Page 119 of Come Back for Me
I smile at him. “And then maybe your shot will hit the target.”
“I think it already has.”
“I think so too.”
Just then, the door flies open, loud footsteps echo down the hall, and in comes Hadley, skidding to a stop when she sees everyone at the table. I watch her take in the scene and before I can do anything, Connor handles it. “Hey, Squirt, you’re here a little early. We have a special surprise for your birthday. Remember how I told you that I have three brothers?”
She nods.
“Well, they were so excited that they’re your uncles and wanted to meet you.”
“Uncles?”
Connor heads over toward her. “Yes, you already met Declan. He’s my oldest brother.”
He winks at her. “He loves the tree house,” Hadley mentions.
“You should definitely show it to him again,” Connor encourages.
Then the other brothers walk over to where we stand.
“The tall one with the ugly hair is your uncle Jacob.” Connor drops his voice to a whisper. “He thinks he’s super special because he’s on television.”
“No way!” she yells and then waves at him.
Before Connor can introduce Sean to her, he squats down and hands her a cookie. “I’m your uncle Sean. And I’m the best one out of all of them.”
Her eyes narrow on the sugary goodness in his hand before she grins. “I like you.”
Connor wraps his arm around my shoulders and chuckles. “You like him now, but don’t let him know your fears.”
Hadley nestles herself against Connor’s side, her shyness is something I rarely see. “Are you all here for my birthday?”
“We are,” Jacob says. “In the car, I have the biggest present for you.”
Hadley looks to us and then to her uncles. “I really like your brothers, Daddy.”
And I think it’s Connor who got the best present of all.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Connor
Ihold Ellie’s hand as we sit in the courtroom. The hearing is over, and we are waiting for the verdict. Nate did an exceptional job painting Kevin as a cruel husband who abused his wife and threatened Hadley.
It was incredibly hard to listen to Ellie recount the times he hit her, how he used her, and how he tore her down emotionally. It took everything in me not go over the rail and choke him myself.
Of course, it was even harder to hear his attorney paint Ellie as a whore who was having an affair with me, even though that isn’t even remotely close to the truth. Hadley being my daughter, though, did little to help our case.
However, all of us spoke the truth, and thankfully, Nate was able to have Hadley speak to the judge in chambers instead of subjecting her to the actual trial.
“Are you ready?” Nate asks from his desk.
Ellie does her best to smile. “I’m . . . not sure, but regardless there will be a restraining order, right?”
“Yes, a permanent restraining order has already been granted for both you and Hadley.”
She looks to me, and I give her a reassuring smile. It’s little comfort to her, I know this, but I will never let that motherfucker near her. If he wants to break it, I’ll be happy to break his face. Though, there is already a for sale sign up on his property, so I doubt we’ll ever see him again regardless.
