Chapter 12 Miller
MILLER
I get straight to the point. “Logan and Zach showed me everything they found on the Davenports.”
Her eyes widen, and she leans back like she’s been hit in the chest. “You’re not going to help me, are you?”
I grab her hand and hold it. “Stop. Of course I’m going to help you, but I don’t know if you’re going to like how I’m going to do it.”
She hesitates. “What do you mean?”
I lift my chin. “They have filed with the court that you are unfit. You don’t have a paying job. You are not able to provide care for him since you work odd hours. They say you leave him home alone. You—”
She cuts me off. “Are you kidding me right now? I would never just leave him at home by himself. He’s seven.”
I nod and try to reassure her. “I know you wouldn’t, but the Davenports are good at twisting the truth.”
She groans. “What am I going to do?”
I wrap both my hands around hers. “From this point forward, it’s we. What are we going to do? I’m in this with you, Lindsey, and it will be over my dead body that I let someone take Eli from us.”
Her eyes lift, and she’s hopeful. I can see it shining in her face. “You don’t know how much that means to me that you say that, but they’re evil, Miller. I should have just run.”
She tries to pull from my hold, but I don’t let her go.
“Listen to me,” I say, softer this time. “The court looks at stability. Where you live, who you have in your corner, what kind of life you can offer him.” I swallow. “Stay with me. Let me be part of that. We’ll face this together.”
I expect her to pull away, but I’m surprised when she leans toward me. “Miller…”
I exhale slowly. “Look, I’m not going to lie to you. Being here with me strengthens your case. They want to see consistency, support… a real home.”
My grip on her hands tightens just slightly. “But this isn’t me stepping in out of nowhere,” I add, quieter now. “I’ve been here. Waiting. You just never needed me before.”
She asks quietly, “So this is just an arrangement… for the courts?”
I blink. I want to tell her that I’ve wanted this since the first day I met her, but she doesn’t need any pressure right now.
She’s been through so much these last few days, and I can’t add to it.
But I also can’t lie to her. “I want us to be together, but I know you are not in any place to think of anything but Eli and winning this battle.” I swallow.
“So for now… to everyone else, we’re together.
And I’ll be whatever you need me to be until you get through this. ”
I wait for her reaction, but she hides her emotions well. Finally, she asks, “Have you thought about this, Miller? Do you realize what this can do to your reputation? Your—”
I cut her off. “I’m not worried about anything except you and Eli.”
“Why?” she asks.
I open my mouth and then close it. How do I explain why? “Well, I would tell you why, but I don’t think you’re ready to hear it.”
She searches my face and then seems to come to a decision. “If we do this and it gets to be too much, you can change your mind at any time. You decide you want us gone—”
I shake my head. “I won’t.”
She stands up and starts pacing the length of the living room. “I need to find a job. A real one, with health insurance. I need—”
I stand up and put my hands in my pockets. “I know you’re independent and you’re not going to like what I’m about to say, but can I give you my thoughts on this?”
She nods, and I begin. “Don’t worry about the job. Your focus needs to one hundred percent be on Eli. You do that. You both are grieving, and he needs you right now as much as you need him. Just concentrate on that.”
“But…” she starts and trails off.
I walk toward her. “And let me focus on everything else. I’ll add you and Eli to my health insurance. I’ll handle the Davenports. I don’t want you to worry about any of that.”
“Miller… I can’t ask you to do this. It’s too much.”
I shrug. “I want to do it. Let me be here for you and Eli.”
She lifts her eyes and looks at me. “What do you get out of this?”
I get to see you every day. I get to see you, touch you, breathe you in. It all sounds corny and a little bit obsessed. So instead of saying any of that, I shrug. “I don’t think you get it. Hopefully, you will, but for now just trust me when I say I’m getting a lot from having you and Eli here.”
She opens her mouth, but before she can say anything, Eli hollers down the stairs, “You coming?”
I chuckle, and Lindsey stands up. “You sure you’re ready for a seven-year-old in your house?”
I laugh. “I’m ready.” More than ready.
I motion for her to go ahead of me, but she surprises me when she takes my hand and walks beside me. I thread our fingers together as we walk up the stairs. I fully expect her to let go when we walk into the bedroom, but she keeps hold of me and looks around the room. “We’ve got a mess.”
“Eli, you want this room?” Miller asks.
He looks around the room and then back to his aunt. “Where are you going to sleep?”
She looks at her nephew like she’s trying to answer the right way. “I can sleep in here for awhile and then sleep in the room next door when you get used to the house.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. Miller’s room is downstairs, but if he sleeps down there and someone tries to come into my window then—”
I suck in a breath. Is this something he’s worried about? No seven-year-old should worry about things like this. It makes me even angrier at the Davenports. They did this to him.
I walk over to the window and hold the blinds open. “Come here and look, Eli.”
He comes toward me and looks at where I’m pointing. “See that right there? That’s an alarm system. If anyone opens that window, an alarm goes off.”
His eyes widen. “Really?”
I nod and put a hand on his shoulder. “And you know what? There’s three bedrooms up here. You can have this one, Lindsey can have one, and I’ll have the other.”
Lindsey steps toward us. “Miller, you’re already housing us and taking care of us. We can’t ask you to change bedrooms just to make us feel safer.”
I shrug. “I would feel better having you all close.” I drop to one knee. “But listen, Eli. You’re safe here, okay? I promise.”
He nods and then throws his arms around my neck.
I almost tip over, so I stand up with Eli still in my arms. He’s holding me so tightly I barely realize it’s happening until I feel Lindsey plastered to my side, arms around my middle and her body against mine.
I wrap one arm around her, holding them both to me.
I’m not sure which of us needs this hug the most, but there’s no doubt about it. We all needed it.