Page 145 of When There Was You
He pulls back, shaking his head. “Jacqui, none of this is your fault.I’msorry I made you think that for one second. I was a jerk for lashing out at you. It was wrong and misguided, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”
The pressure weighing on me lifts—just enough to breathe. Maybe it’s not ending between us? “But…”
“You’re not the delusional person who abandoned your own daughter for almost eight years before kidnapping her. Emmy’s safe and coming home. That’s all that matters.”
He’s right. I need to set aside my faulty internal monologue and see the reality. I couldn’t help the circumstances surrounding this egregious event. The blame is fully on this woman’s warped actions.
Butchand I stand in the driveway as the cruiser pulls to a stop. Emmy’s out of the car in a flash, leaping into her father’s arms. His smile is wider than I’ve ever witnessed. The love, joy, and relief are so achingly palpable between them, it almost hurts to watch. An impatient Hemi jumps on his hind legs to cover Emmy’s face in slobbery kisses, and she grabs onto his fur as he licks at her tears.
And then she reaches for me. Clutching her solid little body reminds me how precious and tenuous life can be, and I’m flooded with gratitude. She’s here. She’s alive.Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
“I’m so happy you’re home,” I murmur. “I love you so much.”
She grips me tightly, her voice barely above a whisper. “I love you too.”
Butch closes his long arms around us, and we stay in our cuddle huddle for several minutes.
The officer waits patiently, and finally Butch releases us to shake his hand. “Thank you for everything you all did for us. I’m forever grateful.”
The tall, lanky man gives a curt nod. “Just glad we found her and brought her back unharmed. We still need to tie up some loose ends. We’d like you to bring Emmy in tomorrow so she can meet with our children’s advocate. She understands how to talk to children who’ve been traumatized. She’ll ask your daughter about her experience, assess her mental health, make sure she’s alright. She may even find additional evidence to assist our case.”
Butch listens, a hand shoved in his pocket. “I understand. And I’m worried about what Emmy’s been through so this…advocate…could help with that?”
The officer nods. “After the interview, she’ll speak with you about whether she thinks Emmy would benefit from additional counseling.”
Butch’s expression calms. “I want to be with her for this. No offense, but I’m not leaving her side.”
“You can stay with her the entire time. We just need to do it quickly, while details are still fresh.”
“Of course. Tomorrow’s fine.”
The officer holds out a hand. “I’ll give you a call in the morning with a time.”
Butch and the officer shake. “Thank you, and please extend our gratitude to everyone at the station.”
The officer leaves and Butch sweeps Emmy back into his arms. “I know a whole bunch of people who’d really like to see your pretty face. You up for it?”
On his call with Butch earlier, the police chief suggested we not pump Emmy for information right away, but rather shower her with love, security, and family time. Tomorrow’s interview might be the safest way for Emmy to share about her experience, especially with her father by her side.
Emmy nods solemnly. “I want to see Mimi and PopPop.”
Butch plants a kiss on cheek. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
He sets her down and we each take one of her hands and walk the path to his parents’ house.
Our little family is whole again.
Seventy
Emmy bounces back with surprising aplomb. The children’s advocate was kind, gentle, and thorough. While the ordeal scared Emmy, she proved resilient both during and after the three-day kidnapping.
Despite her mother being a stranger, Emmy initially trusted Darlene, who deftly pulled, then played, the mother card. She confessed to being Emmy’s mom, explaining how much she loved and missed her, apologizing for ever leaving. She asked if she could treat her to a sundae at the pharmacy downtown, promising that Butch approved and she’d have her back within the hour. Darlene shed a few tears and Emmy felt sorry for her, plus her own curiosity took over. Shewantedto spend time with her mother and learn why she had left, where she had been, and if she was staying now.
Darlene steered Emmy to the passenger seat, but Hemi attempted to physically come between her and Emmy. When Emmy leaned over and gave the dog a big hug, calming him down, she thinks her tiara probably fell off because she didn’t notice its absence until Darlene sped off.
There was no stop for ice cream. There was no stoppingat all.
And as Emmy watched the woman nervously driving her away from her hometown, she began to realize something was very wrong.
