Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
“She’s fine, Lily. Look. She’s falling back asleep already.”
“Leave, Grant! Just get out!”
I looked my wife in the eyes, the girl I’d known since we were fourteen, and what I saw scared the shit out of me. No matter how deeply I searched, I couldn’t find any sign of sense. She looked almost deranged. “I’m not going anywhere without Leilani.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “You’re not taking her anywhere.”
I raked a hand through my hair. It was pointless to try to talk to Lily when she was in this frame of mind. But the look in her eyes made my blood run cold. I wasn’t leaving my daughter alone with her in this condition. Blowing out a ragged breath, I shook my head. “I’m going next door to sleep in the guest berth. I’ll talk to you in the morning when you calm down.”
***
I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned half the night, hating what things had turned into between Lily and me. But even more than that, I was worried about my wife. Being a foster care kid, she’d bounced around a lot, so she didn’t have too many friends. And since she’d aged out of the system and my mom was gone now, no one was keeping an eye on her—no one except me. So it was up to me to push when I thought she needed help. The problem was, when anyone pushed Lily, she pulled away. Lately, it felt like my choices were to be her caretaker or her husband. Being both wasn’t really possible.
But things had deteriorated to a point where she was at risk and needed help more than she needed a husband. And taking care of her and the baby was more important than her being pissed off at me.
Feeling the need to check on her, I climbed out of bed and went to our bedroom. The door was closed, and I tried to creak it open quietly so I wouldn’t wake either of them. I just wanted to see that she was sleeping soundly. The lower level of the boat was a lot like a basement when things were shut tight, so I couldn’t make out anything in the pitch dark, even once I’d managed to open the door wide enough to see inside. Everything was so still, and I couldn’t hear either of them snoring or breathing. So I walked in and went to the bed for a closer look.
There was a lump on the bed, though I couldn’t be sure if it was the blanket or Lily. Leaning down closer, I still couldn’t hear any signs of breathing. So I gently felt around, still expecting my hands to hit a warm body. But the only thing I found was a pile of cold covers.
I froze. A shiver ran down my spine while my heart leaped to my throat. Rushing to the wall, I held my breath while I felt around for the light switch. A horrible dread washed over me when I found the bassinet was empty, too.
“Lily!” I yelled.
Feeling desperate, I swung open the bathroom door and yanked at the closet doors, too. Of course, she wasn’t hiding in either. I bolted out of the bedroom and up the stairs, yelling with every step. “Lily!”
No answer.
The kitchen and living room were empty. I banged on the upstairs bathroom door. “Lily!”
No answer.
My heart was beating so fast. An overwhelming sickening feeling came over me, and for a second, I thought I might throw up all over the place. What the fuck?
I ran to the cabin door leading to the deck and whipped it open.
Thank God!
I shut my eyes and let out a huge exhale. Lily was standing on the back deck at the railing, but she didn’t turn around upon hearing the door open. It took me a few heartbeats to pull myself together enough to step outside. It was still dark, but I could see her arms in the cradling position they’d been in every time I’d looked at her for the last few weeks. They were safe at least.
I didn’t want to startle her, so I whispered, “Lily.”
When she didn’t respond or turn around, I took a few steps toward her. It was then that I heard her crying.
Shit.
I put my hands on her shoulders. “Don’t cry, Lily. I’m right here.”
She started to sob harder, so I guided her to turn around so I could hold her in my arms.
But when she did…
…I saw the blanket she had cradled in her arms was empty.
A shiver ran from the top of my head down my spine and into my toes. “Lily, where’s Leilani?”
She started to cry harder.
My voice rose. “Lily, where the hell is she?”
I ran around the back deck and then returned to Lily. Grabbing both her arms, I shook her. “Where the fuck is she, Lily! Where is she?!”