Page 59 of Wait For You

“I love you.” Those three simple words were my promise. “Now, go to him.”

I could feel her trying to gather herself together as she turned. She reached for my hand. I knew I needed to let her lead this, but I was heartened that she reached for me. She could handle all of this herself, but I wanted to be there for her, to be there for them.

When we reached him again, Eric looked up. “I’m fine, Mom.”

Still holding tight to my hand, she reached down to smooth her other hand over his hair. “I can see that. Tell me what you need. A hug?”

He blinked up at her, and I could see the tears shining in his eyes. With a soft sound in her throat, she released my hand and lifted him into her arms. She held on tight, telling him over and over that she loved him and he was okay.

The police had already gotten Rich out of sight, which was the best for Eric and Tessa. Eric finally lifted his head from her shoulder. She kissed him quickly on his cheek as he smiled at her. The storm of tears had already passed for him. I knew from my childhood that the trauma of moments like this could subside quickly.

The scars Rich had inflicted on Tessa and Eric would always be there, but they would heal. With the police handling the situation, the next span of time passed in a blur. They were placing Rich under arrest. Mike assured Tessa that they would argue against him being let out on bail.

When I looked at Tessa’s face a while later, the release of tension she’d been carrying for years at this point was evident. She looked exhausted, but the tight anxiety had faded from her eyes.

After checking in with my brothers and hugging all of them, I turned to search out Tessa again. I realized, with the momentum of the urgency ever since she had called me earlier, I didn’t know if she wanted me to be with her and Eric tonight.

She was stepping back from a hug with McKenna, who’d somehow materialized here in the midst of all of this. My sister met my eyes. “You take care of her.”

“As if there’s any question of that,” I said softly. Glancing at Tessa, I held her eyes. “Always.”

“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” I asked her a moment later.

We were still surrounded by others, but Wyatt, Griffin, and Kenan had gotten Eric occupied with a game of trying to hit a mark on a boulder with a rock. While it seemed maybe out of tune with the past few hours, I knew Eric needed to focus on something other than the intensity and fear of these moments.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Tessa

Do you want me to stay with you tonight?

As if the answer was anything other than always.

Adam’s eyes glinted in the dusk. Even though I knew he had moments in the past few hours when he wanted to tell me what to do, to take control of the situation, he hadn’t.

I reached for his hand.

“I told you I’d wait for you,” he said, his tone low and clear.

My heart felt as if it might burst out of my chest. The rhythm of its beat was strong and steady, and joy mingled with the intense relief I felt at Eric being safe.

“If it’s not a good time because of Eric—” Adam began.

I placed a finger over his lips. “I want to stay with you tonight.” I glanced over at Eric, who was smiling when Kenan threw a rock at another rock. It didn’t take much to lighten a stressful moment. Kids were so resilient.

I was profoundly grateful to Adam’s family for being here and for being the distraction my son needed after the moments of fear he must’ve experienced when he realized what was happening.

Bemused, I shook my head as I glanced over at Adam. “What are they doing?”

His lips curled at the corners as he rolled his eyes. “If there’s nothing else to do, you can always throw a rock at a boulder. As far as I can tell, they’re all trying to see who can most accurately hit that mark. Fun stuff.”

Joy fizzed inside me, and I burst out laughing. A part of me couldn’t believe I could even laugh. But I was simply emotionally overwhelmed, and laughter was a deeply needed release valve.

I didn’t know when I would have time to process all of this or how long it would take. Right now, I was relieved my son was safe and Adam was here. Really, that was all that mattered.

“Your place or mine?” Adam asked.

“I’d say yours, but I think it’s best for Eric to be in his own room tonight.”