“Like I said, they convinced her you didn’t want her,” I continued, “but I got her permission to call you and prove to her they were wrong. She’s still terrified you’ll turn her away, though, so please, please, be gentle with her.”
She nodded, clutching her hands against her stomach as tears filled her eyes.
I lowered my voice. “I know one of the first things you’ll want to do is go to the police, but there are some cops in Little Rock involved in this. I just don’t know who they are yet.”
“How convenient,” John said with a sneer.
Fury filled Anna’s eyes. “John, shut the fuck up!”
“She can’t handle that,” I told her, pointing back at him. “She can’t handle his anger, so if he’s going to keep acting that way, you are going to have to protect her from it.”
She nodded, a firm resolve filling her eyes. “She won’t have to worry about him. I promise.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m going to see if she’s ready to get out yet.”
She lifted her hands to under her chin. “Okay.”
I gave her an encouraging smile. “But if she’s not, don’t take it personally, okay? She’s terrified you’ll reject her.”
“Okay,” she said solemnly. “I understand.”
I walked over to the passenger door and partially opened the door, squatting so I was looking up at Emily, not down.
I reached over and placed my hand on her arm. “Are you ready to see your mom?”
She turned in her seat to face me. Tears swam in her eyes. “Does she still want me?”
I gave her an encouraging smile. “Yes. Very, very much.”
Her eyes shifted over to her father, who was by the back bumper of their car, pacing. “But my dad’s mad at me.”
“No,” I said. “He’s not mad at you. He’s upset that you got taken. Sometimes men can’t handle their emotions, and it comes out as anger. That doesn’t make it right, but it’s just the way some guys are. But when you get old enough to have a boyfriend and maybe get married, you do not have to tolerate a guy who behaves like that, okay? You can find a guy who doesn’t get angry under pressure.”
She nodded.
I glanced back at her father, who had lost some of his temper, but I could see it was still simmering under the surface. “Is your dad usually an angry guy?”
She shrugged.
“I told your mom that he can’t act like that around you. She said she won’t let him.”
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“But if he doesn’t behave, I want you to let me know, okay?”
Surprise filled her eyes, but she nodded.
I wasn’t sure why I’d said that, but I felt responsible for her. She’d been through enough shit. She didn’t need to deal with any more. I had no idea what I could possibly do, but I’d deal with that later.
I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Are you ready for a hug from your mom?”
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she nodded.
“Okay,” I said with a tight smile. “It’s time to be brave again.” I stood and opened the door farther so she could get out. Once her feet were on the ground, she hesitated, staring at her mother over the top of the car door.
Anna gasped when she saw her. Possibly because she wasn’t sure she’d ever see her daughter again, or possibly because her daughter looked nothing like the girl who had gone to school last December and not come home. Probably both.
But it only took a second for Anna to get over her shock. She remained rooted in the middle of the parking space, giving Emily the chance to go to her. But then she flung her arms wide in welcome, tears streaming down her face.
