“Which brings us back to the drawing board on their location.”
“Right.So, I have time to go home and regroup.”Would they be waiting for her in Austin?Watching her apartment?
“It’s time to bring the law in,” he said to her.“I’ll get you to Austin.First, I think we should speak to my brother-in-law, Travis.”
The sheriff.Beau had mentioned the name before—Chloe’s husband.
“I guess that’s a smart idea.”They hadn’t been able to bring in the law before because no crime had been committed.Her father and his mother were grown-ass adults who had every right to disappear if they wanted to.Ivy had been down that road before with her father.He had free will to go and do anything he pleased.She had no rights when it came to her dad.And he had no rights over her.It was strange to think she needed to have rights over her father in order to save his life.
The laws were there to protect people.Sometimes, they did more harm than good.She’d learned the lesson the hard way with her father.Saving him meant getting information that she had no legal right to receive.
Now that Beau’s mother was gone…did that mean her father was dead, too?
She drew a deep breath.“Before we go, can I see your laptop?”
10
“Anything you want is yours.”Beau struggled to lead the way back into the kitchen.He opened his laptop, brought it to life, and scooted it toward Ivy.Then, he sat down.Those actions were enough to drain most of his energy.How on earth was he supposed to find his…findher bodywhen he could barely walk down the hallway?
He had the drive to Austin to convince Ivy to stay with him.
As Ivy’s fingers danced on the keyboard and she studied the screen, he turned to his family.
“There isn’t much to do except wait at this point,” he said to them.
Chloe cleared her throat.“Not exactly.Travis is on his way, and he wants to speak to you guys.He wants to see if there’s anything he can do to help.”
“Other than file a report for my mom’s murder?”Beau wished he could reel those words back in the moment they left his mouth.“I didn’t mean that, Chloe.”
“I know,” she said quietly, a surprising move.Chloe was the spicy one in the family, quick-witted and not afraid to stand up for what she believed.“It’s okay, Beau.I can only imagine what you must be going through.It’s not fair, but I want you to know that we’re here for you.I hate that you’re going through this.”She glanced around.“We all do.”She paused again.“Before you and I became closer, I found out that your mother goes by two names.Emma Rollins and Sophia Jayne Cook.”
“It’s Emma,” he confirmed as emotion stuck in his throat at the show of support.More words couldn’t form on his tongue.All he could do was nod, tuck his chin to his chest, and cough.
A hand on his back was followed by another.One by one, his siblings came over and touched him on the shoulder before moving to various spots in the kitchen.Chloe was last.She brought him into a hug.
“No one knows this yet, so I’d appreciate it if you kept what I’m about to tell you between us.”She looked up at him, searching for confirmation.
He nodded.
“My emotions are all over the place because I’m pregnant.I peed on a stick two weeks ago and got two lines.”
Beau pulled back his head to give her a good look.“I didn’t think Travis could…”
“Modern medicine is a wonder, isn’t it?”It was more of a statement than a question.“I’ll spare you the details of how, but we needed a miracle along with medical intervention.We weren’t expecting it to work so fast.”She bit down on her bottom lip.Was she nervous?
“Hey, I couldn’t be happier for both of you.”Much of Travis’s recent actions made sense now.“You deserve all the happiness in the world.”
“Thanks, Beau.”She lifted her gaze and stared at him.“So, do you.You know that, right?”
“I’m not sure how you managed to forgive me for the way I barged in like a charging bull, or how I’ve acted since.”
“Not everyone in this room would be alive if not for you.Don’t think any of us will ever forget that.Plus, how were you supposed to act?Not one of us ever put ourselves in your shoes.We were too busy with our heads up our own asses to consider what you might be going through and, face it, we all have daddy issues.”She issued a sharp sigh.“Beaumont might have done a number on all of us in different ways, but we’re stronger when we pull together.Don’t you think?”
“I do.”He couldn’t agree more.
“Good,” she said.“We’re just as much to blame as you are for how our relationships started off.I just hope you don’t keep beating yourself up over the way you walked into this house.And, honestly, I hope you feel part of this family because you belong with us.Don’t let Beaumont take that away from you, okay?”
Those words sounded so good.Why couldn’t he believe it?Why did he feel like he needed to prove himself?To prove that he belonged?
