Bless the Broken Road that Lead Me Straight to You

Chapter 6

Jay hadn't meant to eavesdrop on such an intimate conversation. He didn't particularly regret doing it - but still, he hadn't expected Erin to reveal anything personal about herself. In truth, he had just wanted to check in on Maddie. He was completely devastated for Grace and everything she was going through, and just like Maddie, he found himself growing attached to her. But at the same time, he worried about his daughter. He was truly proud of her and her attempts to make everything better for her new friend. But at the same time, she was only four years old, and she had never been exposed to any of this. She was much too young to have her innocence shattered by the realization that there were, indeed, horrible people in this world.

He had wanted to check in on Grace, too. Because while some of the damage may have already been done, he knew he would do his best to shield her from any new horrible experiences. He wanted to make everything better for her and he wanted to make sure no one ever laid a hand on her ever again.

His blood boiled when he thought of what she had been through.

He couldn't just sit in the kitchen and twiddle his thumbs. And so, he stood behind the doorway to the living room. He had positioned himself to listen, but not be seen. His close proximity would allow him step in if it was warranted, but not interrupt unnecessarily.

He had been surprised by how well Erin Lindsay had it covered. She used simple words that a four year old would be able to easily understand, and she spoke slowly and calmly. Her voice was warm and earnest, and he couldn't help but trust her words. He knew the girls would trust them, too.

A strange sense of pride came over him when he heard her speak about her job, about how carefully she selected the families and how closely she monitored them to ensure the child's safety.

But that sense of pride was immediately followed by a sense of dread when he heard what followed.

I didn't have a safe home. She left me alone. She sometimes had friends over.

And at the last part, which filled him with equal parts devastation and anger.

Her friends hurt me.

His body involuntarily shuddered when he heard those words. He clenched his fists so tight his knuckles turned white, and he had to force himself to calm his breathing.

He was so focused on controlling his anger that he almost missed the rest of the conversation. He focused in again, and he caught the end of her monologue, "They gave me a forever home and I finally felt safe."

He heard her ask Grace if anyone had ever hurt her. He stood with pride when he heard Maddie, her voice full of emotion and tears, tell Grace that he would never hurt her. "Never. Ever."

It was in that moment that his life changed forever.

He wasn't sure if it was seeing a four year old Grace step in front of him to try to protect his daughter in the kitchen, or if it was Erin's heart wrenching story of her childhood, or if it was Maddie's adamant belief that Grace would be safe here. Maybe it was the promise Erin was in the process of making. I am not going to let anyone hurt you ever again.

Maybe it was the fact that he had never in his wildest dreams envisioned being a single father. It was never the plan; it wasn't supposed to be his course in life. And yet, here he was, the luckiest man in the world.

Whatever it was, he had made up his mind. Standing there hiding behind the doorway of the living room, listening to a private conversation he wasn't supposed to hear, he made a decision. It may have been a rash one, but he had never been more sure of anything in his entire life.