CHAPTER SEVEN #2
“That’s what I figured. I’ll never rush them, but I’ll try to let them know I’m here if they need me. Ron is keeping his distance for now. I think they’re a little wary of men.”
My stomach twisted at that tidbit of information. From what I’d gathered, the girls’ father was in and out of their lives but hadn’t been present at all since they moved back to Sparrow Falls. I reached out and squeezed Edith’s shoulder. “Thanks for all you’re doing.”
“You know I’m happy to help,” she said. “I’ll just let them know breakfast is here. You know where everything is.”
I moved in the direction of the kitchen I’d been in countless times.
The McKenzies were always my first choice for emergency placements if they had the space.
I pulled out the different breakfast options, along with the half-dozen cupcakes I’d gotten them for later.
By the time I heard footsteps, I’d stacked the plates and silverware buffet-style.
Turning, I took in the three girls, all dressed for school. Gracie’s hair was arranged in pigtail braids with colorful ties at the ends, while Clementine’s was fixed in a French braid that hung down her back. I had a feeling Hayden had done both.
“Morning,” I greeted, sending them all a warm smile. “I brought breakfast from The Mix Up.”
Gracie’s eyes went wide. “All that’s for us?”
“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a little bit of everything.” I motioned to Trace. “Plus, my brother, Trace, eats as much as three people do, so he’ll finish whatever we don’t.”
“Hey,” Trace protested.
“What’s he doing here?” Hayden demanded, her gaze hard. The area around her wound was starting to bruise, showing just how hard the glass had been thrown at her.
Trace didn’t take offense. “I’m not here as the sheriff. I’m here as Keely’s dad. I just wanted to check in on you guys and see if you needed anything. I brought a few things to tide you over, too.”
“We need to go back home,” Hayden said.
Gracie moved closer to Hayden, and the older girl instantly wrapped an arm around her.
Clementine looked at them both and then at the floor. “I don’t want to go back home.”
“Clem,” Hayden hissed.
The redhead’s gaze snapped up to her sister. “I don’t. I don’t wanna go back there. I don’t want to live with Mom. Or have to hide our food. Or put the dresser in front of the door when she drinks. Or listen to her scream. Or—”
Hayden’s face paled, cutting off her sister’s words.
“I know it’s scary,” I said softly. “The unknown always is. But we’re going to get through this together, and I’m going to do everything I can to help. Is there anything you want to know right now?”
Gracie looked up at me with glassy eyes. “Where’s Mom?”
“She’s at the sheriff’s station.” I’d never lie to my kids. Even if you were trying to soften a blow, it had a way of coming back to bite you.
Amber eyes, so similar to Kye’s, widened. “Like she’s in jail?”
Trace took this one. “Not jail. We have a couple of cells with beds at the station. She’s staying there.”
A muscle in Hayden’s cheek pulsed. “When is she being charged?”
“Today,” Trace said. “I spoke with the prosecutor on my way here.”
“Will she go to jail?” Clementine asked.
Trace looked at me, and I nodded to give him the go-ahead. He turned back to them. “I’m not sure yet.”
“What’s going to happen to us?” Gracie’s voice was so quiet I almost couldn’t hear it. But as soft as it was, it still broke my heart.
Crouching low, I met her eyes. “That’s what we’re all going to figure out together, okay?”
Hayden scoffed. “Like you’re going to listen to us.”
My gaze lifted to hers. “You’re the first person I’m going to listen to. And I’m going to ask your opinion on everything. That’s a promise.”
“And Fal never breaks her promises,” Trace assured them. “When she was nine and I left for college, she promised to take care of my horse for me, and you know what happened?”
Gracie looked up at him, her lower lip trembling a bit as if she were fighting the movement. “What?”
“She took such good care of him, he still loves her more to this day. He totally ditched me for her.”
“Hey.” I shrugged. “He just has good taste.”
Gracie giggled as she looked at me. “What’s his name?”
“Buster. He’s sweet as can be, and he loves sugar cubes. If you want, I can take you out to meet him one day.”
“Really?” Gracie asked, suddenly excited. “Keely said she goes riding all the time, but I’ve never been.”
That phantom ache was back, but I forced myself to keep smiling. “I’d love to teach you. And I know my mom would love for the horses to get some exercise.”
Hayden’s amber eyes flashed with a gold that spoke of fury. “You can’t buy us off with breakfast and horseback rides. Only one thing matters, and that’s us staying together. Can you do that?”
A lead weight settled in my gut because I knew she was right. At least when it came to what mattered. So, I met Hayden’s angry eyes and held nothing back. “I’m going to do absolutely everything I can.”
As I trudged up the steps to the child welfare offices, it felt like my tote bag weighed a thousand pounds.
But I knew one thing: I’d sell my soul to make sure those girls stayed together.
