Chapter 16 - The Reunion
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The handoff of the kids took place at a neutral location—a local park.
I stayed in the car, watching from a distance.
David stood near a swing set, looking terrified and desperate.
When Sarah’s car pulled up, the tension was palpable.
The kids, Emma and Leo, tumbled out of the backseat.
They ran toward David.
He dropped to his knees, catching them both in a massive, crushing hug.
I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I saw his shoulders shaking.
Sarah stood by her car, watching with a cold, detached expression.
She didn't look like a mother concerned for her children’s safety. She looked like a CEO who had just lost a negotiation.
After a tense exchange of diaper bags and schedules, Sarah drove away.
David brought the kids to the car.
“Emma, Leo, this is your Grandpa,” David said, his voice thick with emotion.
Emma, five, looked at me with wide eyes.
“You’re tall.”
“I am,” I agreed.
Leo, three, just shoved a toy dinosaur into my hand.
“Thanks,” I said.
We drove back to a rented apartment I had secured for them.
The motel was no longer acceptable.
That evening, while the kids watched a movie, David sat with me in the kitchen.
“I didn't think she would actually hand them over.”
“She had a court order. She isn't stupid enough to risk contempt.”
David rubbed his face.
“This is going to be a long fight, isn't it?”
“Yes.”
“I don't know if I have the stamina.”
“You do.”
I poured him a glass of water.
“You do it because the alternative is letting them grow up thinking that control is love.”
David looked at me.
“Is that what happened with Audrey?”
May you like
I nodded.
“I’ll tell you the story. But not tonight. Tonight, you just be a dad.”
