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“Our scanner isn’t working, so I didn’t ask.”
My stomach is in a knot. Where do we start? Reed wouldn’t take him without asking me, but maybe they’re in the car waiting for me. “Are the cameras working? I need to see Sheila.” She’s the manager who would know how to work the footage.
“I’m sorry, she left for a home visit for the preschool section,” she says like it’s no big deal.
My body burns with fear. “Oh God, what did he look like?” It dawns on me that the Stallions are playing Galena U tomorrow, so Erik is in town.
“About six feet-ish and blue eyes, brown hair, I think.”
“Well, that describes half of campus.”
I rush out of the door, urgently calling Caleb's name. Panic overtakes me, my whole body trembling. Thoughts race through my mind—what if Caleb is hurt? What if he's being taken away from me?
A sinking feeling consumes me. But as I scan the area, I witness Erik holding Caleb’s hand, while Caleb reaches for Reed, crying.
Thank God, Reed’s here.
I run towards them. Erik shouts, “He has my DNA. Not yours. You don’t get to step in and play daddy. Hell, you’re probably not supposed to be around children after what you did.”
"Caleb, are you all right?" I ask, engulfing him in a tight embrace that momentarily takes his breath away.
I stand, ready to unleash my fury on Erik Bratt. “DNA doesn’t make you a father. And you have no right to speak to Reed that way after what you did to me.”
Erik is spitting mad and berates me in front of Caleb, while Reed wastes no time making calls.
Reed wraps his hand around Erik’s elbow. "My dad contacted your parents and threatened to inform every NHL owner about your poor judgment.”
“Your jailbird stepdad has no authority over me or my parents. Do you know who we are?”
“My dad has more weight in the NHL than you know,” Reed states simply.
A mix of surprise and gratitude washes over me. "My dad did that?" I ask.
“No, mine. Caleb's safety comes first, then I'll fill you in," Reed replies, determination in his voice.
Erik continues to spit venom. Reed keeps him in check, and I walk fifty feet away to keep Caleb from overhearing anything traumatic. Luckily, Caleb doesn’t know what DNA is.
“Brooklyn!” Dad rushes to my and Caleb’s side. The Galena coach isn’t far behind him. Dad looks to the other coach and says, “Get Erik to the hotel. We’re going to think about pressing charges.”
Reed inches closer to Erik to where they’re only an inch apart. “There won’t be a second chance for you. There’s no statute of limitations for kidnapping in Kentucky. One wrong move, and my dad will destroy you.”
Erik, though clearly unnerved by Reed's threatening words, musters the audacity to respond, his voice tinged with arrogance and a hint of fear, “You have no idea what I’ve been through, and that little boy is mine. He has my DNA.”
Reed bawls over, looking like he’s been hit in the stomach with a medicine ball. “If that’s the case, then you go about it using appropriate channels. Do not. I repeat do not contact Brooke or Caleb unless it’s through attorneys. I doubt you could get partial custody after tonight.”
My mind is utter chaos, not understanding what Reed is talking about. My nerves are at an all-time high with angst and fear running through me.
When Erik and his coach leave, Dad says, “I’m taking Caleb for ice cream. You two have a lot to talk about.”
My apartment complex isn’t far, but Reed and I can’t get there fast enough.
Reed rubs my leg. “He’s a tough little boy, and he won’t remember this in a year.”
Reed maneuvers the car sharply into the nearest parking space, causing our heads to jolt forward from the sudden halt.
We make our way inside my place, and overwhelmed with gratitude, I wrap my arms tightly around Reed's waist, clinging to him as tears of joy and relief soak his worn sweatshirt. I find comfort in his embrace as his fingers make featherlight circles on my neck. “I don’t blame him for wanting you back and for wanting to have a relationship with Caleb.”
I pull back, craning my neck to see his face. “How do you know that’s what he wants?”
