Chapter 14
14
C lara jolted upright, her heart lodged in her throat and panic in her veins. She patted the bed around her only to find it empty. No kicking feet or drool covered cheeks. A glance at the clock on the nightstand had her jumping to her feet. 9:30 am? No way Davey and Avery slept past 7:30. Something must be wrong.
Grabbing her robe from her bag, she ran from the room as she jammed her arms through the opening and tied the belt around her waist. She hurried down the hall, but the sound of laughter and softly playing Christmas music reached her ears, slowing her pace.
She took a second to collect herself, catching her breath and finger-combing her hair, before peeking into the kitchen. The beautiful chaos that greeted her brought tears to her eyes.
Heath stood at the stove wearing black joggers and a gray t-shirt that stretched across his broad back. His hair stuck up, and he slid fluffy pancakes from the pan to a plate sitting on counter. Davey stood on a stepstool beside him, whisking the batter in a large bowl.
Avery sat at the table with Sally. A collection of cookie cutters cluttered the red and green cloth, and Sally showed Avery how to use them to make fun shapes of the pancakes, then passed them to her to cover in a rainbow of sprinkles.
Clara stayed hidden behind the doorframe, soaking in the moment. The beautiful, normal moment most children—and their mothers—took for granted. Sally’s off-key singing joined Avery’s lively humming, and Davey proudly poured batter onto the pan as Heath whispered something in his ear. She captured snapshots of the simple, easy flow between her children and Heath and his mother in her mind. No matter what the future held, she never wanted to forget this morning, and she prayed her kids wouldn’t either.
“Mama!” Avery squealed and jumped from the chair, scattering sprinkles like confetti all over the floor. She stopped, eyes wide and filled with fear. She dropped her chin to her chest. “Sorry. I so sorry.”
Davey leapt down and ran to Clara, wrapping his arms around her knees. He pressed his faced against the soft material of her pajama pants. “She didn’t mean to. It was an accident.”
Clara locked eyes with Heath, emotion lodged in her throat. This is what a lifetime of yelling and punishing and blaming had done to her children. Left them scared and paralyzed in the face of any kind of accident—no matter how innocent.
Heath grabbed a pancake, and a small smile curved the edges of her lips. “You were supposed to wait for the grand breakfast finale until your mom was at the table, buddy, but I guess you were too excited, huh? Here,” he said, tossing the flapjack across the room like a frisbee toward his mom. “Your turn, Mom. Show ’em what you got.”
Sally chuckled then tossed a handful of sprinkles into the air. “Avery, grab some more sprinkles!”
Giggling, Avery sniffed back her tears and toddled back to Sally. She climbed into her lap, reached into the bowls, and scattered more sugar-filled fun onto the floor. Her tears dried and giggles smothered out any lingering sadness.
Clara covered her mouth with her hand. Good Lord, what had they done? This would take forever to clean.
“It’s your turn, Davey,” Heath said, swiping a can of whipped cream off the counter and holding it out. “Show us what you got.”
Davey pulled away from Clara’s legs just enough to glance up, seeking permission.
She nodded, and he ran to Heath, grabbing the can and shoving the white nozzle to let the cream spray all over Heath.
Deep, rumbling laughter poured from Heath, and he scooped Davey off the ground and swung him in the air before stealing the can and repaying the favor.
Davey squealed. “No! Stop!”
Heath set him on his feet then eyed Clara. Grinning he shook the can. “Should we include your mom in the grand finale?”
“Oh now,” she said, raising her palms and taking a step backward. “I need coffee before I can participate in this kind of craziness.”
“Get Mommy!” Avery chanted then tossed green and red sprinkles in her direction.
“Yeah,” Sally cried, mimicking Avery’s actions. “No one escapes this fun without either making a mess or becoming one.”
Considering her options, Clara tapped the tip of her index finger against her chin. “Well, if I have a choice, I think I’d rather make one.”
In one swift movement, she lunged for the table and secured a bowl of sprinkles in her hands. She grabbed a fistful and faced Heath with her brows raised.
He smirked. “I dare you.”
Davey clapped his hands. “Do it, Mama!”
Heath took a step forward, head tilted to the side. “I don’t think she’s got it in her.”
“She does,” Avery cheered. “Show him!”
