Come Back for Me (Arrowood Brothers #1)(39)

I look at the fully decked out tree house that I spent hours building and then to both of them. Ellie’s eyes glaze over with moisture as she watches Hadley, who is already climbing the steps.

“You did this?”

“Every kid should have a safe place.”

Ellie turns to me, her lips parted, the sun casting a soft glow over her face as it dips closer to the horizon. Her voice is soft. “You spent your whole day doing this for her? Connor . . .”

I shove my hands into my pockets to avoid touching her face. She’s so damn beautiful. “This tree was where I would run if I could get away from my father. It’s where I found Hadley, and it doesn’t have to hold the same memories for her as it did for me. I did it for both of us, and for you.”

“For me?”

Yes, for her. As I was building, I kept thinking of my mother. It was as though she was there with me, telling me how proud she was as she smiled. “I can’t take a shot if I don’t break the bow, Ellie. I’m strong enough to hold off on releasing the arrow, until you’re ready.”

Her eyes widen, and her breath hitches.

It was worth it.

The sweat, frustration, and deviation of plans just to see that look. We may have lost our chance years ago, but I’m not a kid anymore, and I have my target set. I’m waiting for the sights to align.





Chapter Seventeen


Ellie





“I appreciate you meeting me like this,” I say to Nate’s friend Sydney as we sit in the teacher lounge.

“Not a problem at all, honestly.”

Sydney was the volunteer EMT on scene, but she is also a lawyer I hired to help me draw up divorce papers.

“I know this is weird . . .”

“Why?”

“Just that you were there, and then you and Connor were arguing.”

She laughs through her nose. “Connor and I have argued like that since . . . well, forever. He’s lucky I didn’t deck him for the way he tried to push me away. It is as though that man thinks he can come back here and suddenly be king of the castle. I don’t think so. He made his choices, and while he may think he’s a new man, he can kiss my ass if he’s going to order me around.”

A pang of jealousy hits me in the gut, and I do my best to ignore it. It’s clear they’ve had some kind of relationship. I wonder if he loves her or if she still loves him.

Sydney is what I would call an old-world beauty. She’s the type of regal-looking woman you would expect to find in New York or London, not Sugarloaf. Her golden hair is pulled back into a low knot with wisps of hair falling out. She’s wearing a black pants suit with the most beautiful red heels I’ve ever seen. Everything about her says confidence where I feel small and insignificant.

“I didn’t know . . .”

“Didn’t know what?”

I feel awkward, but there’s obviously history between them. “That you two were together.”

Sydney rears back, her lips are parted, but there is a smile of amusement tugging at them. “Oh, no, it’s nothing like that. Connor is like a little brother to me. I dated his older idiot brother, Declan, from the time I was thirteen until the asshole left town and never returned. All of them are the same, though. Domineering, protective, and attractive. Oh, and stupidity runs in their veins.”

My body breathes a sigh of relief. I don’t know why since Connor and I are just friends who possibly have a child together, but it’s there.

“I’m sorry to assume.”

“Don’t be sorry.” She smiles, giving me a feeling of reassurance. “Are you okay to talk about this with me? I want to be sure you’re comfortable. If you worry I’ll betray you because I know Connor, I can promise you that not only is it illegal and I’d lose my license but also that I would never tell anyone what we spoke about, even if there weren’t that threat. Not to mention, it will bug him to no end and I would get far too much joy out of that.”

I’m not comfortable talking to anyone, but Sydney seems kind, and she was there that night. She isn’t looking at me with judgment, and that’s about the most I can ask for. “No, it’s not that, and I don’t think you would. I’m sure you can imagine that this is humiliating, and I . . .”

“You don’t have to feel that way with me.”

I wish it were that simple. I’d like for all of this to be a bad dream I’m about to wake up from. “I’m okay. I want this over with.”

“I can understand that. I know you’ve been through a lot and this will be no different. Right now we have the temporary order of protection for both you and Hadley, which then allows us to move forward with the divorce once the ninety-day waiting period is up. I don’t think we’ll have any problems proving fault since we have photos and a police officer’s testimony of your husband’s abuse. If it’s okay with you.”

My hands start to tremble and I feel sick to my stomach. This is the reason that so many women stay quiet. The fear of speaking out and it falling on deaf ears. If I go before the judge and tell him everything, what if he deems it’s not enough and lets him out? Sure, the judge refused bail, which makes me want to believe the courts will rule in my favor, but even Nate said that was the luck of us drawing a judge who was on a mission. What if I have one who doesn’t feel that way for the divorce? Without the conviction, Kevin could contest the divorce and use this as another way of controlling me.