16. Laney
16
Laney
“Here it is,” Mike said as we pulled into the driveway. “Are you nervous about meeting Dad and Georgie? Dad also has a three-year-old, Ellie. I haven’t met her yet.”
“I’m so sorry, Mike. This must be so exciting for you, and here I am, stuck,” I said, my hands gripping the steering wheel. “I don’t think I can go any further. I’ll let you have your time with your dad. I’ll come back another time.”
I stopped the truck in the middle of the driveway, unable to force myself to move forward.
“No, please don’t leave,” Mike pleaded. “Look at my hands—they’re shaking. I’m scared, and I don’t want to do this alone. I know I’m acting like a child, but the last time I was here, I was eighteen.” His voice cracked slightly, and I could tell he was saying it to bolster my courage as much as his own.
We sat there, looking at each other, when I felt someone watching us. I turned and saw a man standing in the yard, staring at Mike.
“Mike,” I said softly, “he’s here.”
Before I could say more, Mike’s door swung open, and he was pulled into a strong embrace. I watched as father and son hugged, tears streaming down their faces. They were almost the same size and looked so much alike it was uncanny.
“Is that my Grandpa?” Haley asked from the backseat.
“Yes,” I said.
“Are we going to get out?”
“I don’t know yet,” I replied, my voice trembling. “We brought Mike home, and that’s what I wanted to do.”
“Mama, there’s my little Aunt Ellie!” Before I could stop her, Haley jumped out of the truck and ran toward the little girl standing nearby.
Mike and our dad turned at the commotion, and I saw Dad move toward Haley. Instinctively, I jumped out of the truck and stepped in front of my daughter, blocking him.
“Dad, let me introduce you to Laney,” Mike said quickly.
Our dad’s expression softened, and he smiled. “Laney, I’m so happy to meet you. We just returned from California—we went there hoping to see you. You’re beautiful. You look like your mom, except her eyes were brown, and you’ve got my eyes. I’m sorry I didn’t know about you when you were little.”
“That’s not your fault,” I said, swallowing hard. “My mom should’ve written your name down for me. It feels strange looking at you and knowing you’re my Dad. Didn’t you ever think to wear a condom?”
He burst out laughing, doubling over. “Yes, when I finally grew up!”
Mike chuckled and put an arm around me. “Let’s go home.”
“Home,” I repeated, the word foreign but comforting.
“Yes, home. And thank you for rescuing me.” He hugged me, and I hugged him back tightly.
“Mommy, this is Ellie, my aunt!” Haley exclaimed, pulling Ellie over to us.
“Hello, Ellie. So, you’re my sister,” I said, glancing at Dad, who chuckled again.
“And this,” Mike said, “is Haley, your granddaughter.”
Dad knelt in front of her. “Haley, you’re as beautiful as your mommy.”
“I know,” Haley replied matter-of-factly. “Uncle Raven told me.” We all laughed.
I picked Ellie up and hugged her gently. Poor baby—she didn’t have a mom. “I have to park the truck,” I said.
“We can do that later,” Dad replied. “Nice vehicle. And the boat—are you going fishing?”
“In a couple of days,” I said, smiling faintly.
“Dad, remember how we watched fishing with Laney on TV?” Mike asked.
Our dad stopped in his tracks and stared at me. “You’re that Laney? Wow. You’re an incredible fisherwoman. I remember watching Haley pull in all those fish. She didn’t like keeping them, though.”
“Grandpa, that’s because they’re so cute,” Haley chimed in.
I heard Dad and Mike chuckling as we walked toward the house. I looked down at Ellie and kissed her cheek. “You’re so pretty. I love your hair,” I told her, admiring the beautiful red strands.
“She doesn’t talk,” Dad said softly.
“Not at all? Why?” I asked.
“No one knows. She understands everything we say, though, so we’re hopeful.”
Dad slipped his arm around Mike’s shoulders, pulling him close. “How did you get Mike out of prison? We tried everything.”
“I called someone who knows how to deal with crooked D.A.s and judges,” I explained.
Dad raised an eyebrow. “He must either be more crooked than them or have dirt on them.”
