What choice did he have? They lived in Houston. His parents lived in Dallas. Angelique’s parents had moved to Austin four years ago. They didn’t have the backup of a family support system close by. It was the reason why he’d insisted that Angelique stay home with Sabrina while he worked to earn money. So they wouldn’t be in this type of situation where their daughter’s childcare needs would suffer due to work responsibilities. When Angelique insisted Sabrina needed tosocialize with other kids and start daycare at the age of four, he’d agreed with that because he’d sensed Angelique was growing restless being a stay-at-home mom. He worked hard to give her the life she deserved. What had happened that suddenly she couldn’t do this anymore?
The door to the conference room opened and Barry walked out. “Are you coming back in to seal this deal? Albert is good, but he’s losing the rest of the team.”
Elijah believed him. Albert tended to ramble when he got excited, and as a shareholder, he was excited about this acquisition. “Sorry, Barry, but something is happening with my wife. I need to go pick up my daughter.”
Barry looked at his watch. “Right now? For the love of god, Elijah, now is not the time. We need you to seal this deal.”
“I know. I want to close this out, but my daughter is stuck at daycare and my wife isn’t…she isn’t able to get her.”
Barry rolled his eyes. “Women, she’s probably just caught up shopping or something. Don’t worry about it. Come wrap this up and by the time we’re done I’m sure your wife will be at the daycare getting the kid.”
Barry’s quick brush off made Elijah’s hands ball into fists. Barry was an asshole focused on money, but could the man show a hint of compassion? He wasn’t sure what was going on with Angelique, but it sure as hell wasn’t shopping. Regardless, he couldn’t leave Sabrina stranded.
“I need to go.”
Barry scowled. “Look, Elijah, if you walk out right now then you’ll kill this deal. If this deal dies, then I can’t speak for your future at this company.”
“I’m sorry, Barry, but I need to go.”
Barry’s curses followed Elijah as he went down the hall. His stomach twisted and irritation tightened his shoulders with each step he took. Where in the world was Angelique and what was up with the cryptic ass text message? Angelique tended to be dramatic at times. He hated to admit her dramatics was what initially drew him to her. Loud, brassy women was one of his weaknesses. The shit had been sexy as hell when they’d been dating, but now they were married. They had a kid. He’d thought she’d stopped with the most extreme of her dramatic behavior.
It took him thirty minutes to get to the daycare. Mrs. Bickley met him at the door with a quiet, four-year old Sabrina holding her left hand and Sabrina’s belongings in her right. Well damn, he knew they were late, but he hadn’t expected the woman to meet him at the door.
“Mr. Holmes, I hope everything is okay with your wife.”
Yeah, he did to. “Thank you, but it’s just a mix up with our schedules.”
Mrs. Bickley nodded, but curiosity gleamed in her eyes as if she sensed there was more to the story than what he was giving. “Well, that’s good to hear, I guess.”
“Do I pay extra now or later?”
“Oh, don’t worry. It’ll be added to your account. Our biggest concern is just making sure things are okay for the kids. We don’t like releasing them into compromised situations.”
“You don’t have to worry. There is no compromise with our situation.” He reached forward and took his daughter’s hand. “Come on, Beenie.”
Sabrina turned and waved at Mrs. Bickley after Elijah took the rest of her stuff and walked away. She remained silent as he buckled her into the booster seat. She wasn’t typically thisquiet. Sabrina had cried loud enough to let the world know she was there when she was born and hadn’t stopped making noise ever since. His daughter had been a happy, laughing and cooing baby that had grown into a talkative preschooler who loved to sing. Her silence would have bothered him if his mind wasn’t already running one-hundred miles an hour. His cell phone buzzed constantly in his pocket. He didn’t have to check to know it was Barry or others from the office checking in. Not only had he walked out on an important meeting, but they also had a dinner that night with a client to soothe their fears about the merger. A dinner he’d arranged. He needed to figure out what was going on with Angelique and try to salvage what was left of his career.
He pulled up in front of their home. A modest three-bedroom brick home they’d purchased just six months before for the great school districts and access to activities for Sabrina. He didn’t know why he expected Angelique’s car to be there, but his concern grew when he spotted the empty space in the garage.
“Come on, Beenie,” he said as he unbuckled her seatbelt. “Let’s go check on, Mommy.”
“Mommy’s gone,” she whispered.
Elijah frowned and helped her out of the car. “Her car isn’t here, but she’ll be back soon.”
Sabrina shook her head. “She’s gone.”
Elijah turned back to the house a sinking feeling in his gut. He picked up Sabrina and hurried inside. One glimpse of the kitchen in the quiet house and he knew something was up. The dishes from breakfast were still on the table and in the sink. Unusual because Angelique said she couldn’t stand leaving the house with dirty dishes out. He put Sabrina down and then hurried to their bedroom in the back of the house. The drawerson her side of the dresser were open and empty. He hurried into the closet. All the clothes on her side were gone. There wasn’t even the scent of her perfume that usually lingered in the air.
He had an idea of what was going on. The reality of what his life was becoming. A part of him still refused to accept this. She couldn’t have just left. Not like this. Could she? They’d been happy. Hadn’t they? At least, they’d tried to make each other happy.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Angelique’s number again. This time the message said that the number he called was disconnected or no longer in service. His stomach clenched and the sinking pit in his stomach that had grown larger since his ringing phone interrupted his presentation seemed to swallow him whole.
Elijah spun around and rushed out of the closet back into his room. Maybe there was a clue to where she’d gone. Maybe there was a note. Sabrina stood in the middle of the room. Tears filling her eyes, and Elijah froze in space.
“Mommy’s gone.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. A statement made in a soft, heartbroken voice.
Elijah’s throat constricted as he lowered to one knee in front of his daughter. “Did Mommy say something?” He tried to hide the overwhelming feelings trying to swamp him from coming through in his voice. He was the man of the house. One rule his father had always instilled in him was that when he became a husband and father he couldn’t break down in front of his family. He had to always be in control so that his family would know they could depend on him.