“Nah.” Heath batted a hand through the air, and a puff of whipped cream flew off his finger and landed on the top of Davey’s head. “She wouldn’t dare.”
Clara threw her tiny candies across the room, bursting into laughter when the sprinkles clung to his beard and whipped cream covered shirt.
Sally cackled. “I think you’ve met your match, son.”
“Yeah,” Avery joined in. “She’s your match.”
Heath’s face lit up seconds before he snatched the can of whipped cream from Davey’s hand and ran toward her.
Cool, sticky cream flew into the air, landing on her cheek. “No!” she squealed over more laughter. She covered her head with her arms.
“Get her!” Heath yelled.
In an instant, sprinkles and pancakes and wild giggles assaulted her. Davey and Avery jumped up and down, dousing her with whatever their little hands got a hold of. Heath snickered and Sally stayed seated but joined the fun by tossing chocolate chips at the group.
Joy erupted in the pit of her stomach, bursting through her veins like shooting stars. She untangled herself from her kids and twirled to escape the chaos but found herself pressed against Heath’s chest.
She stilled, the air around her growing thick with electricity. Her smile fell and the overwhelming desire to lick the sweetness off his face had her wetting her lips with her tongue.
His gaze dropped to her mouth, and he swallowed hard.
She flattened her palm to his cheek, and the rough whiskers of his beard scratched her skin. “Thank you.” She wished she could say more, do more, but that was all she had to give with little eyes watching her every move.
He dipped his chin and heat turned his brown eyes into burning embers.
Swiping her thumb across his jawline, she smeared a dollop of God only knew what into his course whiskers and wrinkled her nose. “I’m going to pay you back for this, you know?”
“Oh, I hope so.”
Sally chuckled and stood, shaking debris from her lap. “I hope this payback of yours is in someone else’s house because this place is a mess. I’d stick around and help clean, but I’ve got a doctor’s appointment to get ready for. Mila will be here later to drive me.”
It took unimaginable effort to peel her hand from Heath’s face, but she did then crouched low to stare into the wide, excited eyes of her candy-covered children. “That’s okay. I happen to know two people who are awfully good at clean up.”
Davey’s chest puffed and Avery nodded. “We are,” they said.
Heath grabbed a dish towel from off the counter and tossed it at Davey. “Then we better get started.”
Davey and Avery bustled around the kitchen, probably doing more harm than good, while Heath got to work wiping off the counters. Breakfast was on the floor, her pajamas were sticky, and she’d never been happier in her life.
* * *
With the kitchen scrubbed clean and Heath fresh out of the shower, he hurried to dress so he could help make breakfast again. The first attempt hadn’t exactly gone as planned.
It’d gone so much better.
Ducking into his room from the bathroom across the hall, he scrounged through the clothes still shoved in his duffle bag. He yanked a T-shirt over his head as his phone vibrated in the front pocket of his jeans. He fished it out and answered after seeing Owen’s name on the screen. “Hey. Any news on Mitch?”
“There was a sighting of his truck at a gas station early this morning,” Owen said. “We went over the security footage and verified it’s him, and when he left, he was headed north out of town.”
“Do you believe that?”
Silence stretched on the line for a few beats before Owen sighed. “There’s no evidence to support him sticking around, but I’m not convinced he’s gone for good.”
“I agree. So what’s next? Any idea where he might be?”
“We’ve spoken with his parole officer as well as his parents. A walk through his place of residence showed he’d grabbed a few things, but nothing pointed toward where he’d hide out if still in town.”
Heath sunk onto the edge of the bed and pinched his nose. He’d hoped to deliver good news to Clara today. Give her peace of mind that Mitch was behind bars and could never hurt her again. Then they could explore whatever was happening between them without all this shit hanging over their heads.
“What about what we found on the computer? Anything we can use there to track him down?” Just mentioning the video they’d witnessed soured his stomach.
“I’m not sure how they can help figure out where he’s hiding, but the sheriff put in a call to the FBI. We don’t have the capability to handle this type of crime, and jurisdiction falls to a national agency. Someone’s coming later today to discuss things with him. He said he’ll keep me updated.”
He hoped to hell the FBI could track down the children being abused, but he agreed with Owen. He wasn’t sure how that would help find Mitch. “I’ll ask Clara if she can think of any friends or other family he’d call. I’ll let you know if she thinks of anything.”
