Chapter 16
Levi
I only meant to grab lunch. Millie’s biscuits and stew sounded like the thing to get me through the afternoon. Plus, I couldn’t get over that kiss and was hoping to catch a glimpse of Hannah, even though she was probably stowed away in the kitchen.
But the second I reach for the café door, Hannah barrels out, apron stuffed under her arm, hair wild, coming out of her ponytail. Her face is as red as fire.
She doesn’t even see me at first. Her eyes are locked straight ahead, fierce and blazing.
“Hannah?” I step aside so she doesn’t plow right into me.
She startles, hand flying to her chest, then shakes her head like she can’t waste time. “I can’t, Levi. Not now.”
“What’s wrong?”
Her voice trembles with fury and fear. “Ivy’s in danger.”
That’s all I need to hear. She hurries toward her car, and I fall in step without thinking. My pulse spikes, muscles coiled tight. Danger. Ivy. The two words don’t belong in the same sentence.
She fumbles with her keys, muttering, “Jake showed up at the school. Wants to take her. He doesn’t have permission.”
Jake. The name means nothing to me except what it does to her. Her color’s changing, turning pale and I see she’s shaking.
“Let me drive you,” I demand.
“No, I can’t wait another second.” She’s already climbing behind the wheel.
“Then I’m right behind you.”
My truck growls to life, and I follow her tail lights down Main Street, every nerve on alert. Whoever this Jake is, whatever claim he thinks he has, he’s about to learn Hannah and Ivy aren’t alone anymore.
The elementary school looks the same as ever – red brick, flag snapping in the breeze, kids’ art taped to the windows. But the moment I step inside behind Hannah, the air is tight, uneasy.
The secretary at the front desk straightens. “Ms. Brooks … thank you for coming quickly. Ivy’s safe with her teacher. He’s in the principal’s office.”
Hannah’s knuckles whiten as she pushes open the office door. I follow without asking permission, because I’ll be damned if she faces this alone. The man inside turns at the sound. Tall, wiry, hair too neat for the storm he just stirred. His eyes dart from Hannah to me, narrowing.
Inside the office, Jake isn’t alone. Principal Harris stands stiffly near the desk, arms folded like he’s ready to step between them if things get ugly. His eyes alternate anxiously between Hannah and Jake, as though trying to keep the peace without quite knowing how.
“Hannah.” Jake’s voice is smooth, like he thinks he still has the right to say her name that way. “You look good. Better than when I left.”
Her spine stiffens. “What are you doing here, Jake?”
He spreads his hands, palms up like some repentant saint. “I came to see my daughter. I thought it was about time.”
“After four years?” Her voice shakes with anger. “You don’t get to show up out of nowhere and pull her out of school.”
Jake’s jaw works, but he recovers with a smirk. “She’s mine too, Hannah. You can’t keep her from me forever.”
That’s when I step forward. “Sounds to me like you already tried keeping yourself from her.” My voice is low, but sharp enough to cut.
Jake sizes me up. “And you are?”
“Someone who cares about them,” I say simply. “Which is more than you can claim.”
His eyes narrow further, a flash of something ugly behind them. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“The hell it doesn’t.” I shift closer, just enough that he has to tilt his head to keep eye contact. “If Ivy’s safety is on the line, it concerns me plenty.”
The tension crackles, heavy enough to choke on. Hannah stands between us, breathing fast, trying to hold it together.
“Jake,” she says, voice shaking but strong, “you don’t have permission. If you want to see her, we’ll talk. But not here. Not today.”
“And sure as hell not without me,” I add.
Jake’s smirk falters, just for a second. He grabs his jacket from the chair, brushing past me as he heads for the door. His shoulder clips mine – deliberately.
“Civil,” he mutters. “We’ll see.”
I don’t move until he’s gone. My fists are tight, nails biting my palms, but my focus is on Hannah. She’s pale and shaking, one hand pressed to her stomach like she’s holding herself together. I step closer.
“She’s safe. He didn’t get near her. That’s what matters.”
Her eyes meet mine, wide and wet. The office door shuts behind Jake, leaving a heavy silence. Hannah presses her hands to her temples, drawing in a shaky breath.
“Where is she?” she asks the secretary. Her voice cracks on the word.
“In her classroom. I’ll walk you.”
We move down the hall, Hannah just a half step ahead of me, like she can’t get there fast enough. Children’s artwork lines the walls with smiling pumpkins and construction-paper leaves.
When the teacher opens the door, Ivy looks up from her desk. The second she sees her mom, she bolts across the room. Hannah drops to her knees, catching her in a hug so fierce it nearly topples them both.
“Mommy?” Ivy’s small voice muffles against her shirt. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing now,” Hannah whispers, pressing kiss after kiss into her hair. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters. You’re safe.”
Ivy’s arms wind tighter around her neck, like she feels the tremor still running through her mom’s body.
I stay near the doorway, giving them space.
The other kids whisper, the teacher ushers them back to their projects, but I can’t take my eyes off the two of them.
Hannah clings like she might never let go.
A knot twists hard in the pit of my stomach. I don’t know what kind of man Jake was, but I know what kind of man he isn’t. And standing here, I swear to myself I’ll never let that little girl or her mom face fear like this alone again.