Page 106 of Risking it All

Relic studied me. “You really don’t know Ricky or Mozart, do you?”

I shook my head. “Is that a problem?”

“No,” he said with relief. “It’s a good thing.”

“How’s that?”

“Your dad, Isaiah, and Abby know all those people and you don’t.”

“Okay?” I said slowly because I wasn’t grasping the connection.

Hope shone in his blue eyes. “That means there’s a great chance Camila will never know any of that, either. She can grow up safe, fed, and loved, and the same dangers that had me by the throat will never touch her.”

“It’s going to be better now,” I said to him. “For both of us.”

He rested his forehead to mine. “You’re right, Macie. I do believe you are right.”

***

Lev came over and walked Relic and Camila to Isaiah and Rachel’s. He spent a few minutes telling us how worked sucked today without us, told us a few stories that made us giggle, and didn’t even ask me or Relic a single question about what happened, for which I was extremely grateful. Lev then asked ifthey were ready to go, Relic agreed, and Camila skipped ahead of them in the field as Lev continued to tell Relic work stories.

Normal. All three of us were grasping at straws for it, and I was happy I had these wonderful people to help drag me through.

As I walked to the back door to my house, music from the garage caught my attention. I walked in and found Dad at his workbench, poring over some of his architect drawings.

“Hey, Dad,” I said.

He gave me a genuine smile. “Hey, Mace. I thought you’d head over to Isaiah’s with Relic and Camila.”

“Lev has this handled. I think it makes him feel better about his own situation, and I have a feeling Relic wants to focus on Camila tonight.”

“You doing okay?” he asked.

“I might have nightmares for the rest of my life. Or at least for the next few nights.” I wasn’t joking. “I may stay up and watch movies all night.”

“Want me to stay up with you?”

“Yes,” I answered honestly. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“Then you won’t be.”

I cocked a hip against his bench. “Thank you for helping Relic.”

Dad flipped through the pages of his plans. “I didn’t do much. Isaiah and Demarius’ parents did most of the talking.”

“But I asked you to help, and you did. You put it all into motion. I have a feeling none of it was easy.”

Dad put a few tools away into drawers. “Getting involved is never easy, Macie. It’s one of the hardest things anyone can do. Getting involved can mean leaving behind what makes you comfortable, and that can change everything. Easy is staying in your lane and doing nothing at all. Enough people did that to me when I was younger, and it nearly ruined my life.”

“How many foster families did you have?” I asked.

Dad’s eyebrows raised like the question surprised him. “Five.”

Never had Dad answered so directly about his life in foster care, but never had I asked such a direct question. Then again, had I ever really asked anything much about his life when he was younger? To me, Dad was this giant who scared the monsters under my bed away, but now I realized…my father was human. He made mistakes, he hurt, he was once young, and I wanted to know more. “Was it scary?”

“Yeah. Especially walking into the home for the first time. Each time was terrifying. I never got used to it. But I also had a lot of anger and hurt. I lost both of my parents and my brothers all in one night, and it seemed like no one cared.”

“I care.” Even though my caring now made no difference regarding what happened to him in the past.

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