Page 29 of Charming But Reckless

“She never gave up. Orion, she never once stopped looking for you. Even when she was sick or when she was tired fromwork, she would trudge up to that police station trying to find out answers.”

“Her funeral,” I whispered.

He nodded softly. “I was there. I went and celebrated her life with a few other people who knew her. People she'd worked with and had gone to church with. She became quite religious after you were taken. Said that praying helped her find peace when there were no other answers to be found.”

“That sounds like something she’d do.”

We went quiet for a few minutes.

Then Arick asked me the million-dollar question. “What happens next?”

I sat up. He needed to see that I was serious about my words.

“We move forward. We take life one day at a time, and we help Sol navigate this new world, this life after surviving.”

“Where can we go that's safe? I felt like where we lived was a nice place that didn't have any violence or crime like you would think. And yet my son was stolen from me. He was taken and kept away. Had it not been for a series of fortunate events, he would still be gone.”

I turned sideways on the couch and put my elbow up on the back so I could face him fully. “I want you to listen to me, Arick, when I say this. That boy will be the most protected individual in the state from here on out. If we didn't have to count the president and the whole secret service thing, I would say the country. But even so, he will be protected. And whether that's because you stay here on the ranch or because you come back to the city with me and I watch over the two of you, it's your choice.”

“You want me to go to the city with you?”

“Yes, I do. That's my ideal situation because if you're with me, then I know not only where you are, but that you're taken care of. I have a home that you can live in without having topay rent or worrying about work. It's in a good school district if there's somewhere you want to send him, or we could pay for private lessons. I am not opposed to whatever you decide needs to happen for your son. I only ask to be a part of it.”

I reiterated the words, letting all my emotion come forward. His brow furrowed. Something about what I said didn't sit well with him.

I waited for him to express what it was in particular. Arick had never been one to shy away from hard conversations.

“I don't understand why you would do all this. You and I were friends as children, yes. However, so much has changed. You live a completely different life now. Why help a complete stranger and his child?”

I took his hand in mine and placed my other on top of it. I held him there and stared him straight in the eye.

“Because you matter, Arick. You've always mattered to me. Without my mom around, you're the most important person in my life. Those men that brought you here are my family. Together, we know how to keep people safe. We know how to protect people. It's a business that we do. For our personal lives, we are even more intense. Beyond all that,” I paused, trying to figure out the best way to go about this.

“I don't know if I can fully explain it to you right now. What I can say is that I can't just let you go on with your life, struggling to rebuild everything and just sit back without helping. I want to make your life easier. I want you to not struggle. I want to take care of you and Sol.”

To be a family.

I wanted to be a family with them.

The thought hit me so hard, I nearly jolted in my seat. How could I tell him this when he just basically called me a stranger? Was it a romantic interest or were my feelings purely platonic,and I wanted to build some type of commune system where we co-parented as friends?

It was a lot to try and figure out, but I knew that no matter what, we would because that is what we did. We figured it out and we made plans.

Arick waited until I was done speaking before he answered, "Okay, we'll go with you."

I grinned wide, thankful for his easy agreement. Sure, I could have convinced him in other ways by giving him statistics of human trafficking and how victims could wind up in the system again. I could also lay out how, while the ranch was safe, he didn't really know what to do or how things worked.

There were a million pieces to the puzzle, but above all else, I knew that him agreeing so easily was the best option. Coercing him at this stage would only cause problems later when the stakes weren’t as high.

I told him, "Let's give it a few more days. Sol really loves the ranch, and he has enjoyed his stay here because once we go back, that's it. You're in my home, and I'm taking care of you. Understood?”

He smiled, squeezing my hand rightly.

“Understood,” he said.

CHAPTER 11

ARICK

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