33. Everly

Chapter 33

Everly

N one of this makes sense. I can tell something is off as I finish baking the last of the loaves here at the pub. Hayley’s off making deliveries so I’m getting the baking done while I still don’t have a job at the library. I don’t have a good feeling about anything that Richie is doing. He hasn’t said anything to me, but just Nash? It doesn’t make sense.

I feel an arm come around me and pull me close. “Where’s your head at, Ev?” Nash murmurs as he pushes a tendril of hair behind my ear.

“Concerned and confused,” I admit. “What Richie offered makes no sense. There has to be something hidden here we haven’t seen yet.”

“Understandable,” Nash says as he moves a tray of bread for me to take out more.

“What if someday she’s just as sad as I am about losing my dad?” I ask as I fold and score some bread dough. “She might be sad that he isn’t the dad he could have been and be so hurt. Something feels off, somehow, Nash.”

“She might have questions later and some things to work out,” he says. “But she’ll have all of us to remind her how loved she is.”

“I heard from my attorney today. She was able to get rid of the bogus jury thing. She said a lot of people are looking into Richard and his abuse of power here in town. A petition is also going through town calling for him to be fired. She’s also investigating Richie and his finances,” I say as relief fills me at the thought of this all ending.

“Yeah, apparently, a lot of people in town aren’t happy. He’s embarrassing himself for his man child, and people aren’t taking too kindly to him bullying you and Willow and anyone else they can,” Nash says as he takes a towel and wipes down the counters.

“Hold on, let me check this,” I say as I look at my phone buzzing with a call on the shelf above the baking station.

“Hello…” I say as a roller coaster of emotions fills me with what I’m hearing. “What do you mean she was picked up early? By who?” The room spins, and I’m struggling to breathe as I hear the voice on the phone tell me something that makes my stomach drop.

“By her father. Someone filling in at the front desk let this happen, and when we realized, they were already gone. I’m so sorry. We called you right away,” said a woman from Willow’s school.

“No, I can’t believe this,” I say as I hang up and quickly look at Nash.

Bile rises in my throat. “Richie went to the school and picked up Willow after lunch and took her. He took her!” Panic engulfs me, my voice bordering on hysterical as I recount what happened. Hot tears stream fast and thick down my face as my hands shake so badly my phone almost slips from my hands.

My fingers fly over my phone as I text him.

Where are you? Where’s Willow? I’m calling the police.

Not waiting for a response, I hit the call button and call him twice, but both times it goes to voicemail.

Nash comes back from the front of the bar with one of the servers who looks just as worried and upset as he does. “Kristi will take over. Come on,” he says as he pulls me behind him out the back and toward his truck.

“Why would he take her?” I cry.

“I don’t know, beautiful. I’m so sorry, we’re going to go get her,” he says, his jaw hardened and anger radiating off him.

We drive toward the Sullivan's big ostentatious home on the edge of town and look for his SUV, thinking maybe he’d gone to his parents. I get out as he pulls to a stop and run to the front door, banging on it and ringing the doorbell.

It opens, and Brenda makes an annoyed face. “What do you want?”

“Where’s Richie?” I ask as I dart inside her house under her arm that holds the door.

“Willow! Richie!”

“They’re not here,” she says as she rolls her eyes, looking confused and irritated.

“When’s the last time you talked to him?” I demand.

She stares at me, looking like she’s debating on answering.

“Tell me now,” I grit out.

She steps back and says, “I haven’t seen him since the club the other day when he got into it with his father. I don’t know where he is. Even if he does have her, it’s his child, too, you know.”

I glare at her and turn and leave, getting in the truck. “She said she doesn’t know.” I put my face in my hands and reach for my phone and try calling him again.

“Mommy?” Willow’s little voice answers in a panic.

“Willow, where are you?” I cry with relief.

“At our old house. But I want to come home. I don’t want to be here…” she says and then the phone disconnects as she speaks.

I breathe heavily. “She’s at his house.”

Hayley and Kincaid show up and get in the truck with us, looking angry and frustrated on our behalf. Hayley and I get in the back, and I lean against the window, crying. Kincaid and Nash are in the front talking quietly.

