Declan and I look at each other. So that’s how he lured my daughter in.
Autumn is strong and fierce, and I’m so happy that she’s alive and safe, but I know that this might not be the end of it. I’m not sure if her night terror was triggered by being kidnapped or if it was just one of those random things. Either way, I think I’m going to get us a few therapy sessions once we’re discharged.
“What happened to your arm?” she asks next.
“I hurt my shoulder,” I tell her, not wanting to divulge too much information. I know she didn’t wake up through the gunshot or the whole ride to the hospital, and I want to keep her mind as free as I can from the horrors that happened while she was asleep.
“Will you have a scar?” she asks curiously.
I nod my head. “Yep. I’ll have two.”
Her face all of a sudden beams. “Cool! Maybe Declan can give you a pretty tattoo to cover them up, like the one on your arm.”
I look at Declan who is holding back a smile. “I’m sure I can do something cool to make them pretty,” Declan tells her.
“Can I get one too?” she asks next.
“No,” Declan and I chime together, much like the first time when we all met on our shared landing.
She tries to give us the puppy dog eyes, but Declan tells her, “When you turn eighteen, talk to us then.”
She beams at his response.
Now is as good a time as ever to tell Autumn about the baby. “We have something we want to tell you, Autumn.” I look to Declan, who gives me an encouraging nod. I let out a breath. I don’t know if there’s a certain way to do this, but I think winging it is our best option. “Mommy’s going to have a baby.”
She stares at me with a blank face and then looks at my stomach, not saying a word.
“You’re going to be a big sister,” Declan says.
Autumn’s gaze shoots to him. “A big sister? So, you’ll be the baby’s daddy but not mine?” Autumn’s bottom lip starts to wobble.
I hold my breath while Declan answers. “Well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Would you want…” He pauses. I can tell he’s nervous about asking her the next question. “Would you like it if I were your dad, too?”
Autumn chews on her bottom lip, and she looks from me to him. “You can be my daddy too?” she asks, her question full of vulnerability.
Declan lets out a breath and nods his head. “Yeah. I can. But only if that’s what you want.”
She nods her head and flings herself at him. I can see a tear streak down Declan’s cheek, and a moment later, I feel a matching one stream down mine.
We both wipe our faces, and when Autumn pulls back, she says, “You can take me to the father-daughter dance and be my real daddy then!”
She’s beaming as she makes the statement, and I watch Declan swallow through a knot in his throat.
“But you aren’t married,” she says a moment later, breaking the spell.
~ ~ ~
I’ve spent three days at the hospital, and I’ve finally been given the go-ahead to be discharged.
The police have come and talked to Autumn, Declan, and me, and told us that Brad is in custody. They asked us what the senator’s involvement was, but Autumn was asleep when she showed up at the house, and I told them that she was trying to get Brad to do the right thing. I’m not sure if she’s getting charged; I highly doubt it, but at least her son is behind bars for the time being. At the recommendation of Phillip’s lawyer, Carlisle, he said that we should try and get full charges brought against Brad, so he doesn’t do something like this again. I fully agreed. I also asked Carlisle if we could get Brad to sign over his parental rights, and he told me it shouldn’t be a problem. I feel like I can finally move on with my life without worryingabout Brad anymore. Even though I hadn’t seen him in years, he was slowly sucking the life out of me. It’s a huge relief to be past this now.
My parents and Phillip came to the hospital, and when we told them of our pregnancy, all three cried. To say they were supportive was an understatement. I think my parents are most happy about the fact that I won’t be alone this time around. Phillip is a man of few words, but I could tell he was the most affected by the news. He pulled Declan aside to tell him that he was going to try harder, asking if we could get together from time to time so he could get to know me and Autumn, too.
Declan seemed skeptical but agreed. I know he has a lot of resentment towards his father, and rightfully so, but he told me he was willing to take a chance considering all the help he’s given us this week, and what Kate has said about him.
“Let’s go see Wren before we head back,” Declan says as he wheels me out of the hospital room.
I nod my head in agreement, and he turns down the hallway. Wren is still here, waiting for her sister to wake from the medically induced coma the doctors put her in. She didn’t say much about what happened, but we know her mother is dead, and her younger sister was injured very badly. My heart breaks for my quiet barista. She’s become like family over the last few months, and I want her to be able to lean on us for whatever she needs.
