Family Ties [Sequel to She Belongs To Me]

Calm Before the Storm

Vincent:

Cora was sitting in the passenger seat with her head in her hand, looking out at the trees with a smile on her face as we rode down the dusty road.  She was just as excited as I was to be spending the day together and I was going to make sure everything was perfect. 

We would start the day off by shopping for tons of new outfits for her, then we would eat a nice lunch at one of the local restaurants.  My angel was going to be spoiled like she deserved to be, and I was certain that by the end of the day she would forget all about that idiot James and all of her devotion would be geared towards me.

The thought brought a smile to my face and I placed my hand on her little shoulder. "I am so glad that we are doing this, Cora. You have no idea how happy you have made me these last few days. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I want you to know that I love you so much."

She stared at me in silence as she considered how to respond to my praises. I tightened my grasp on her shoulder.  "Do you love me too, Cora?"

The smile on her face briefly wavered and my heart sank. There was no doubt in my mind that she loved me as well, but it pained me that she could not bring herself to say it aloud.  She was probably worried what Emily would think if she expressed love for me. 

Rage festered inside of me and I had to switch on the radio to try and take my mind off of it.  I started to sing along to the Beatles song that played until Cora switched off the radio and placed her hand on my arm.

"I love you, too, daddy."  She said, her brown eyes piercing into mine.

My hands tightened around the steering wheel and a lump of emotions swelled in my throat. I was so overcome that I pulled the car over to the side of the road so that we could talk. "You don't have to say you love me if you don't mean it yet, sweetheart."

"But I do mean it."

"Are you sure?  Please don't say it if you aren't sure."

"I am sure, and I wish you would stop worrying so much."  She said, frowning.  "Don't you know worrying causes wrinkles?"

I chuckled and ruffled her soft hair. "I guess you're right. It's just that-"

"You talk too much, daddy."  Cora interrupted, her nose crinkling with frustration.  "Can we go shopping already?"

"Sure, baby."  I laughed, my face flushing red from embarrassment.  I was glad that she was comfortable enough with me to let me know when it was time to shut up.  Most parents would be pissed off, but that was exactly the kind of closeness that I hungered for.  I wanted her to know that she could tell me exactly how she felt at all times.

I pulled the car back on to the road and within ten minutes we had reached the mall.  My body tensed when I noticed that there were at least three hundred other cars besides ours.  I knew that I should trust Cora to behave herself, but I had been burned so many times by her mother that I found myself being plagued with regret.

Cora unbuckled her seatbelt excitedly and started to open the passenger door.  "Come on, daddy!  We have to go inside before all of the good clothes get taken!"

I unbuckled my seatbelt as well and grabbed her arm before she could climb out of the car.  "Wait a minute.  I need to lay down a few ground rules before we go."

Her head tilted curiously to the side as she waited for me to continue.  I placed my other hand on her cheek and said, "You must stay close to me the entire time.  I do not want you wandering off."

"Okay, daddy."

"And you are not to speak to anyone other than me."  I said firmly, "There are lots of dangerous people out there and it would hurt my heart if one of them took you away from me."

"I promise I won't talk to any strangers.  Now can we please go??"

"Yes, we can go."  I sighed, sucking in a deep breath to calm my unsteady nerves. 

I helped her to climb out of the car and wrapped my hand around hers as we pushed through the thick crowd. The mall was packed with hundreds of carefree shoppers and it was taking every fiber of my being not to have an anxiety attack. I could not seem to shake the sense of paranoia that all of them were watching me, waiting for me to let my guard down so that they could take Cora away.

Sweat began to pour down my face and I silently urged myself to remain calm. Cora must have sensed my uneasiness because she tightened her hand around mine and smiled up at me.

"Come on, daddy." She said excitedly, "Let's go to the toy store first!"

***

We visited several stores before settling down for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. The carpet was stale and stunk up the whole place, and the prices on the menu were outrageous. But this was where Cora wanted to eat and I was more than happy to oblige her. 

"Why are you frowning at the menu?"  Cora asked, taking a sip of her lemonade.  "Is there a bug on it or something?"

I laughed and set the menu on the table.  "No, I just don't know what I want to get."

"Mommy likes the guacamole burger.  You should try that."

"Well, if she likes it then it must be good."  I said, smiling and waving the waiter over.  He was a young guy with scraggly blonde hair and a pale face full of acne.  The name tag on his shirt read 'Leslie.'

I stared at the large white head on Leslie's chin before clearing my throat and ordering our food.  "I'll have the guacamole burger and she will have the chicken nuggets."

"Okie dokie, sir!"  Leslie sang, spinning around dramatically.  "I shall be back with your food soon!  If you need anything else just call!"

"Yeah, sure...whatever."  I mumbled, waving my hand in the air dismissively.

His goofy smile was replaced with a frown and he stomped off.  I shook my head and returned my attention to Cora.  She was looking past me towards the gift shop with an anxious look on her face, her little chest moving up and down rapidly.   I turned to see what she was looking at and my stomach dropped when I saw a familiar face.

She was leaning against the wall talking on a cellphone, her blonde hair pulled back in the same messy ponytail she always wore. 

It was the pretty detective.