as he replied, “Someone’s comin’ to take us back now.”
“I’d like to speak to the officers who brought her in,” said Atticus, flashing his badge. “The child was abducted. I want to know if there’s been an arrest.”
“My partner and I responded to the call about the minor,” said the approaching officer. “Finishin’ up the paperwork now.”
“I don’t care about Ashlynn right now, I just want to see my daughter,” blurted Nora. “Please,” she begged.
“Of course. Follow me.”
Nora did as she was told, grasping tightly to Lawson’s hand as they went.
Her mind was racing, keeping pace with the beat of her heart. She didn’t know what she would do or say to her precious little girl when they saw each other again. How was she going to explain what happened? How was she going to helpher beautiful, innocent, sweet girl overcome the trauma she’d endured—and what was the extent of her trauma?
Nora had been asking herself the same questions again and again for the last several hours. The relief at knowing her child was alive and found was overshadowed by all the uncertainty. The fear she’d been battling for the fifteen hours Evie had been missing was still very much alive; only, now it was a different kind of fear. She’d known Evie since before she came into the world. Would she still know the Evie they found? Or would she be different? Would she be broken? And if she was, was Nora strong enough to overcome her own guilt in order to love her daughter whole again?
They were taken to what looked like an interrogation room. Nora saw the woman sitting in the corner first, a stack of papers she was going over in her lap. She wasn’t in uniform, but she somehow appeared official on her own. She looked from Nora to the three chairs pushed together on the opposite side of the table, and that’s when Nora saw her.
Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of Evie. She was sleeping, stretched out across the chairs with a blanket thrown over her. Suddenly, all of her questions and all of her fear were shoved aside. All that remained was her maternal instinct.
Nora let go of Lawson and went to kneel in front of Evie. She gently traced her fingertips down the side of Evie’s face before resting her hand atop her chest. Nora breathed her first, full breath of the day in time with Evie’s next inhale. They exhaled together, and then Nora pressed a light kiss against Evie’s forehead.
This startled her from sleep. She gasped as her eyes flew open, and Nora sought to eradicate the fear she saw in those golden-brown eyes right away.
“It’s okay. It’s me. It’s mommy.”
“Mommy?” Evie murmured, staring at Nora as if she couldn’t tell if she was awake or still dreaming.
“Yeah. I’m right here, baby,” she whispered, a sob working its way into her throat and robbing her of her voice.
“Mommy?” As she spoke Nora’s name a second time, her face crumbled, and she started to cry.
“I’m here. Mommy’s here.”
Evie reached for Nora as Nora reached for Evie until she was no longer laying across the chairs but was fully engulfed in her mother’s arms. They cried together, clinging to each other like neither of them had any intention of ever letting go again.
Nora pressed her lips against the side of Evie’s head, breathing in the scent of her hair before she held on tighter. That was when Evie whimpered, and Nora knew something was wrong. Except, when she loosened her hold, Evie shook her head, tightening the arm she had wrapped around the back of Nora’s neck. Her awareness growing more acute by the moment, Nora recognized the scent of urine and a switch flipped inside of her.
