Page 87 of ICED
“You’re safe now. With me, with the team, with everyone who sees you and Lila for who you really are.”
Her eyes shine. Not with tears exactly. But something close. “You keep saying that. That we’re safe. It means more than you know.”
“I mean it,” I say. “And Lila? She’s a hurricane. Whatever you did, you raised her right.”
Maya laughs, sniffles once. “I love that she calls you Bear, you know.”
I grin. “Best name I’ve ever had.”
We finish our food, still holding hands across the table like a pair of teenagers, and I can feel something shifting between us. Not just attraction, though there’s that, burning bright. But something deeper. Trust. The beginnings of it, anyway.
Eventually, Lila barrels back to the table, cheeks flushed and hair wild. “I made a friend! Her name is Maisie and she likes dinosaurs too!”
“That’s brilliant, Jellybean,” I say, ruffling her curls.
She climbs into the booth beside me, stealing a piece of Yorkshire pudding from my plate. Maya starts to scold her, but I wave it off.
“She’s earned it. Looks like she conquered the whole play area.”
Lila beams at me like I’ve hung the moon.
Maya watches us, something soft and awed in her eyes. She doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t need to.
Because I think she’s starting to believe it now; that she’s not alone anymore.
And neither is Lila. And maybe, if I’m lucky, neither am I.
The pub’s already buzzing when I walk in. The boys have claimed their usual table in the back; Murphy, Ollie, Dylan, and a few of the rookies. Murphy slides a pint toward me the second I sit down.
“Look who finally showed up. Was starting to think Maya had you tied to a radiator somewhere.”
I snort. “Not her style.”
“You good, mate?” Ollie asks, watching me over the rim of his glass.
I take a long sip before answering. “Yeah. Just had a big day. Took Lila and Maya to the soft play pub.”
Murphy grins. “That place is mental. Full-on war zone.”
Dylan raises a brow. “Did you fall into the ball pit?”
“Nah,” I say. “Lila pulled rank. Said it was her kingdom. She loved it,” I say, and something in my voice must give me away, because Ollie leans forward.
“Something happened. What is it?”
I glance around, too many ears, then tilt my head toward the corridor by the loos. Ollie follows without question. We stand in the quiet alcove, out of sight. I rub the back of my neck.
“She told me about him. Her ex. Lila’s dad.”
Ollie goes still. “Yeah?”
“Emotional abuse. Isolation. Threats. He hit her. She was terrified. Fled when he had to go away with his job, Lila wasn’t even two.”
Ollie swears under his breath. “Jesus.”
“I just…” I exhale sharply. “I’m trying to be patient. I don’t want to push her into anything she’s not ready for. But hearing all that… I wanted to drive to wherever that bastard lives and…”
“I get it,” Ollie says quietly. “But you’re doing the right thing, Jacko. You’re showing up. You’re not pushing. You’re just there. That’s what matters.”