Owen ended the call with a promise to stay in touch.
A soft knock brought him to his feet, and he opened the door to find Davey standing in the hallway with a plateful of pancakes and a timid smile.
“I made you these,” Davey said, offering the breakfast.
Touched, Heath took the plate and ruffled the top of Davey’s head. “Thanks, buddy. This looks great. Do you want some, or did you already eat?”
“I ate. Mama made some for us while you were getting ready. But I wanted to make yours myself.”
Heath picked up a pancake and struggled not to wince at the peanut butter smeared across the top. “I’ve never eaten one like this before.”
“It’s my favorite. I hope you like it.” Davey stared up at him with eyes so wide, it was as if his entire existence hinged on Heath’s reaction to his breakfast.
No pressure.
Without hesitation, he took a bite and creamy peanut butter covered his fingers and roof of his mouth. The sweet spread combined with the hint of vanilla Clara must have put in the batter and created an explosion of flavor.
Davey watched him, anxiousness clear in his little puckered mouth.
Heath swallowed, then grinned. “I’ve been eating these wrong my entire life. That was delicious, buddy. Thank you. How about I eat the rest in the kitchen?”
Davey smiled but dropped his gaze to the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Heath asked.
With his lips twisted to the side, he finally met Heath’s eyes. “I don’t want to ever leave here.”
The statement made his heart soar and crushed it at the same time. He understood Davey’s desire to stay in a place that was fun and safe and filled with laughter. Hell, he’d miss the kid to death when the time came for him to return home.
But he couldn’t stay here forever. He couldn’t stay in a temporary shelter where everyone worked to make every minute magical and create only the best memories. As much as Heath wished he could promise Davey would never live in fear or experience guilt over things he had no control over, he couldn’t make that promise.
“Can you sit with me for a minute?” He set his plate on the dresser then settled back on the edge of the mattress.
Davey scurried on the bed beside him, kicking his legs out in front of him and placing his hands in his lap to mimic Heath’s pose.
“I’m happy you like being at my mom’s house. I like it here, too. Sometimes we get a chance to take a little break from regular life. I’m glad this little break is so much fun for you, and I know my mom would love to see you for visits. Heck, I hope you’ll visit me, too.”
“But I can’t live here,” Davey said, his voice heavy with sadness. “Regular life is hard.”
The simple words held a lifetime of pain. Heath wrapped an arm around Davey’s tiny shoulders. “You’re right, buddy. Regular life can be so hard sometimes. Especially when you’re a kid.”
Davey rested his head against Heath and sighed. “Was it tough when you were a kid?”
“Yes.” He barely choked out the word. “My childhood was a lot like yours. I had a dad who hurt my mom. Who scared me. He was mean to me.”
“Really? Is he still mean?”
“Probably, but I haven’t seen him in a very long time. My mom was strong and brave and determined to keep us safe, like your mom. We left and then regular life became good.”
Davey sniffled. “So my life can stay good, too?”
Emotion tightened Heath’s chest, and he struggled to keep tears from filling his eyes. This little boy had been dealt a shitty hand, but he had one thing going for him that would be his ace in the hole.
A mother who’d move mountains to protect him and his sister.
“It sure can. Now that doesn’t mean it won’t be hard sometimes and bad things might happen. But it means you can be happy and know that you don’t have to be afraid. You can rest easy knowing your mom will keep you safe, no matter what. And so will I.”
Davey wrapped his arms around Heath’s middle and hugged him tight. “You’re real nice. I like when you’re around.”
Nothing on this earth could make Heath’s smile wider, his heart fuller. “I like having you around, too, buddy. And your sister.”
Davey pulled away and stared up at him, scrunching his nose. “She’s loud sometimes.”
Heath chuckled. “That’s okay. So’s my mom. I’m used to it. Now let’s head out to the kitchen before both our moms come looking for us.”
“Okay!” Davey jumped off the bed and ran out the door.
Heath stood and grabbed the plate before following him down the hall. He wished he wouldn’t ever have to say goodbye to Davey or Avery. That he could offer security and safety for the rest of their lives. But even if that wasn’t an option, he could stand with them and be their friend for as long as they wanted him around.