Leonard hangs up before I can respond. I stand in the kitchen, staring out the window for a long time, trying to process everything he said.
A big part of me wants to rage at him. How dare he ask me for anything after what Kathy did? How dare he put that kind of guilt on my shoulders and make me feel like an asshole for wanting her to be prosecuted to the full extent?
But I know he’s right. Kathy needs professional help, not jail time. I don’t think the girls were truly in physical danger with her. The problem is, what happens the next time I don’t let her see the girls? She’s not safe to be around right now, and I’m worried that she’ll do something even more drastic.
Gia comes downstairs with a questioning look on her face. “The girls are playing, so we’ve got a few minutes.”
Leaning my elbows against the counter, I tell her everything Leonard said. I share my fears with her and the worry that’s been gnawing at my stomach about sending Kathy to jail over this.
She stands next to me, rubbing soothing strokes up and down my spine. “Let’s talk to the prosecutor about our options. We can tell her what Leonard proposed and ask how we can best protect ourselves if we go that route. Holt, whatever you decide is going to be the right choice. You’re a good man, and we’ll all have your back, no matter what happens.”
With a weary sigh, I stand to hug Gia into my chest. “I love you, Rainbow. I’m not sure how I’d get through this without you.”
She holds me tight, dropping her head into the crook of my neck. “I love you, too, Cowboy. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but right here.”
CHAPTER 43
Holt
“Happy Birthday to you…” we sing as Dad places a chocolate cake down on the table. The candle flame lights up Lauren’s blue eyes as she grins at us. When we finish our song, Lauren closes her eyes to make a wish before she leans forward to blow out the sparkly pink number eight candle.
“She looks way too grown-up,” Gia whispers.
I sniff, swiping under my eye to clear my blurry vision. “Fuck. I swore I wouldn’t cry this year.”
“Aw.” Gia wraps her arms around my waist while I watch my little girl laugh with her sister. Gia’s right. She looks so much older, even with her mouth covered in chocolate icing.
She calls us over. “Daddy, G, come have some cake!”
We follow her request, sitting next to Lauren and Leah while Dad passes out squares of cake to our family. Next weekend is her party with her friends—she wanted only her family here on her actual birthday.
With summer in full swing, we’ve been busier than ever. Gia helped advertise for the town’s Independence Day extravaganza, and it turned into this massive block party that we’re allstill trying to recover from. Gia was so stressed out that she gave herself a summer cold and is only now starting to feel better.
We’re planning a trip to North Carolina to see Gia’s family before the girls start school in the fall. Ginny’s tour begins in September, so we thought we’d spend a few weeks with them before things get crazy for everyone.
Ginny, Carson, and all their friends came out to stay on the farm for a week in June. The girls and I had an absolute blast showing them around. Despite growing up in a small town, only a couple of Gia’s friends were familiar with horses. They finally got to hike up to the falls, and I managed to convince Gia to go swimming with me. I had to bribe her with a hot bath and a few orgasms to get her into the water, but she did it.
Once we’ve finished our cake and Lauren has opened her stack of presents—including a few from Gia’s family—we go out to the backyard for our annual bonfire, where we roast hot dogs and cook s’mores over the open flame. I have no idea why we started doing this, but it’s become a tradition for Lauren’s birthday.
I’m helping her hold her hot dog over the flames to keep it from burning when she surprises me. “I kind of miss Gramma and Grandpa.”
Kathy and Leonard’s absence in our lives has been more noticeable than I expected it to be. After talking with the prosecutor, we decided to make a deal for mandated therapy instead of jail time. She has to wear an ankle monitor for the next three months and go to grief therapy twice a week. They moved back to Denver right after we reached the agreement, which has eased some of my worries about her retaliating.
Leonard has talked with the girls a few times, but only because they asked to speak to him first. He hasn’tpushed it, nor has he let Kathy have any interactions with them since the incident.
He says the therapy has been helping them both, and he hopes one day they can repair the damage they’ve caused.
I figure by then, the girls will be old enough to decide for themselves if they want a relationship with their grandparents.
Gina was also offered a plea deal. She received community service instead of jail time, and they barred her from working with children in any capacity ever again. She ended up moving out of Pine Creek Falls after the town snubbed their noses at her. I should have felt bad for her, but she got everything she deserved.
“I miss them too, monkey. Would you want to talk with Grandpa today?” He sent me a text saying happy birthday to her, and he also mailed her a present.
“Yeah, I would.” She’s quiet for a moment. “What Gramma did was really bad, huh?”
I exhale, not surprised she’s finally asking. We haven’t exactly kept it a secret from them, but we haven’t shared all the details either. I’ve been trying to figure out how to explain it without scaring the shit out of them through my own fears.
“Yeah, honey. Your grandmother has been struggling with how much she misses Mommy, and she made some bad choices. We have to give her time to get better before we can talk to her again, okay?”
