Chapter 11
Farrah
“Thank you for entertaining the littles,” Muriel says with a small smile. They’re all sitting at the table, eating the cookies they made with Stan. Emmett’s daughter Emma is currently telling a big story that has the whole group of kids enraptured.
The mood in the house has settled into one of relief. Holt and Gia found the girls and are going to pick them up now. From all accounts, they’re fine, but I think we’ll feel better about it when we see them in person.
Holt said they’re going to bring the girls here once they’re done talking to the police.
His mother-in-law snuck the girls out of school without telling anyone.
They found them at a cabin Holt’s in-laws own up in the mountains.
We’re still not sure what the entire story is at this point, just that this whole situation is beyond messed up.
“They made it easy,” I respond to Muriel.
“Well, I know we all appreciate it. Just because you work with kids every day doesn’t mean you want to play babysitter.”
Her astute observation makes me like her even more than I already did. “It’s only when it feels expected that it grates on the nerves.”
“You’re one of the good ones, sweetheart.” Muriel exhales a long breath, patting my hand. “Today was a tough day. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this worried. The last time was when the boys were teenagers. I swear they did their best to kill me.”
“Now, that’s just not true.” Nix comes to sit next to his mom on the couch. “A minor heart palpitation, maybe, but never kill.”
I laugh at his teasing. Nix and I have become friends since he dropped me off after the bonfire a few weeks ago.
He’s got a great sense of humor but is a total playboy.
I think he decided to be my friend when he looked at me expectantly outside of my apartment, and I just looked back at him in sheer confusion.
He started laughing and said, “You’re the first woman I’ve given a ride to who didn’t try to coax me into their bed. ”
I responded with a smirk. “And I’m sure saying no to them is an absolute hardship.”
He just grinned at me and shooed me out of his car after we exchanged phone numbers. Since then, we’ve hung out a couple of times after school. He’s a great guy with a big heart under all the playful flirting.
Muriel counters Nix’s claim. “Oh, please. The number of times I got a call from one of you boys because you’d done something stupid is too numerous to count.”
Nix’s shit-eating grin has all three of us laughing.
“What are you laughing at?” Gage asks as he sits down on the floor to lean against the couch.
Muriel reaches out to give his brown hair a gentle tug. “All the times you boys thought scaring me to death would be funny.”
“Oh, yeah. We did that a lot.”
His admission only makes me laugh harder. This family has become one of my favorites to be around. Gwen and I have said on multiple occasions how we wish we were a part of it. I have a feeling that if we shared those thoughts around Muriel, she’d admonish us for thinking we weren’t already.
Looking around the room, I marvel at how quickly these people gathered to rally around the ones who needed their support. All it took was a couple of phone calls, and every single one of them dropped what they were doing and came here.
That kind of love is hard for me to comprehend.
I’ve always been the caretaker of the people in my life.
I helped my grandma when her cancer made her too sick to do things on her own.
My dad likely would have died a whole lot sooner if he hadn’t had me watching out for him.
And I think that set me up to choose a man who could so easily take advantage of my caring nature.
It was always expected of me, and instead of realizing I was being taken advantage of, I just accepted it.
It still makes me angry at myself when I think about it.
But that was the past.
I’m not the person who gives and gives of herself without expecting anything in return. And somehow I managed to find a group of people who don’t take without giving back.
I lock eyes with Knox across the room. For once, he’s not looking at me with anger, but I’m not sure I like this expression any more than the others. There’s something calculating in his gaze, as if he’s trying to figure me out with only a glance.
It took a few therapists and a shit ton of time for me to figure myself out, so good luck, buddy.
The front door opening has everyone straightening in their spots. Lauren and Leah race into the room with wide eyes.
“Are we having a party?” Lauren asks, a grin stretching across her face.
“We sure are, sweetheart,” Muriel answers. “Come give me a hug, and then you two can grab a cookie from the kitchen.”
Tears drip down her cheeks as she holds both girls to her chest. She keeps her face averted when they take off to the kitchen so they won’t see her crying. My eyes well up because of how loved those babies are.
Holt and Gia come in right behind them. They both look like they’ve been through the wringer.
Muriel and Stan go straight to the two of them.
Muriel hugs Gia first, while Stan hugs Holt, and then they switch.
Tears are shed by all four of them as it finally hits how close we came to losing the girls.
I’m not the only one wiping my eyes. Muriel had the right idea to send the girls off to the other room so they wouldn’t question why we’re all emotional.
“Come on,” Muriel leads the couple deeper into the living room. “Come sit down and rest for a bit.”
Stan walks over to his bar cart and pours a couple of fingers of whiskey into two highball glasses. He hands them to Gia and Holt, who are now sitting on the couch where Nix and Muriel had been.
Holt drops his head back against the couch, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. No one says anything. The silence is filled with support instead of tension.
“What a fucking day, huh?” Gage teases, patting Holt on the knee from where he’s sitting on the floor.
Gia snorts into her glass while Holt groans. The rest of us laugh, the seriousness of the situation ebbing a little with the humor. It’s exactly what we needed, and Holt squeezes Gage’s shoulder in a sign of appreciation.
“She was going to take them across state lines,” Holt says with a haunted note in his voice. Gia reaches over to twine their fingers together. “I never for one second believed that woman would stoop to this level of crazy because she didn’t agree with my choices.”
We sit in silence for a minute, the gravity of what could have happened weighing on all of us.
“They’re back with us,” Gia says. “They’re safe now, and we’ll never have to worry about her again.”
Holt pulls Gia into his chest, taking comfort from her as much as he’s giving it.
Gage asks Emmett about his honeybees in an effort to change the subject.
We don’t talk about the kidnapping again.
It’s as if we all need to set the discussion aside to stop us from thinking about how badly things could have gone instead.
We laugh and joke around as if this is a regular gathering of friends and family. Holt’s brothers tease each other mercilessly. Eventually, the kids come back into the room, bored with whatever activity had been keeping them busy.
Lauren and Leah cuddle between Holt and Gia. All four of them look exhausted, and we make excuses to start getting ready to leave. Stan brings out the hot dish he’d prepared for them. Gia takes it with a grateful smile, and then they head out, leaving the rest of us to finish saying our goodbyes.
Gwen comes over to me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder for a cuddle. I hug her back, needing the comfort more than I thought I did.
“I was so worried for them,” she whispers, her voice catching.
“Me too. I can’t even think about the other outcomes today could have had.”
“Thank god we don’t have to.”
I nod, pulling away from our embrace. “You ready to go?”
“Would you be against spending the night at my house? This sounds silly, but I don’t really want to be by myself tonight.”
“That sounds perfect.” I let out a relieved breath. I was feeling the same way. “Let me go grab my bag from the kitchen.”
“I’ll meet you at your car.”
We head off in different directions, Gwen saying goodbye to a couple of Holt’s brothers while I make my way to my stuff. I freeze in the doorway when I notice Knox leaning against the counter with his chin dropped to his chest. I must’ve made a sound because he whips his head toward me.
“Sorry, I just need to grab my bag.” I point at the tote sitting on the kitchen table.
He responds with a nod, looking back at the floor while I hastily pick up my things. His voice stops me before I can make my retreat. “Thank you.”
I look over my shoulder at him, my eyebrows scrunched together.
“For entertaining the kids. I… I’m glad Finn was distracted.”
Shock makes my eyes widen. “Oh, um. It was no big deal.”
Knox nods again before turning his back to me. I stand there for half a second, trying to figure out what the heck just happened.
Knox Waters just said something nice to me.
Have we made a turn for the better, or was this just a one-time thing?