Jay didn’t appear, but several neighbors spilled out of their houses to see what the commotion was. One of them was Morag from the deli. My whole body shook with adrenaline and relief as I peppered wet kisses all over Millie’s face. Her scared cries were devastating and even though I knew rationally it wouldn’t help matters, I couldn’t stop my sobs from joining hers. Morag wrapped her arm around me, confused, but supportive as the police car turned onto the street and drove straight for us.
Fyfe launched himself out of it before it drew to a complete stop and my knees almost gave out as he reached us with tears in his eyes. Without a word, he drew us into his arms, hushing us both, pressing kisses to our cheeks and temples and murmuring over and over again how much he loved us.
At that moment, I didn’t care where Jay was. Or what her motivation was.
From the time Mum had called me to the time I’d found Millie, it wasn’t even an hour.
And yet it had been the longest period of time I’d ever experienced in my life.
I had nothing but gratitude that Millie was in my arms and that we were all safe.
That we were together.
Epilogue
FYFE
In the following nights, Millie slept in the cot I’d arranged at the bottom of our bed. Both Eilidh and I needed her there. Eilidh canceled her business trip, though I told her not to. She said she couldn’t leave us. And thankfully the streaming service agreed to rearrange the meeting for next month.
Part of me was pissed off at Eilidh for forging ahead into an unknown situation that could have put both her and Millie at risk. She insisted she wouldn’t have done it if she’d thought Millie’s kidnapper was truly dangerous. As I pointed out, anyone who kidnapped a child was in a dangerous headspace.
Thankfully, it turned out Jay was the worst kidnapper that had ever existed. The police found her running through the gardens at the back of the village and arrested her. She was charged with kidnapping, child endangerment, and breaking and entering. She’d smashed open the lockbox where the house keys were stored for my holiday home renters.
In the days that followed, I found it hard to shake the jitters or the need to keep both Eilidh and Millie close. I worked from home all week and promised Eilidh I’d return to my regularlyscheduled program after the weekend, and that Millie would need to sleep in the cot in her nursery.
The police kept us informed regarding Jay’s pending case. She had a hearing in a few weeks, but from what they told us, she was going to cop to the charges and we’d probably not have to face a trial. Which was a relief since we already had one of those on the future docket.
Throughout it all, I never heard one word from Mum, though Eilidh was positive she’d overheard Jay on the phone to her.
It was a shock then when an alert on my phone went off and I saw a familiar Nissan park outside.
When I told Eilidh who was pulling up, her features grew taut with concern, but she told me to stay calm.
That all depended on what my mother had to say.
I opened the front door before she could even knock.
The well-put-together woman who’d stood at my door over a year ago now looked a little older, wearier. A bit bedraggled, even. But sober. Grief darkened her eyes. “Hullo, Fyfe.” Her eyes moved to my side, and I glanced down to see Eilidh there. She slipped her arm around me, giving me her silent support. “I recognize you …?”
“Eilidh Adair,” she offered. “Fyfe’s girlfriend.”
“Right.” My mother’s gaze returned to mine. “I didn’t want to call. What I have to say … you deserve to hear from me, face-to-face.”
A familiar dull ache almost made me slam the door.
However, I knew I’d always wonder. And if she was here to do more damage, at least I had Eilidh at my side.
Sliding my arm around Eilidh’s shoulders, I drew her against me and eased her away from the door. “Come in.”
Relief flickered over Innes’s face as she stepped inside. Millie was in her cot, napping. Next week, we’d get her back to daycare. She needed her routine and Regan needed to know we didn’tblame her for what happened. Eilidh’s mum kept apologizing every time we saw her, and it was awful to see her so distressed. I think we knew the only way to solve that problem was to show Regan we trusted her. I had no doubt in my mind she would never let anything like this happen again under her watch.
Innes walked hesitantly into the living space, her attention going to Millie. She appeared obviously troubled as she studied me. “I am so sorry.”
“You didn’t do it.”
She bit her trembling lip, glancing between me and Eils. “Could … could we maybe talk in private?”
“No,” I denied. “Whatever you say, I’m going to tell Eilidh, anyway.”
