AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t want to lose my daughter again,” he whispers, his voice raw and filled with emotion.
“You won’t. Not because of me. She misses you, but she’s harboring this guilt. Her choices affected all of you, and she struggles with that. I’m hoping that this visit helps her realize that no one cares about that. Family love conquers all, right?”
“What does she have to feel guilty about? I’m the one who didn’t pull her out of there. I’m the one who couldn’t find her when she disappeared. I failed her,” Doug replies, lowering his head between his hands as he leans forward with his elbows on his knees.
“This isn’t a blame game.” I put my hand on his back. “The situation was extreme. The only one to blame is the man who put her through it all. Like it or not, I’m here to stay, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure she breathes easy. All she needs from you is for you to be her father.”
“She’s my little girl. I’ll love her till the day I die.”
“That’s all she needs to know.”
Doug looks at me with a smile. “You’ll visit often, I hope.”
“Planes fly both ways, and we have a guest room. If we can’t make it here, you’ll come to us. Don too.”
He pushes himself up to his feet. “We’d better head back. Cheryl will lose her mind if we’re late for dinner.”
“Sabrina doesn’t like it either. Must have picked that up from her mom,” I joke.
Doug laughs, and we continue chatting as we make our way home. As soon as we come through the door, Cheryl chastises her husband. “Were you planning on staying out all night?”
Doug doesn’t bother responding and simply makes his way over and kisses her to quiet her down. It seems that works for both mother and daughter.
“All’s good, honey. We’re home, and dinner isn’t ruined,” he says, smiling down at her.
“I made roast beef and mashed potatoes. We need to all sit down together. Our first family dinner,” she insists.
“There’ll be plenty more, Cheryl,” Doug says, and with those words, everything seems to slow down, and we sit at the table as a family.
TWENTY-THREE
Dead
SABRINA
We’re hardly through Alex’s’ front door when my cell phone goes off. I can hear it ringing in my purse. My hands are busy holding our jackets, my purse, and an extra bag we had to buy because Mom took me shopping and there was no way I was going to be able to fit everything into the overnight bags we took down with us.
Mom didn’t just splurge on me. She made sure that Alex was spoiled too. By the time we were on the way home, Alex and Don were carrying five bags each. It wasn’t until later that we had to go back out and pick up a small suitcase.
At first, Alex wasn’t happy with Mom spending money on him, but Dad pulled him aside, and I vaguely heard him tell Alex, “She needs to do this. You’ve got to let her.”
Alex was quick to reply, “Then know this, when you come, we’re doing the same.”
Dad laughed, but nodded in agreement, which seemed to take the wind out of Alex’s sails.
By the time I drop everything on the sofa and dig through my purse for my phone, it stops ringing. I’m about to check to see if they left a message when Alex’s phone rings. Somebody desperately wants to get hold of us.
The thud of a bag dropping to the floor makes me turn to Alex, who’s already got the phone to his ear.
“Yeah, man. We just got in.” His eyes meet mine, and I can tell something’s happened. “Right. When?” He pauses and takes in what’s been said. “Nah, I got this.” Another pause. “I will if I need you. Thanks.”
He drops the phone onto the coffee table, takes me by my hand, and leads me to the couch to sit with him.
“You’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”
“When you check your phone message, you’re going to hear a message from the police. Cameron was killed yesterday in a prison riot.”
I can feel my jaw drop. I’m completely stunned. “Dead?”