“It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get her. I’ve already called the highway patrol. I also went by your house and got the parenting plan out of your binder,” Hayley says.

Nash reaches across to the back seat and takes my hand in his, holding it tight, keeping me grounded. His touch gives me a little bit of strength to get through this, knowing that I have a truck full of people ready to fight alongside me.

“Thank you,” I whisper, thankful that Hayley can think clearly to do that. All I can think of is what Richie is thinking, taking her out of school like that and out of town. He had no right.

“I’m just glad that you’re so organized and told me where the binder is in case of emergencies. When we get there, we can show the highway patrol the plan if we have any problems,” she says. “Don’t worry, it’ll be okay.”

I check my phone, but there are no texts or responses from Richie.

“Why would he do this?” I ask, feeling full of defeat.

We get to Richie’s, and Nash parks a few houses down. He and Kincaid go around the back of the house as Hayley and I go to the front, hoping we can get him to answer the door.

I ring the doorbell and wait but nothing. I knock loudly and ring it again. I see the curtain move to the side and still nothing at the door. His SUV sits in the driveway, and lights are on in the house.

I bang on the door and don’t stop until it’s yanked open. Richie, red eyed and a look of regret over his face, answers the door. “What?” he snaps.

Rage fills me. “Give me my daughter.”

“I have nothing anymore! Nothing!” he says, looking full of defeat. “You took everything from me.”

I’m staring at Richie, and Hayley is next to me. He goes into a tirade about his parents and losing Willow and is so emotional he doesn’t turn around, and it’s a good thing he doesn’t because we see Nash come in behind him and guide Willow out the back kitchen door, unbeknownst to Richie. He continues and finally says, “I just wanted to say goodbye. And tell her why I had to do this.”

It takes all of me to stand there and listen to him and make him not move so they can get out and back to the truck. I’m breathing so hard as adrenaline pumps through my body.

Hayley’s on her phone next to me, and I assume she’s talking to the police.

“Richie, listen to me. Do you want to be a parent?” I ask.

“No. Yes. I know I should,” he finally says, pacing and running his hand through his hair.

“That’s a lot of different answers. It’s okay to say you don’t. We can work something out,” I finally say with a deep sigh, knowing Nash and Kincaid have her. No matter what he says to me right now, she’s safe, and that’s all I really cared about coming here.

He looks sad and relieved. “I wanted to be good for you guys. I just…” He runs his hand through his hair.

“She doesn’t want to be here,” he says, looking back into the house and then back at me, his brow crinkling.

“Give up your rights. She’ll be fine,” I promise.

He hangs his head, full of defeat. “Okay.”

“And stop messing with my life, Richie. I don’t deserve any of it, and you know it.”

Before he can respond, Hayley grips my arm. I look at her, and she nods. We hear sirens in the distance.

“Richie?”

“What?” he asks as he looks down the street, knowing that the sirens are coming his way.

“Don’t you ever fucking take my kid again,” I say as menacingly scary as I can muster as we turn and run back to the truck.

At the driver’s side of the truck, Nash kneels with Willow clinging to him tightly, her small body shaking with sobs. Nash’s eyes are full of emotion, and he looks as angry as a bear. My heart shatters when I take in this innocent gesture. Nash comforting Willow who was terrified of her usually absent and distant father taking her from school and scaring her. I sob as I pull Willow into me and hold her tightly, Nash not moving and keeping us both wrapped up in him and protected.

“Mommy! I don’t want to come here again,” she whimpers, tears streaking her face.

“It’s okay, I’m here,” I sob with relief as I hold her tightly.

We wait for the police, and when they come, we make a report to put on file. He’s not getting away with doing this to Willow.

Willow falls asleep on me on the way back to Cozy Creek, and I know one thing for sure: Richie will never take this kid again. I will do whatever it takes to keep her with me. I will be going down to the school tomorrow, and I will also be filing a restraining order.

I look over at Nash and Kincaid and Hayley who showed up for us, yet again. Because that’s what family does. They show up. They love you in your worst times and your good times. And I love these people with all my heart.