“I’ll join you.”
As we head for the barn, the sound of Delta’s familiar soprano grows, and it’s louder than I’ve ever heard. Wait, no—that’s not only her voice. My feet and heart stop at the same time and I clutch Jonah’s arm, my hands shaking like a leaf. “Listen,” I whisper.
The timbre of the second voice is a bit sweeter, brighter, like a soubrette.
Realization dawns on his face, and he clasps a hand over his mouth. Tears spill down my cheeks as I fight to stay silent, praying this isn’t a dream—that Lo issinging. Words fromherbeautiful little mouth. I can’t believe it.
Jonah turns to me, and the tears streaking down his face are gasoline on my emotional fire.He loves them.It’s so obvious how much he loves them and he hides it from no one. He parades us around like we’re crown jewels: one little girl who had no voice, another with messy, self-cut micro bangs, and one who used her thorns to keep people away.
He catches me, pressing my head to his chest, our hearts beating erratically. My tears soak through his shirt and I cling to him, certain that if I let go, I’ll fall.
I already have.
1. Wildflowers by Miley Cyrus
Chapter 32
Search and Rescue
Renée
I’m woken from a dead sleep by a small hand touching my arm. I know it’s Delta without even looking. She’s always been one to come into my room at all hours of the night with random bits of information, and the impulse to explain her dreams.
“Mom?” she murmurs. “Lo’s not in her bed.”
I respond, still half-asleep. “Mmm... she’s probably in the bathroom. Good back to bed.”
“No, she’s not.”
I glance at the glowing red numbers on my alarm clock: 5:02 a.m. I sigh and roll out of bed before wrapping myself in a robe and slippers. We walk into their shared bedroom and I do my best to reassure her. “She’s probably under the covers somewhere.” But she’s right—Lo’s bed is empty. Even her safety blanket is gone.
“She’s around here somewhere,” I say, this time trying to reassure myself and quell the tendril of worry in my blood. The house is too quiet. No cartoons or creaking floors or the rustling of a snack bag. I open Amber’s door abruptly. “Is Lo in here?”
Amber groans, “No. Should she be?” I flick on her light and she covers her face. She’s not here either.Shit.
“Lo?” I call through the house and hustle from room to room, closet to closet. “Lo where are you? Sweetheart, this isn’t funny. Please come out.” Amber and Delta check under beds and furniture and the pile of clothes in the laundry.
“The back door’s unlocked,” Amber says, and my fear skyrockets. I grab my cell phone and we bound for the chilly backyard with whatever jackets we can find.
“Loretta!” the three of us call. We split up, Delta staying close to her aunt and circling the house while I check the shed. When she’s not there either, I don’t waste any time and call the police.
I give them my address and explain my seven-year-old daughter is missing. I describe her features and that until yesterday she hadn't spoken in almost three years, so there’s a possibility she won’t verbally respond. Dispatch informs me a police officer will be here in fifteen minutes.
I hang up and immediately dial Jonah. I’m already running to his house when he picks up. “Hey,” he says, voice cracking with sleep.
“Lo’s missing! I just woke up five minutes ago and she’s not in the house. The police are on their way. Please tell me she’s with you?!”
“What?” He clears his throat. “No... I don’t think so.”
I run up his back porch and pull on the locked door. “Let me inside!”
“I’m coming down right now!”
My pulse is thundering as we search every room in his house with King, calling her name with no luck. We’re jumping off the porch when the silhouette of the barn comes into my view against the faint pre-dawn light.
“The barn,” I say, already running. But Jonah and King run faster, and the motion-detecting flood light turns on above the door. Jonah slides it open and King slips through first. I’m only three feet away when Jonah cries, “I found her!”
He ushers me in, and I immediately spot her outline in the glow of the outdoor light. She’s curled up next to Yogi in his makeshift recovery suite. Both Rugger and Yogi have already popped their heads up to see what all the fuss is about, and Lo shifts under her safety blanket.
