Never let her go

Chapter 36

Here I am, 10 years later, standing in front of the door, waiting for my grandson to open it.

I was nervous. I could see that my son and grandsons were too.

I didn’t know what to expect. I knew she wasn’t the sweet little six-year-old girl I remembered. What is she like? Will she be afraid of me?

When Liam told us about the abuse, I wanted to burn the world down. He hurt her. He hurt my little girl.

In that moment, I swore I would make him pay. I couldn’t give a shit about whether it was legal or not. I have money. I will pay whoever I need to cover it up.

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Dylan POV

My heart was pounding against my ribcage so hard that it hurt.

My baby was behind this door.

I never thought I would see her again. I never thought I would hug her again.

But would she let me? What if she is scared of me? What if the bastard hurt her so much that she would never trust me again?

It would kill me.

Ezra opened the door, and my heart raced even faster. He looked at each of us and chuckled.

“Breathe, guys.” he said, shaking his head and stepping away so we could come inside.

My legs felt like jelly. I walked in a daze. Maybe that’s what it feels like to sleepwalk?

We followed Ezra to the living room. Liam was sitting on the couch, and he looked up at us when we entered. My eyes immediately went to the small girl, standing between Theo and Noah, holding their hands in a tight grip.

My heart stopped. My breath got caught in my throat.

My baby.

My Lucy.

My little girl, who always came to me to help her blow her nose because the boogies were tickling her.

She is here.

I heard sobs and gasps all around me, but they felt distant, like I was submerged in water. The loudest sound was my heart beating in my chest.

I couldn’t move my eyes away from her.

“Oh, my little girl.” grandpa’s teary voice broke me out of my daze.

He wanted to reach out for her, we all did, but it was clear as day that she wasn’t comfortable. She was holding on to Theo and Noah, with no intention of letting them go and moving away from them.

Not being able to hug her after all this time is going to be torture.

Liam stood up and walked over to stand behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, bent over to her height, and whispered something in her ear. He straightened back up and smiled at us.

She was so small. She didn’t look 16. Why is that?

“This is our family, love.” he said. “This is your grandpa William.”

“Hi, sweetie.” grandpa said softly. “I missed you so much.”

She gave him a small smile and looked at my dad.

“That’s uncle Dan.” Liam continued. “Our dad’s younger brother.”

“Hi, Luce.” my dad said, using a nickname he always called her when she was a child. “I’m so happy you are back.”

“I’m happy to be back too.” she said, smiling.

Her voice sent shivers down my spine.

My dad and grandpa gave her a teary-eyed smile.

Liam pointed at me, and she moved her gaze from my dad to me.

“That’s your oldest cousin, Dylan.” Liam said. “On his left is Matthew and on his right is Carter.”

“Hello.” she said with a small smile.

“Hi, shortie.” Carter managed to say, his voice raspy. “I missed you.”

“I’m not short.” she shook her head. “You are all just too tall.”

We laughed. My laugh came out all weird, like I was holding my breath too long and finally managed to breathe out. Maybe I was? I was glad she couldn’t hear it over the laughter of my family.

“Sit down.” Ezra said, walking away toward the kitchen. “I’ll bring coffee.”

Theo and Noah pulled Lucy down to sit between them. They were glaring at us. It was a normal look on Theo, but a weird one to see on Noah.

My family sat down, but I couldn’t move.
I realized I didn’t say anything to her. I didn’t tell her how much I missed her or how much I loved her.

I forced my legs to move and walked over to where she was sitting with her brothers. I kneeled in front of her, making sure I didn’t touch her even though I wanted to.

She tensed up slightly, and Theo moved her closer to him. I ignored it. I have to make peace with the fact that she will need time to open up to us.

“Hi, Shortcake.” I said, using my nickname for her. “I missed you terribly. I love you so much, and seeing you back where you belong makes me the happiest man on Earth.”

She studied my face for a second before smiling at me.

“That nickname sounds familiar.” she said quietly, making my heart skip a beat.

“That’s not fair.” Carter whined, making Lucy chuckle.

I turned around and grinned at him. I could see that my grandpa, my dad, and my brothers were jealous. It made me happy. They should be jealous. My nickname was familiar to her, and theirs weren’t.

Oh, I will be her favorite, I’m sure of it.

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Just a little sidenote. 😁

The name 'Lucy' comes from the Latin word "lux" and it means "light". 😊