“She is home.” My voice is stern and leaves no room for discussion, but then it hits me that this wasn’t her home. She’s been hiding out, and now there is nothing that can keep her here. My shoulders sag as I think about the possibility of losing her. I glance over at her, holding my son, and I know that if she goes back and she’s open to it, Milo and I will go with her. I’ll miss my parents and my brother, but fuck if I can lose her.
I can’t. I won’t.
“What did I miss?” Chase asks.
He must not have heard my heart cracking at the thought of losing Hollis. “It’s over. She’s safe. We’re all safe.” The words are thick in my throat.
“You good?” he asks me.
“Yeah. We’re good here. Thanks for the ride. Let me know when you make it home safe. Tell Gabs I’m sorry for holding you up.”
“Not a hold up, brother,” he assures me.
I watch as he gives Hollis’s shoulder a gentle squeeze and waves at Tom and Nancy before leaving.
“We’re sorry for all that you went through,” Nancy tells Hollis. “We have statements here from the LAPD. It ensures your safety. There are numbers there that you can call if you ever need us or feel unsafe in any way.”
I want to tell them she’ll never need them because she’s never going back there, but I can’t do that. I don’t know what she’s going to do.
“Thank you,” Hollis says.
“I can take him,” I tell her, reaching for my son.
“No. He’s fine. He’s sleeping peacefully.” She glances down at my son in her arms.
“What now?” I ask Tom and Nancy.
“Nothing. Life goes on as normal. Both men will be incarcerated for a very, very long time.”
“And their gang or people or whatever you call them?”
“No gang. There are a few other people we have also brought in on minor charges. They will be in jail for at least ten years. They didn’t know anything about Hollis, or this situation. They were the pushers of the drugs if you will. We can assure you that you are safe. We wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t the case.”
“Just like that?”
“I know it’s hard for you to grasp, especially you, Hollis,” Nancy says. “Rest assured, you are safe, and this is over. You are safe to go home.”
She gives us a kind smile. It does nothing to ease the knot in my stomach. “Hollis?” I look over at her. “Do you have any questions?”
“No,” she says, shaking her head.
Nancy and Tom stand, leaving a manila envelope on the table. “This is your letter and both of our cards. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to call us.”
I stand and see them to the door, making sure to lock it behind them. I have so many conflicting emotions. On the one hand, I’m relieved, so damn relieved that she’s safe. That we are all safe from this nightmare. On the other hand, the fear is still there; it’s just shifted. The very real possibility that she could leave me, leave us is damn near crippling.
On autopilot, my feet carry me back to the loveseat, back to Hollis and my son. “How are you?” I ask once I’m in my seat next to her.
“I’m glad it’s over. It all feels so surreal, the way it all happened.”
“Do you feel safe?”
She nods. “I do. I trust them. We talked for a while before I called you, and it all makes sense the way they described it.”
“It does. I just hate that he didn’t make more of an effort to tell you. You’ve been living in fear this entire time.”
“Yeah,” she agrees.
“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours? Talk to me.”
“It’s over now. Besides, if I hadn’t run, I never would have found you.” She smiles at me, then looks down at Milo. “Or this little man. I never could have imagined that not one, but two handsome men would steal my heart.”
“Stay.” The word is out before I can stop it. “This is your home, Hollis. We are your home. I know you have a life back in California, and your best friend, but we need you. I need you,” I tell her.
Tears well in her eyes. “I don’t want to go back.” Milo stirs in her arms, lifting his head. A grin lights up his face when he sees her. “Hello, baby boy.” She smiles at him.
“He loves you.”
“I love him too.”
“Stay.”
“There is nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Leaning in, I press my lips to hers. “I love you,” I whisper just as Milo’s tiny hands land on my cheek. “No, hitting,” I tell him firmly. His bottom lip juts out, and it breaks my heart, but he has to learn. I take him from Hollis. “Listen, little man, hitting is bad,” I tell him.