Chapter 29 #2
He blinked at her. “What about me?”
“Who will keep you safe?”
His eyebrows dipped, and he tilted his head, staring at her.
She lowered her arms. “If you follow Glenn around, he could become aggressive, as I said. He could change his modus operandi and decide to confront you to your face.”
A slow smile curved Cillian’s lips. “You are worried about me.”
She forced a swallow down her tightening throat. “Yes. Of course, I am.”
He walked around the counter and, before she could think or react, he stood in front of her with nothing between them. “Do you remember what you used to like about me?”
The question startled her, pounded her heart against her ribs.
His gaze held her captive. “’Cause I remember what I loved about you. We had a lot of fun together. Remember that?” He took a step closer, narrowing the gap between them.
She couldn’t answer if she’d wanted to.
He was so close, those magnetic eyes holding her. “You showed me life could be good. That it could be beautiful when you were with me. You made me better, Vicks. And you made me want to be better.” His fingers brushed her hands where they dangled at her sides.
The touch woke her from his spell.
She stepped back. Managed to swallow. “That wasn’t me. It was Christ.”
“Ah, right.” Cillian’s lips curled into what looked like a sardonic smile. “The aroma.”
“Exactly.”
He turned away, his back angling toward her like a door about to be shut in her face. Though she was the one who’d pulled away.
“You could have it, too, Cillian.”
He paused and pivoted partway toward her. “Have what?”
“Christ in you, changing who you are. If you truly want to be better, you could ask Jesus to save you, and He will make you a better man, a better person than you could imagine.” A sense of urgency rose inside her as she spoke.
Cillian seemed to be listening. “He’ll guide you through life and help you to know the best way to live. He’ll give you hope for the future.”
“I’m not a confused kid anymore, Vicks. I know how I want to live.” Cillian’s mouth softened into a wistful curve. He reached toward her face.
Her breath caught.
He brushed back some loose tendrils of hair that must have escaped her bun, his warm fingertips grazing her ears, sending shivers of awareness down her spine. “And I have a lot of hope for our future.”
Hope for our future.
Cillian’s words replayed in an almost constant cycle in Victoria’s mind as Sydney rapidly told her about everything that had happened that day.
Victoria should be paying more attention to the teen, but her mind wouldn’t let go of Cillian’s statement.
He clearly had some hope that they, Cillian and Victoria, were going to have a future together.
She’d left after that without saying more, other than agreeing to his plan to watch Clinton Glenn constantly until he was in police custody. How could she say no when Cillian wanted to do so to protect her? And Sydney, of course.
“Victoria?” The girl’s voice broke through her thoughts.
“I’m sorry, Sydney.” She looked at the teen where she sat on the floor next to Max, the Leonberger soaking up her attention as if he’d never received anything so wonderful in his life. “I’m a little tired this evening. Did you ask me something?”
“Yeah. I think you must’ve missed what I said about Treese. I wondered why you didn’t get mad.”
Tension crept into Victoria’s chest. “Mad? Why would I get mad?”
“She told me keeping my baby was a bad idea.”
Victoria shifted to the edge of the armchair cushion. “She what?”
“She said it’s going to ruin my life, and abortion would be nicer for me and the baby.”
Victoria forced herself to breathe through her nose before she spoke again. There was no point in taking her anger out on Sydney. The poor teen was a victim of Victoria’s lack of judgment in asking Treese to stay with her.
Good grief. Victoria had known her sister had bought into much of the secular world’s thinking, but abortion?
And to tell a teenage girl to murder her own baby?
In Victoria’s home, no less. “I’m so sorry, Sydney.
I had no idea she would say those things to you.
I didn’t even know she was so confused and believed such lies. You know they’re lies, right?”
“Oh, yeah.” Sydney pulled her hand away from Max’s head to wave away the suggestion.
“I’m still keeping my baby. She’s as much a person as you and me.
I think I knew that before, even when I thought about getting an abortion.
But once I saw her in the ultrasound…” Sydney’s gaze took on a distant look, like she was remembering the moment.
A smile curved her lips. “Well, I guess I fell in love.” She rested her hand on her round belly.
“This is my baby girl, and nobody’s going to hurt her. ”
Thank you, Lord. The transformation in Sydney was amazing, from the girl who’d visited Life Center to learn more about getting an abortion to this young mother bear, ready to defend her unborn child.
“Plus, I know her daddy will love her, too. I told Treese how he’s going to marry me, and my baby will have a dad.
She didn’t believe me, but it’s true. It’s the reason I fell in love with him.
’Cause at home, well…” Sydney lowered her upper body to rest her head on Max’s side.
“You know what it’s like. My mom never really loved me. And my dad left when I was like two.”
Victoria’s heart squeezed at the effort Sydney put forth to sound nonchalant. But her pain couldn’t be disguised. No wonder the girl had been vulnerable to an unscrupulous man, ready to prey upon her void, the desperate desire to be loved.
“But my guy, he was the first person who ever really loved me, you know?” Sydney’s fingers trailed through Max’s long fur as the dog patiently served as her pillow and comforter.
“That’s why I can’t tell anybody who he is.
It would be like betraying him. But he really loves me, so he’ll text me back.
He’s probably just waiting until our baby’s born.
I bet he’s gonna surprise me, maybe at the hospital.
He likes to surprise me with gifts and things. Like roses and chocolate…”
Sydney’s voice smoothed and grew quieter as she continued to list the alleged proofs that the man loved her. It was as if the girl was repeating a list she must have reviewed many times in order to comfort herself.
