THIRTY-EIGHT
HAYDEN
MICHIGAN
MARCH
While Wyatt, as a Private Investigator, could discover affairs and secret babies, these men could find your deepest, dirtiest secret—through wiretapping, through hacking into security systems, or even accessing medical records.
My father's old contacts don't operate within the law and answer only to those wiring money to their accounts.
So it takes about two days to find Rick at a no-tell motel he stayed at days ago, in upstate New York.
"I hired men to scour the area," my father says into the phone. "From the trail, he's been sticking to places he thinks have low security. Older motels and gas stations. They suspect he's trying to get to Canada. Already have men stationed near the border."
Emerald laughs as her marshmallow catches on fire, Linda blowing on it to try and put it out. My wife prefers her marshmallow burnt, saying it adds some panache to the flavor.
“Emerald Jean, please don’t burn down my lawn!” Linda laughs, holding two graham crackers out for Emerald to place the marshmallow on.
“How about a little fire, scarecrow?” Emerald giggles, her mother wiping an imaginary tear at her daughter’s Oz reference.
“I’ve raised you so well.”
I’m standing on their back deck watching them, unable to stop smiling.
Tim and Linda invited us to a Sunday family dinner, and Tim decided to test out his brand-new fire pit.
Of course, that made Emerald demand s'mores.
My phone buzzed, and Emerald encouraged me to take it when she saw it was Hal, potentially with an update.
"My contact in Boston says your people—er, Aisha and Ignacio, right?—they're being pulled back on the Fox case, which is good news for us. Fewer eyes means we can spread out a little more."
"So..." I ask, waiting for more instructions. "What do we do?"
"Nothing. We have it,” Hal says firmly. I don’t even argue like I wanted to with Aisha when she told me to let them handle it.
Life is too good, too precious nowadays.
I’m more than happy to sit back and let these people handle it.
Hal’s voice comes through sounding hesitant, “Did.
.. you think about what I said? About coming to see the rink? "
My mouth twists. "Still thinking about it."
"Yeah, yeah. Of course. I think you should—not for me, obviously. But... bring Emerald," he says, his tone soft. "I think you'll both like it."
I don't say anything else.
"Alright,” Hal sighs. “I will keep at this. I'll be in contact. Goodbye, son. Take care."
I hang up, just as Tim walks outside from the kitchen and onto the deck. He hands me a cup of hot chocolate, and I nod my thanks, taking a sip.
"Your father?" he asks, dipping his chin toward my phone.
"Yeah," I reply, putting the phone in my pocket.
"Em said that you're talking to him again. That he's... helping find Rick."
"I just want this to be over," I admit .
Tim nods, not trying to fill the silence, just being there for me. I need that from him more than I realize.
"When it is," Tim asks curiously. "Are you thinking of rebuilding your relationship?"
I don't say anything for a long moment—this has been eating at me. My first instinct is no, I'll never forgive him. But then there's the part of me that's still a child, aching for the love I was denied by the person who made me.
But I look over into Tim's kind eyes and give the answer straight from my heart.
"I already have a dad," I shrug, voice thick with honesty.
A slow, relieved smile spreads across Tim's face. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and squeezes. "And you always will, kid."
Emerald comes bouncing over to me, pressing a kiss to her dad's cheek before I fold her into my arms.
"Want s'more?" Emerald asks, holding the confection up to my lips.
"S'more what?" I tease, taking a bite.
" You're killing me, Smalls, " Emerald says, mocking Porter's exasperation perfectly and making me laugh. I dip my head to kiss the chocolate from her lips, and Tim groans.
Though he walks right over to Linda, whom he sweeps into his arms and kisses.
Like I said—Tim's not my father, but he is my dad.
◆◆◆
A few days later, Emerald and I were winding down for the night, cuddled on the couch, watching a movie with the sleeping kittens on our lap—Pip on mine, Merry on hers. My phone buzzes on the coffee table, and I reach to grab it, disturbing Pip, who shoots me an annoyed look .
"Don't give me that look," I grumble, making my wife laugh even harder as Pip sighs and settles in. I see that it's Aisha calling, so I mute the TV. "Hello?"
"Hey," Aisha sounds exhausted but... very happy. I put the phone on speaker so Emerald can hear, "Sorry, I've been quiet. Things have been... busy."
"What's going on?" I ask, meeting Emerald's eyes, hope rising at the lightness in her voice.
"Well," she laughs. "You're speaking to Boston's new police captain."
"Congratulations," I say, sharing a smile with Emerald.
"Thanks, we've been cleaning up a lot around here, and we're working on a skeleton crew and borrowed state police. This place needed it," she says, her voice holding some relief. "I'm sorry, I don't have any good news or updates about the Fox other than that Doug Murphy was arrested this morning."
"Really?" I lean forward, intrigued.
