Page 118 of The Moment We Know

Remembering Paige’s account of her first conversation with Lauren, David shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d gotten called out for his uncertainty, and he steeled his spine. “I know he is,” he clarified, and the words felt both cathartic and terrifying. “But I don’t know the extent of it because Jacob won’t … talk to me about it. He actually lied to me when I was asking him questions last night.”

“How old is he?”

“He’ll be four in January.”

“At that age, it can be difficult to communicate things they might not have language for, which could be one reason why he wouldn’t talk to you about it,” Lauren said. “However, his lying to you is a pretty big red flag. It tells me that he probably could tell you what’s wrong, but doesn’t want to, either because he’s ashamed of what it is, or he’s afraid of being punished if you find out what it is.”

“That’s pretty much what Paige said,” David murmured.

“Oh?”

“She and I are … together,” he explained. “Again.”

Lauren made a low humming noise, before saying, “How interesting. I’m dying to ask how that came about.”

David couldn’t help but smile at her curiosity, and the way she ‘asked’ without asking. “Ironically, it was Paige’s book that brought us together again,” he told Lauren. “After I found out it was published, we met and talked about her abuse and recovery, which was also around the time Ashley—Jacob’s mother—and I were ending things. One thing led to another, and Paige and I just found ourselves … re-connecting.”

“I see. So, Paige is a part of Jacob’s life?”

“She actually just met him for the first time a few days ago,” he said, then added, “We dated under the radar for a while, until we were sure what we had was real, before introducing Jacob to her.”

“That’s always smart.”

David nodded, even though Lauren couldn’t see him. “Anyway, yesterday, when Ashley brought Jacob home, he was a mess.”

“Define ‘a mess’.”

He gave her a detailed accounting of Jacob’s appearance and demeanor upon arrival, then continued with Paige’s assertion that he was being abused, Jacob’s bath, and ending with Paige suggesting Lauren’s involvement.

“Well, given what you’ve told me,” Lauren said slowly, “I think my talking to Jacob is definitely a good idea, and something I’ll be happy to do.”

“Really? Oh, thank you.” Relief washed over him. “So, what else do you need to know?”

“Nothing. I actually prefer to go in as blind as I can, to avoid being influenced by outside ‘noise’. It’s imperative to not go in with any preconceived visions, so to speak, and from this moment on, Jacob will be my guide. I’ll learn everything I need to know from him.”

“Fair enough,” David said.

“Now, then, before we go any further, I want to make sure you’re aware of a few things.”

“Like what?”

“Well, for starters, you won’t be in the room during my session with Jacob. This is to ensure he has an environment where he feels comfortable and can speak freely, without worrying about your reaction.”

“Okay. I understand.”

“Good. You will, however, be able to watch the session through a one-way window, if you want. You won’t be able to hear anything, but you can at least see what’s going on.”

“That’s … thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now then, back to the session itself,” Lauren said, then paused for a moment. “If I do uncover any evidence of abuse, I’ll want to see him again, maybe several times. I’ll also be legally obligated to report my findings to the appropriate authorities. And if an investigation is deemed necessary, one would be opened—”

“An investigation?”

“Yes, but that’s usually only for cases on the extreme end of the spectrum.”

“What do you mean?”

“The spectrum of abuse is fairly broad,” she explained gently. “On one end is neglect, endangerment, and emotional abuse. Things like that, which are unfortunately pretty common, and are usually classified as misdemeanors. On the other end are felonies, like molestation, bodily injury, and …” she broke off. “Well, you get the picture.”

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