Ari still clings to me as we emerge from the bathroom and I let out a silent sigh of relief as everyone gives her the space she needs. I sit her down on the couch beside me, and Violet is the first to approach with the pancakes and ice cream that she promised. Ari gives her a small smile and then digs into her food.
One by one people come and say hello and it’s not until dad comes barging through the front door that she actually shows anyone a real emotion.
She flies up off the couch, spilling her pancakes all over the floor before sprinting across the room to dad. She throws herself up into dad’s arms and he catches her moments before dropping to his knees and sobbing into her freshly cleaned hair.
It’s then the welcoming party gets the hint to take off. Noah stays until the last person is gone before pressing a kiss to my head, promising to call me later. He walks out the door, closing it firmly behind him and making sure to flick the lock as he goes.
Dad gets up off the floor and wipes the tears off his face before picking up Ari and bringing her over to the couch. He drops down beside me and we sit in silence, just happy to have her back.
It’s not long before Ari’s exhaustion catches up to her and she falls into a deep sleep on dad’s shoulder. He questions if he should go put her down in her room, but remembering that’s where she was taken from has him second guessing himself and making me realize that I might be switching rooms with my little sister soon.
Dad reconsiders and keeps her in his arms and something tells me that’s where she’s going to stay until tomorrow morning.
I give dad the recap of what happened with Anton and how Ari looked when I finally got to her. Dad looks absolutely shattered and broken but the relief to have her back outweighs everything else.
“I’m sorry,” I finally tell him once everything else has been said and done. “I shouldn’t have told you about my deal with Anton and how I was connected to him. All I did was make everything harder for you.”
“Henley, you could have told me yesterday, today, or in a year from now and nothing is going to change how bad it hurt hearing that you’re not my biological daughter. I understand why you chose that moment to tell me and I agree that I needed to know as it made understanding what you did a lot easier. I’m not going to lie to you, Henley, I’m not proud of you going to Anton and I don’t really know where to go from here. You put yourself in unnecessary danger to save your sister and while I applaud your courage and the love you clearly have for her; I can’t forgive the fact that you went behind my back and ended up putting yourself in a difficult situation.”
“But I got her back.”
“I realize this and I will forever be grateful that you sacrificed yourself like that, but it doesn’t change the fact that I am furious with you.”
My eyes drop to my lap as dad’s words really settle over me. I sacrificed myself for Aria and now it’s time to face the consequences. “I have to go at the end of the summer.”
Dad’s big hand rests over mine. “It’s going to be alright, Squish. We’ll work out what we’re going to do with Anton, but for now, let’s just be happy that we have Aria home and for the most part, she is unharmed and healthy.”
I nod and lean into dad’s side, hating that awful cloud of dread and guilt that seems to settle above me. “He’s not going to let me go,” I murmur, hoping dad understands just how serious this is.
“I know. He may share your blood but he gave up the rights to you the day you showed up on my doorstep. I am your father, not him and I will fight tooth and nail to get you back. Don’t be fooled, Henley. You’re not going anywhere. I didn’t raise you all those years just to have you taken away by a man like that.”
I look up at dad, searching his eyes. “You promise?” I murmur, hoping to God that every word he speaks is true.
“I promise, Squish,” he tells me, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me in hard to his side, making me want him to never let me go.
Chapter 8
I sit out on the beach, watching as Ari plays in the sand, hating how she’s constantly looking around, terrified of Kelly showing up and taking her away. We’ve had her home for a week now and watching her fall back in with her normal life has been hard.