Just one breakfast with them, and I could already tell they all carried wounds from how they’d grown up.
Gracie was timid and unsure of herself. Clem tried to hide her brilliant mind as if showing how smart she was would make her a target.
And Hayden … She’d become a fierce protector, giving up her dreams to make sure her sisters were safe and cared for.
Mary Lou waved at me as I walked inside, the phone pressed to her ear. It took everything I had to give her a half-hearted wave in response.
Noah looked up as I made my way into the offices. “That bad?”
“It’s been a long twenty-four hours.”
He grimaced. “Talked to the prosecutor just a few minutes ago. He agrees with the motion to terminate parental rights given the previous charges.”
That was a good thing. I knew it. But it was still heavy. “Good. That’s good.”
“You find any possible kinship placements?” Noah asked as I dropped my bag to the floor next to my desk and shrugged out of my coat.
I knew he wasn’t even considering Kye filing for custody, which had my temper flaring. I shoved it down. “I’m working on it.”
Mila looked up from a report she was reading. “I’ve got an extra green juice in the fridge. You look like you could use a pick-me-up.”
“I appreciate you and your glowy skin, but the only thing that will save me now is pure, unadulterated sugar.” I snatched the half-eaten bag of strawberry Sour Patch Kids Kye had left me and started for Rose’s office.
I knocked softly.
“Come in,” she called.
I slipped through the door and closed it behind me, just as Rose looked up from her computer.
Her office had a comforting vibe with a couch in the corner and décor that gave little glimpses of Rose herself.
The basket she’d told me her sister had woven held toys for when she needed to occupy little ones.
A Pollock-esque splatter painting adorned one wall and brought an endless array of color to the room.
And the collection of figurines her kids had given her over the years adorned her desk, including a trophy that read World’s Best Mom.
Settling into one of the chairs opposite hers, I finally met her gaze. She still hadn’t said a word. But Rose was good at waiting until you were ready—just another reason she had a way with the kids whose cases crossed her desk.
“Kye didn’t know about his sisters,” I began.
Rose leaned back in her chair, grief settling into her eyes. “Noah said.”
“He would like to file for custody.”
Surprise lit her features. “Did you contact the birth father, Les Jensen?”
A parent would always be given the first chance to take custody. “I’ve left three messages. So far, nothing. I’ll move on to serving him if I don’t have any luck contacting him personally.”
Rose nodded slowly. “Is Kye ready for that kind of responsibility?”
“Is anyone?” I asked.
Rose let out a soft chuckle. “When I had my Lucy, I was lost. I didn’t know up from down. If not for my sister, I would’ve been royally screwed.”
“He has us. All of us. My mom, Lolli, everyone in the whole Colson crew.” Which was made up of many more people than just those with the Colson last name.
Rose tapped her fingers on the edge of her desk. “I adore that boy. You know that. I’ve got a soft spot for the ones who turn their lives around.”
“But?” I prodded.
“You know what I’m going to say. The fact that he has a record, even just a juvenile one, hurts him.
He’ll be a single parent, and as far as I can tell, he doesn’t have an especially predictable schedule.
And I hate to say it, but some judges are stuck in the past. They’ll see the tattoos, hear that he works in a tattoo studio and that he’s still involved in the MMA world, and they’ll be concerned. ”
Everything in me cramped and twisted. “But he also runs a free program for youth in our county. He owns and operates two successful businesses. He has a family who supports him.”
Rose’s sympathetic expression deepened. “I know that. But a judge might be concerned placing three young girls with a single man they don’t know.”
“So let them get to know him. Start building the relationship now.”
“I already placed an order for Kye’s background check. That will get us started,” Rose assured me.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “It’s just so unfair. He’s the best person I’ve ever known.”
“It is unfair.” Rose tapped her fingers on her thigh. “Does he have a partner at all? I’ve never seen him with one. But having someone else in the picture, especially if they are another safe and stable set of hands, might help.”
My stomach twisted. The last thing I wanted to think about was the women coming in and out of Kye’s life.
“It would have to be a serious and committed relationship,” Rose went on. “But if they filed for domestic partnership or were planning to get married, it might help.”
As Rose arched a brow, my mind started swirling, tendrils of an idea gathering at the edges of my thoughts. One that was likely stupid and more than a little reckless. Something that could end up with me losing my job or even getting charged with fraud if I were found out.
I shoved the chair back and pushed to my feet. “I need to check on something. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
I was already headed for the door, but Rose’s voice stopped me in my tracks. “Fallon?”
I turned and looked at her in question.
Rose’s deep brown eyes met mine. “Make sure you’re ready to walk down the road you’re thinking about.”
She knew me too well. But I also knew she’d made the not-so-subtle suggestion for a reason. My eyes burned. “I’d walk through fire for him.”
Rose’s face softened. “He’s lucky to have you.”
I shook my head. “I’m the lucky one.”