“Probably both. He worked for my ex-father-in-law, who ran the Chicago mafia. Jonah was very evil, but now he’s dead. I knew his lawyer could get Mike out of prison.”
Dad let out a heavy breath. “I’m just glad you’re out, Mike. Now you need to get used to not jumping whenever someone walks past you.”
“They dropped all the charges,” Mike said, his voice steady but tired. “I’m free.”
“What? That’s wonderful!” Aaron said, his eyes widening. “How the hell did he manage to do that? Did he give you all your files back? This means you can do whatever the hell you want now.”
“I have the files,” Mike replied. “Laney made him hand them over. She told him the charges were bogus, that they wrongfully accused me of murder. They always knew I didn’t mean to kill that bastard, even if I was glad he died. He hurt Tina; that bastard hurt her so much she committed suicide.”
Before anyone could respond, a beautiful young woman burst out of the house, tears streaming down her face. “How did you get out?” she cried, throwing her arms around Mike’s neck. “Daddy, did you know he was getting out?”
“No,” Aaron said, his voice thick with emotion. “I didn’t know until he surprised us just now. No one else knows yet. I’ll call Ronald and have him come over—we’ll surprise him. Oh, and we have another surprise.” He motioned for me to join him, pulling me to his side.
The young woman, Georgia, sat on the ground, still crying. I knelt beside her and wrapped her in a hug.
“We went to see you,” she said, lifting her tear-streaked face to mine, “but Kat said you’d just left. I always wanted an older sister. Now I have one. I love you, Laney.”
“I love you, too, Georgia,” I said, touched by her words.
“Do you love me?” Haley asked, standing nearby with her arms crossed.
Georgia smiled through her tears. “Yes, I do, Haley. I love you, too.”
We all laughed, the tension melting away. “I love you, too, Georgie,” Haley said.
I looked at my family. “I’ve always wanted to belong to a big family. Jeez, ya all are going to have me crying buckets.”
Georgia sniffled, wiping her cheeks. “How did you get Mike out of prison?”
“Let’s go inside,” Aaron interjected, “and we can talk while we start dinner. If I know Mike, he’s starving.”
I stood and helped Georgia to her feet, and we all headed inside. The kitchen was warm and welcoming, dominated by a large wooden table that looked homemade. The chairs surrounding it had beautiful, handcrafted cushions.
Georgia hugged Mike again as I glanced around the room, wondering how long she had lived here with Aaron and Ellie. Haley’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
“Ellie, are you happy that Uncle Raven found us? Say yes.”
“Yes,” Ellie said softly.
Haley clapped her hands. “That’s so good! I knew you could talk. Are you ready to talk to everyone now?”
“Yes.”
“Say, ‘I love Daddy.’”
Ellie turned to Aaron, her small voice clear. “I love Daddy.”
Haley beamed. “She waited for us to get here to show everyone she could talk!”
Aaron picked Ellie up, his eyes glistening. I scooped Haley into my arms and kissed her cheek. “I love you, Haley.”
Georgia wiped at her face, sniffling. “Okay, everyone, there are so many miracles happening today, I’m going to get a headache trying not to cry.”
“What are we having for dinner?” Mike asked. “I’ll start cooking.”
For some reason, that struck everyone as funny. We burst into laughter, the kind that shook our shoulders and made our sides ache.
“This is fun!” Haley said, giggling.
“Yes, it is, sweetie,” I said, smiling.
Aaron sat down heavily, glancing at Mike every few seconds, as if he couldn’t believe he was really out of prison. “Ron’s bringing pizza. He’ll be here in about thirty minutes. If you give me your keys, I’ll move your truck for you.”
I patted my pockets. “I left them in the truck.”
“I’ll make some sweet tea,” Georgia offered, heading to the sink.
Mike turned to me, smiling. “So, how do you like us so far?”
“I love all of you,” I said, reaching for his hand.
“Yeah, me too,” he replied. “You saved my life.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
Aaron returned, glancing at me. “That’s a nice ride you’ve got out there.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I just got it from Bass Pro Shop. They keep me supplied with everything. I only advertise their products when I’m fishing, so they sponsor me. I have a big following on YouTube. I haven’t been on much since Jonah kidnapped Haley and me, but I did post a video of us fishing in the ocean. My followers are still there. I told them I’d be fishing this weekend.”
