Page 160 of From Rivals to I Do

“Charlee isn’t here,” she whimpers on the other end.

“What do you mean? She isn’t where?” I ask to clarify.

“She’s not at daycare,” she breathlessly answers.

I know exactly which daycare Rayne takes Charlee. Rayne had been talking about how overpriced it is, but it has an aquarium inside that Charlee loves, so she has to take her there.

“I’ll be right there,” I say before I rush back to my table.

“I have to go, family emergency,” I say to Janice, my new secretary, and she nods her head.

I rush out of the restaurant and call for a car to take me directly to the daycare, where I was hoping Rayne would be waiting for me. If Charlee is missing, we would need to act quickly, and we need someone levelheaded and calm to help keep Rayne in check.

As soon as we arrive, I jump out of the car and rush to her side. She is standing outside with another woman. Judging by the clipboard and lanyard with keys around her neck, this woman is probably one of the daycare workers.

“Rayne!” I call out to her. “What’s going on?”

My fiancé is hyperventilating and hurriedly dialing numbers on her phone, trying to reach someone. I look at the attendant. The woman has a worried look on her face too. She looks up at me and takes a deep breath.

“Charlee’s father signed her out about an hour ago,” she tells me in a shaky voice.

Her father? Rayne never spoke to me about her ex. I knew something bad must have happened, but she has always been so vague about it, and I never wanted to pry.

“Why did you let him sign her out?” I ask, making sure to keep my voice calm even though seeing Rayne as panicked as she terrified me.

“He came in and showed his ID. His name was on the paperwork, and we misread it as him being okay to pick her up,” she answers, her voice wavering as if she may start to cry any minute.

“Rayne, did you know he was intending to pick up Charlee?” I ask her in a soft voice.

She just shook her head before dialing another number. Before she brings it to her ear, I see the name Reece written over the screen. I look over at the daycare worker again. I feel bad for her. It was a terrible mistake, but the guilt is gnawing at her now.

“Is there another emergency contact on your phone? Her mother? A friend? Anyone who might know where he is,” I calmly ask her.

She flips through the clipboard and looks for a number on the contact sheet. She turns it towards me and points to one of the numbers. Holly Stevens. I dial immediately.

“Hello?” an older woman’s voice answers. It is calm and collected.

“Hi, is this Mrs. Stevens?” I ask, my heart sinking in my chest as I prepare to give her the news.

“This is she. How can I help you?” Her voice is curious but not yet alarmed.

“My name is Leonard. I’m Rayne’s fiance–”

“Is she all right? What’s going on?” she interjects before I can fully explain.

“Rayne is fine, but there was a mix-up at Charlee’s daycare-”

“A mix-up? What?”

“Charlee’s father picked her up, and now Rayne can’t get a hold of him.” I pause, waiting for her to respond, but there is only silence on the other end. “Mrs. Stevens?”

“Is Rayne with you now?”

“She’s standing right next to me trying to call him now,” I reply, still trying to keep my voice low, but I am losing the grip I had over it every second.

“Put her on,” she says in a low voice.

I tap Rayne’s shoulder, and she turns around to face me. I mouth to her that it is her mom, and she picks up the phone to speak to her. The daycare worker and I wait and watch Rayne while she paces back and forth. Finally, she hangs up the phone and walks back to us.

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