Page 170 of Broken
“He doesn’t know that. I held my ground when he stopped and waved. Iwalkedback to the house. I didn’t run.”
Thirty minutes later, the newly assembled stroller was parked in the driveway, Ethan was strapped in, and they were ready to go.
“I want Loki to come with us,” Ethan whined.
Jacqueline had been peering up and down the street in search of the gray sedan.
Ethan looked so cute tucked in, even his scowl was adorable. “He can next time. I need to make sure I can keep up before we bring Loki.”
“You set the speed, babe,” Prescott said. “And I’ll try to keep up.”
She chuffed out a laugh.
They started out slow, but twenty minutes in, she was pushing hard, though she didn’t think Prescott was. At forty minutes, she got a runner’s high, and she shot Prescott a smile. When they finished, they were drenched in sweat.
“That was fun,” she said.
“I needed that,” he replied.
“If that SOB is watching my every freakin’ move, I just showed him who’s boss,” she murmured.
“Me,” Prescott replied. “I’m the boss.”
After dinner, Prescott told her that a homicide detective assigned to Sally’s case wanted to talk to Ethan about his mom’s boyfriend.
“I want to see what he remembers before I bring him in next week,” Prescott said. “Any suggestions?”
She set a few coloring books, the stack of printer paper, and the large box of crayons on the kitchen table. “This might work.”
Ethan had been playing in the family room.
“Hey, bud,” Prescott said. “Do you want to color with Jack and me?”
As Jacqueline pulled up a chair, Ethan came walking over, climbed into his booster chair, and opened a coloring book. She and Prescott started drawing on the paper.
After a few minutes, Prescott said, “Ethan, do you remember telling us about Mommy’s special friend?”
“I miss Mommy.”
Her heart broke for him.
“I miss her too,” Prescott said. “Do you like living with me?”
“Uh-huh. You play with me and you read me stories.”
“Do you like that Jack and Loki are staying here with us?”
Ethan continued coloring, but didn’t answer.
“Uh-huh,” he said. “Is she your special friend?”
“She’s definitely my friend,” Prescott said. “And she’s special to me, like you are. So, yes, she’s my special friend.”
Ethan’s tongue has been sticking out as he continued coloring the picture.
“Do you remember your mom’s special friend, Mr. Man?” Prescott asked.
Ethan stopped coloring and stared at Prescott. “I don’t like him.”
