Page 149 of One Shot
The walls of his carefully constructed facade were crumbling faster than he could patch them. Pride was a luxury he could no longer afford.
“Okay,” he conceded quietly. “Can you give her my number?”
Sunny’s relief was audible. “I already did. Expect her call.” Before hanging up, she added, “Tyler? It’s okay to need help. Trust me on this.”
After ending the call, Tyler stood in the silent kitchen, surrounded by evidence of his failure to keep their lives together. He walked slowly to Emma’s room, resting his forehead against the cool wood of her door.
“Em? I’m sorry I yelled. Can we start over?”
The door opened a crack, revealing Emma’s tear-streaked face. “I miss Mommy,” she whispered, the simple truth that neither of them ever seemed to escape.
“I know, sweetheart.” He knelt to her level, gently smoothing her wild hair. “I miss how things were too.”
Emma leaned into his touch, starved for the comfort he wasn’t sure he was providing adequately. “Are you mad at me? Are you going to leave too?” The question was barely audible, but it might as well have been shouted for the impact it had.
“Never.” Tyler pulled her into his arms, feeling her small body shudder with residual tears. “You’re stuck with me forever, kiddo.”
Over Emma’s shoulder, he spotted the framed photo on her nightstand — Darcey holding a newborn Emma, both of them wrapped in hospital blankets, Tyler beaming beside them. A family. Before it all fell apart. Before the arguments, before the gradual coldness, before he’d come home one day to find Darcey’s closet empty and a note on the counter:
I need a different life. I’m sorry.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. Another call from Gerald, no doubt. Another crisis he couldn’t solve. Another reminder of how he was failing at every turn.
But cradling his daughter, Tyler made a decision. He would look into this Willow Lloyd. Not because he believed some stranger could fix what was broken in their lives, but because Emma deserved better than what he was managing alone.
As he helped Emma finally get dressed, his mind circled around to Sunny’s words.There’s something about her — she sees things others miss.
Who was this Willow Lloyd? And what dark shadows from her past might help illuminate a path forward for his daughter — and perhaps for himself as well?
Some questions could only be answered by taking a risk…
