“Yeah, buddy,” I say quietly. “I’ve got you guys.”
He nods, as if he’s reassured, and shuffles back to bed.
I don’t lie back down after that. I just sit there in the dark, heart steady, senses sharp, knowing that this is where I’m supposed to be. I just need Poppy to feel it, too.
The next morning, we don’t waste time.
“Grab your backpack,” I tell Owen. “We’re taking you to school.”
The drive over is tense but determined. Poppy’s hands are steady on the wheel this time, jaw set. Owen sits taller in the back seat, phone clutched in his hand.
The school smells like cleaner and pencil shavings andcafeteria pizza. We sit down with the principal, the counselor, and the front office manager. I lay it all out.
“There’s an issue with Owen’s biological father,” I say. “He’s made threats. We have them recorded. He is not allowed anywhere near Owen or this campus.”
The principal’s expression hardens. “We’ll flag his file immediately. Teachers, recess monitors, and front desk. If he shows up, we call the police.”
Good.
The counselor smiles gently at Owen. “You’ll be all right.”
Owen glances at me, then Poppy. I nod once. He exhales.
Later that afternoon, we’re sitting across from Weston Jessop out at the Wilder lodge, formerly the Jessop lodge. He listens without interrupting, then leans back in his chair.
“I’ll help you,” he says. “We need to get you solid. Guardianship. Boundaries. Protection orders. I’m on it.”
Poppy’s shoulders finally sag like she’s been carrying the world alone and just set it down.
“Do you think we could force him to give her the shop?” I ask, leaning forward. I want everything we can get for them.
Weston shrugs. “I mean, we can’t force Sully to do anything. But that doesn’t mean she has to keep paying him. That’s extortion.”
“Maybe he could be persuaded aggressively,” I muse.
Weston snorts. “Well, then you’re talking to the wrong brother for that. You and Jack sometimes operate on the other side of the law. I keep you all honest.”
“You’re no fun,” Owen mutters. Then he says, “We could put a skunk in his truck like?—”
My eyes narrow. “Hey, how do you know about that?”
Owen and Poppy laugh.
The court date is a few days later. Weston files everything quickly and we get ready for it. We show up. Sully doesn’t. No surprise there. No one really thought he would.
The judge listens to the recording, face unreadable, then grants the restraining orders without hesitation.
Sully can’t come near the shop, the house, Owen’s school, Wilder Ranch, The Black Dog, the firehouse, and a bunch of other places Weston added to cover us. But most importantly, he can’t come near Owen or Poppy.
I stay with them every night that I’m not on shift, just in case. I want to be nearby if they need me. And when I am on shift, I check in all the time.
No one gets to touch what’s mine.
Chapter 10
Poppy
Porch Light by Josh Meloy
