Baby Doll(37)

Ten minutes later, their SUV slowly turned into the subdivision and onto their street, and for an instant, Abby forgot about Lily’s sudden mood shift. She was too overwhelmed by what she was seeing. It was f*cking incredible. There were hundreds of people standing in their yards, in her neighbors’ yards, and hundreds more spilling onto the streets. Townspeople of all ages waved signs of support: WELCOME HOME, LILY. GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS. TWIN POWERS ACTIVATE.

“Holy shit. Can you believe this, Lil?” Abby asked.

Lily appeared shell-shocked, her eyes drawn to the massive crowd.

“They can’t be here for me. They can’t…”

“Of course they are, Lil.”

Lily scanned the crowd, and Abby knew she was searching for familiar faces. Maybe even Wes?

“Is that Mrs. Marshall? And the Bakers?”

Abby nodded as they passed Mrs. Marshall, who was waving, tears streaming down as she clutched Mr. Marshall’s arm. The kindly elderly couple used to invite them over every Sunday, always armed with their homemade oatmeal spice cookies and teaching the girls “Chopsticks” on their baby grand.

The SUV inched its way through the crowd, several uniformed cops directing them into the driveway as dozens of other officers strained to keep well-wishers back. Abby was scanning the crowd when she saw him. What the f*ck? There was Wes standing on the sidewalk, one of hundreds in the throng of people. Abby couldn’t believe this. Why would he do this to her? Why would he put her in this position? How goddamn selfish could you get?

“It’s amazing, isn’t it, Abs?” Mom said.

Abby did her best to keep her breathing under control, hoping no one would notice anything was wrong. She couldn’t stop staring at Wes, wondering if Lily would recognize him. He had filled out since high school, but he still kept his hair neatly shorn and was always stylish. Abby shook her head. She couldn’t let things go down like this. Even if Lily already knew about them, about the baby, she needed to explain everything. She had to buy time. She turned to Mom, keeping her voice low.

“This is too much. We should go. We can get a hotel room. Get away from everything,” Abby said.

To Abby’s relief, Mom agreed.

“You’re right. I’ll drop you both off and get you settled, and then I’ll come back and pick up Mother and Daddy and Meme. There’s a Holiday Inn over on—”

“No.” Lily spoke up, leaning forward, gripping the armrest. “I want to stay here.”

“Lily, you’ll have to walk through all these people. Their questions. The cameras,” Mom said.

“I don’t care. I’ve waited so long… too long, to get back here.” Lily’s voice cracked. Abby thought about arguing with her sister, persuading her to go somewhere else tonight, but she relented. Stay away, she silently urged Wes. Don’t screw this up.

“Mom, just park. We’ll protect her from the cameras,” Abby said.

Mom shut off the car and climbed out, pushing her way to the passenger side. Abby slipped out of her down coat and climbed out of the car. The crowd roared their welcome, reporters shouting questions as they surged forward. There were so many cameras flashing, Abby was blinking back stars. Dozens of people surrounded them, cell phones raised high, filming the homecoming. Abby realized that everything they did from this moment on would be documented. Chronicled and then dissected for the world to see.

Lily lifted Sky out of the car seat and Abby carefully draped her coat over Sky’s face, wanting to block her niece from the media’s prying eyes. They headed up the driveway, flanked by Sheriff Rogers and several other officers, who were trying to clear the path. The reporters were relentless, pushing, prodding, and trying to get a reaction.

“How did you get away?”

“What’s it like being home?”

“Is Rick Hanson the father of your child?”

Abby wanted to scream at them, spit on them, but she stayed focused, moving at a fast clip, holding on to Lily and Sky, Mom trailing behind. They were on the porch now. Only a few more steps and they could shut out these people, escape their prying eyes and hateful questions. But at the top of the steps, Lily gasped. Abby wasn’t sure what had happened until she saw Sky running down the steps of the porch into the crowd.

Lily froze, no doubt caught off guard by Sky’s impulsive action. All the reporters and the cameras turned to follow Sky, who kept running. Abby tried to chase after the child, but she was so heavy, her movements slow and clumsy. She found herself swallowed up by the crowd. She struggled to break free when people began to move aside. Abby saw Wes carrying Sky up the driveway. The little girl was wailing, kicking, and screaming. “I wanna go home. I want my daddy!” She pummeled Wes with her tiny fists.

Abby could see Wes’s lips moving, no doubt trying to soothe the child. But Sky continued to wail like an animal caught in a trap. The danger resolved, the camera flashes resumed, the screams and shouts grew to an ear-shattering volume, and the mob surged forward, grateful for a new moment to capture.

Abby barely followed what happened next. In a daze, she saw Lily’s grateful expression as Wes placed Sky in her arms. Lily didn’t seem to notice or recognize him. She just raced into the house, protecting Sky, cradling the child. A moment later, Abby felt Wes’s arm around her waist, ushering her inside, Eve whispering for Abby to stay calm.