"Seems he supplied a known fugitive with a hefty amount of cash.
That's how Rick has been able to stay under the radar and not use his cards.
He's gotta be running out of it soon," Aisha's voice drops, a knowing tone lining it as he says.
"I suspect he's getting cornered from many angles.
Men like him get desperate. That's when they make mistakes.
As soon as he makes one, we'll get him.. . or someone else will."
I don't say anything. She knows.
"Also," Aisha sighs, her tone back to normal. "Ramirez is going to stop by next week."
"Oh," Emerald's lips quirk into a slow grin. "How come?"
"You have something of mine that I need back," Aisha says, her tone cryptic. "Ramirez very helpfully volunteered to fly out there and grab it."
I'm still lost until my wife gives me an encouraging look .
Aisha sighs over the phone.
"I'm cleaning up a lot of loose ends right now," Aisha says. "Help me clean this one up."
Then it hits me. The hard drive. Hidden in a junk box in our closet. "Oh, got it."
"I'll keep you posted on when his flight is," she chuckles. "See if Ruby could pick him up again."
"I'm sure she'd love that," Emerald says, both women laughing conspiratorially and once again, leaving me very confused.
"Alright, goodnight, guys," Aisha says, her voice warm. "Be safe."
"You too," I reply, before hanging up.
Emerald and I settle back down and finish the movie. As she brings the bowl of popcorn back into the kitchen, I check the front door and back door locks. Emerald and I walk upstairs to the bedroom, and Emerald says she's going to find the hard drive and place it on the counter.
"What's that thing with Ramirez and Ruby?" I ask her as I pull my wedding band off, smiling as I remind myself to go pick up her new set tomorrow.
Then, this weekend, I'm going to re-propose to her.
At Margaret's, just like I had before.
"Ruby has a crush," Emerald giggles. "She'll deny it under oath, but she and Ignacio have a.... energy."
"An energy," I repeat, frowning in confusion.
Emerald pokes her head out of the closet, smiling brightly. "I heard her call him Iggy over the phone."
"I don't think I've ever seen Ruby date," I scratch my head, trying to rack my brain from the past eight years.
Emerald laughs and goes back into the closet, and I hear her rustling around the box.
"I kind of assumed she was like a Praying Mantis.
Just bites the head off men when she's done with him. "
"Ooh, tell her that next time we see her! She'll think it's a compliment—" Emerald gasps sharply, followed by a heavy thump.
My blood goes cold, and I cross the room in two strides, my body coiled tight.
"Baby!" I burst through the door, seeing Emerald sitting on the floor. My eyes are scanning her entire body, trying to look for any ache or injury, but my heart drops when I see what she's holding in her hands, what she can't take her eyes off of.
Fuck. The movers must have shoved it into a box while packing up our things.
Aisha said to hide the hard drive somewhere inconspicuous, and that box looked good enough.
I didn't even know what was in it. I approach Emerald's shaky form slowly, keeping her in my line of sight, and crouching down next to her.
My voice is soft when I say, "Baby?"
Her thumbs stroke the yellow fabric, like she's trying to check if it's real.
She lifts it as if testing its weight, then holds it up in front of her.
Her eyes trail over every inch of it. She's still shaking slightly, but it's such a night-and-day response from when she saw me in the jersey, when she saw it in the evidence bag Aisha brought to the hospital.
I give Emerald silent space, remembering her therapist's words: give time and space, offer presence. I sit quietly beside her in the closet, steady as an anchor, waiting for her.
And eventually, she takes a deep breath and looks over to me.
"We should get rid of this," she whispers, handing the yellow fabric to me. I take it from her and study it myself. Boston Bullies. The biggest mistake of my life. Joining the franchise, taking us from the home we made in Minnesota, hiring Rick, which led to all this .
Which led us back here.
"Maybe we can donate it?" she suggests, but I shake my head.
"I got a better idea."
Twenty minutes later, I'm dumping the remaining lighter fluid onto the fabric, sitting safely in our own fire pit.
Emerald watches, bundled up in my hoodie, and her adorable pink pajama pants.
I grab the matches and hold out my hand for her, and she shuffles closer to me.
Handing her the matches, I nod encouragingly.
Emerald looks back and forth between my face and the matches a few times before she takes them.
Striking them, the fire illuminates her face, and the expression on it is... breathtaking.
Powerful. Strong.
My wife.
She tosses them into the fire, and the flame sparks immediately, blooming bright and controlled. We stand side by side and watch the flames eat the Bullies' jersey. The fire feels cleansing, burning away the old life.
We're leaving it behind for good.
"I want to say something really profound right now," Emerald sighs, sounding disappointed, "but all I can think of is the Whoville song."
She starts humming it, swaying side to side.
And I can't help it.
I burst out laughing, pulling a giggling Emerald into my arms.