But what would she do when he never did contact her again?
When he never acknowledged his child or Sydney and never offered her the support and happy ending she expected?
She was putting far too much hope in the mysterious man who had likely used her without ever intending to commit to her in any way.
When she finally had to face the fact that he had rejected her, that he didn’t love her, it could destroy her. And then she would have a baby she was supposed to raise, another young life to be damaged by the fallout.
She needed more help than Victoria could give her. Sydney most needed the Lord—the healing and strength only He could provide. But in the meantime, perhaps Robert could help.
He should be outside Victoria’s house right now. He was taking the first half of the night watching Victoria’s house while Cillian shadowed Clinton Glenn.
Victoria waited until Sydney’s self-talk lulled her to sleep, her head resting on Max’s large belly as it rose and fell with his even breaths. Then Victoria quietly snuck out of the house, not bothering to grab her coat for the quick jog across the empty street to Robert’s parked car.
The sound of the door’s unlocking signaled he’d seen her coming.
She bent to wave at him before she opened the passenger door and slipped inside the warm car. “At least you weren’t sleeping.”
He grinned at her. “Now what kind of guardian would I be if I slept on the job?” He lifted a silver thermos. “I brought lots of coffee.” Lowering the drink, he adopted a faux serious expression. “Besides, I honestly think your boyfriend would beat me up if I let anything happen to you.”
“Wh—” Shock and dismay froze her voice.
Robert laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you speechless before. Or with your mouth gaping open.”
She shut it at once. “I’ve never heard anything so grossly inaccurate and entirely inappropriate until now.”
“I’ll bet.” His twinkling eyes said he didn’t buy it.
“I trust you only said that to get a rise out of me. You know we are not dating or in a romantic relationship of any kind.”
He dipped his head toward her with a raised eyebrow. “Does Cillian know that?”
She scrambled for an evasive, yet honest answer but couldn’t find one in her flustered thoughts.
In any case, nothing would be able to convince her psychiatrist brother that he’d misinterpreted Cillian’s attitude toward her.
“As fun as this late-night banter is, I braved the cold to speak with you about Sydney.”
“Okay. Subject change accepted.” He nodded and placed the thermos in his cup holder. “What about Sydney?”
“Did you notice anything concerning when you met her tonight?”
“Vicki, I only talked to her for two minutes at most.”
“I know, but you’re a professional. I’d like your opinion.”
“Okay.” He looked out the windshield at the still night.
“Well, she’s young to be an unwed mother.
Her maturity and emotional development seem to be a little shy of her age, suggesting some trauma in her life.
Which, given her situation, wouldn’t be surprising.
She seems to trust you a lot and doesn’t show fear of men or strangers.
” He glanced at Victoria. “Is that what you wanted to know?”
“Somewhat. I’m concerned she’s developed too much of a dependency on the man who fathered her child.”
“Ah. The AWOL dad.”
“She’s convinced he loves her because he told her so, and he apparently promised to marry her, as well.”
Robert winced. “Poor kid. Do you know who he is?”
“No. That’s another problem. He made her promise not to tell anyone his identity.”
“Probably married.”
Victoria nodded. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“He’ll never show up, if that’s the case. Especially now that there’s a child involved.”
“Exactly. But Sydney is anchoring all her hopes on the belief that he will appear and marry her and love her. She thinks he’ll support her and the baby as a happy family.”
“Oh, man.”
Victoria shifted to face Robert. “I’m worried that when she has the baby, and he doesn’t materialize, she’ll finally realize he doesn’t love her and that he lied to her.
She’s had so much rejection in her life, I’m afraid it might demoralize her so much that she won’t be able to care for herself and the baby. ”
“It’s a realistic possibility, unfortunately.” Robert’s grave expression mirrored what Victoria was feeling. “Want me to talk to her?”
“Would you?”
“Sure. After all, that’s why you came out here, right?” He grinned.
“Yes, know-it-all.” Victoria almost wished Treese was there to give him a swat. The thought of her youngest sister brought a frown. “Did you know Treese tried to convince Sydney to have an abortion?”
He looked out the windshield again.
“You’re not surprised.”
“She’s not you, Vicki. People do have different opinions on the issue of abortion, you know.”
Victoria bit back the urge to ask what his opinion was. She’d faced enough bad news and unpleasant surprises today. She wouldn’t risk more. At least she’d secured help for Sydney. “Well, I trust you won’t try to convince Sydney to kill her child.”
He gave her a patient smile. “No, I can promise you I won’t do that. But you do know I won’t be able to tell you anything she shares with me in our session, right? She’ll be a pro bono client with all the same rights to privacy as my other clients.”
“Of course.” Victoria nodded.
“Even if she tells me the name of her child’s father.”
“I understand. But you can advise her to tell me who he is to help her break free from her dependency on him.”
Robert lifted his eyebrows. “Have you developed a devious streak?”
“Perhaps I’ve always had one.” She smiled.
“I think you’d better stop hanging out with that boyfriend of yours. Or maybe it’s being a murder suspect that’s loosened you up.”
“Oh, honestly.” She opened the passenger door with a shake of the head. “Good night, Robert.”
“Night, Vicki.”
She chuckled as she shut the passenger door and glanced both ways before starting across the street.
The cold wind flowed through her sweater, and she folded her arms to try to retain some war—
A squeal cut through the silence.
Her head jerked toward the sound as she stopped.
Headlights beamed at her.
The roar of an engine.
“Vicki!” Robert, shouting.
A car barreled at her.
She dove for the curb.