“WhenBridget gave me the news… At first, I was so pissed. We hadn’t discussed our options, I didn’t know if she’d taken care of herself during the pregnancy, and I didn’t think I wanted a kid, especiallyherkid. Evan tied me to her permanently and created all kinds of obligations.”
“But you left the Air Force for him anyway.”
Jeff nodded and gazed over her head at the waves, arms crossed overhis chest. “Even before I met him, I knew I couldn’t let Bridget be his only parental influence. The decision had been made without me, but he’s my son. He wasn’t going to grow up without me in his life.”
He stopped and looked down at her then, his brown eyes fierce. “I didn’t know how much I’d enjoy being a dad. Or that I’d love him so much,” Jeff said softly.
Tara’s heart did a slow roll.Unable to stop herself, she laid a hand on his arm. She wanted to leach away all of his pain, erase the haunted look in his eyes, soothe the tension in his corded shoulders.
His gaze slipped to her mouth and the breath stalled in her chest.
Without warning, he swiveled away from her and turned his back to the wind, curling around his upper body, sheltering the phone he slid from his frontpocket. “Olivia, what’s up?” He paused. “Yeah, we’ve been here about an hour.”
Heart galloping, Tara forced herself to keep walking. This time she’d give him privacy. If he wanted her to know what was going on, he’d tell her.
“We found Evan,” Olivia said. “Alive and well.”
Tears rushed to Jeff’s eyes and his legs threatened to give out. “Really?” He didn’t trust his own ears.
“Yes,”Olivia said, the smile clear in her voice. “Really.”
Holy shit, he hadn’t misheard. “Olivia,thankyou.” He looked around for something to lean on, but he was surrounded by water and sand, and Tara was still walking, already several yards away.
He sat.
“When can I see him?” Jeff rubbed his eyes and took a shaky breath, resting his elbows on his knees. The good news punched right throughthe walls he’d built to protect himself from all the fear and pain. He couldn’t hold himself together as emotions rushed through him like a flash flood.
“I’ll let you know. He’s with Roy, as we suspected. They’re living in a house just outside Wilmington. I’ve notified the police of their location, and they want to talk to Conklin in connection with Bridget’s murder.”
“Tell me where they are.I’ll get Evan myself.”
“I can’t do that,” Olivia said. “Roy could have notified you at any time that he had Evan, but he didn’t. If you try to take your son and Roy puts up a fight, you endanger Evan’s life and risk traumatizing him even more. Wait until the police verify the paperwork you filed with the court and get a warrant.”
Anger torched his blood. “What if Conklin’s a threat to himnow? What if this guy killed Bridget? You’d have me leave Evan with him?”
“Your son looks good, Jeff.” Her voice was pure patience. “Someone’s been taking care of him. One more night won’t change anything, but I have my guys watching the place, just in case. If they need to, they’ll move in.”
“Fuck.” Jeff rubbed a hand over his head and closed his eyes.
“If I tell you where he is and youget into an altercation, or Conklin runs, you could lose Evan again. It’s not worth the risk.”
Jeff sighed. “Fine.” She was right, but he didn’t have to like it. He’d been waiting so long. Now that he knew Evan was okay, all his patience had evaporated.
When he opened his eyes, Tara stood to his left. He glanced up as she squatted in front of him, her brow creased with concern. She placeda cool hand on his arm but didn’t speak.
“Is there anything I can do?” he asked Olivia, feeling impotent.
“Get some sleep. Tomorrow could start early. I’ll call you as soon as I know something.”
Sleep. Yeah, right. He ended the call and looked at Tara. Based on her expression, she was expecting bad news.
He shook off his frustration for the moment and tried to focus on the positive. “Evan’salive and okay.” A smile took over his face, so wide it almost hurt. Holy shit. Was this really, finally happening?
She gasped and her face lit with relief that mirrored his own. “Jeff, that’s fantastic.” Shifting onto her knees, she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed. “I’m so happy for you.”
With a laugh he hugged her back, hard. “Thank you.” Being able to share the moment with Taramade it even better. More real. And the longer he held her, the more ideas he came up with for celebrating.
“When can you see him?” she asked, pulling out of his embrace to sit next to him on the sand.