Everyone turned to look at me.
“What?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious.
Aaron’s expression darkened. “What do you mean you were kidnapped?” he growled.
“I thought Raven might have said something,” I said.
“No,” Aaron replied. “Raven only mentioned I have a daughter and a granddaughter.”
I took a deep breath, bracing myself to tell my story again. They listened intently, asking questions and wanting to know more about my father-in-law.
“He was the mob boss,” I explained. “But now he’s dead.”
“How did he die?” Aaron asked, his brow furrowed.
“He tracked us to Gideon’s place. He came on a boat, shouting that he’d kill everyone in the houses if I didn’t hand Haley over. Raven, Gideon, and River were talking about blowing up the boat. But I took a rifle from Gideon’s closet, walked outside, and blew the boat up myself.”
Georgia’s eyes widened. “What did the police do?”
“Not much,” I admitted. “I didn’t talk to them. Gideon and Raven took canoes out to check the wreckage. Jonah was barely alive, so Gideon made sure his pulse stopped. Then he acted like he’d just recognized Jonah as the head of the Chicago mob. The police assumed he was running drugs to Mexico.”
I fell silent as another man walked in, carrying two large pizzas. He grinned at me. “Hi, sis.”
“Hi,” I said with a small smile.
“I’m sorry you went through all that,” he said. “Raven told me about it. I’m glad you did what you did. Pizza’s ready.” He turned to set the boxes on the counter, but when he saw Mike standing there, his jaw dropped. The pizzas almost hit the floor before I caught them.
“Holy shit!” Ron exclaimed, pulling Mike into a tight hug. “How the fuck did you get out? Damn, this is a miracle. Dad, how many more surprises do you have? Tell me, Mike, how did you get out?”
“The mob’s lawyer got me out,” Mike said, smiling. “All charges dropped.”
“What?” Ron turned to me, disbelief written all over his face. “Weren’t you scared the mob would come after you again?”
“No,” I said firmly. “The one I had to hide from was Jonah, and he’s dead.”
“God, I hope you’re right.”
“I am,” I reassured him. “I was friends with the people who were at his house, and Jonah’s enemies are thrilled he’s gone. Everything is taken care of—I promise.”
Haley piped up from her seat. “He used to beat Mommy up all the time.”
“Haley,” I said gently, “we’re going to forget about that. No one will ever hurt us again.”
“Mommy carries a gun now,” Haley added. “Tommy gave it to her.”
“Who’s Tommy?” Ron asked.
“He owns the Bass Pro Shops,” I said. “And before anyone gets worried, I know how to use it.”
Ron raised an eyebrow. “But if you’re not worried about the mob, why do you need a gun?”
“There’s a lot of evil in this world,” I said, my tone serious. “And I won’t let anything happen to Haley.”
Mike leaned forward, steering the conversation to lighter ground. “So, tell me about your first meeting with Raven. Did he stare at your eyes like he does with everyone?”
I laughed. “He met Haley first, so I’m sure he started doing DNA tests before I even arrived. He and River were guarding Haley while Gideon was out looking for me.”
“Where were you?” Ron asked.
“I thought my father-in-law had Haley, so I went after him. But Gideon found her running from the man who’d taken her. That man thought he’d killed me, but I survived.”
“Now I understand why you fish,” Aaron said with a chuckle. “It’s so relaxing after everything you’ve been through.”
“What do you mean, fish?” Ron asked, narrowing his eyes. “Is that your boat out there?” He stopped mid-sentence, staring at me as if something had just clicked. “Fishing with Laney. That’s you?”
I blinked, caught off guard. “Yes… why?”
Ron’s face turned beet red as he looked at Mike and Aaron, clearly flustered.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“Ron was obsessed with you,” Mike said, grinning. “He wouldn’t let us touch the TV when you were on. All he ever wanted was to fish with Laney.”
I laughed. “Well, Ron, you can fish with me this weekend.”
Ron’s face lit up, and I couldn’t help but smile.