of his other children were old enough to be in school, attending the private institution Ann valued so much. The first time Kent had threatened to take custody of Sarah, he hadn’t had the bills he had now. His wife had champagne taste and wanted the same for her children. She could put up with my ragamuffin for summer and a week at Christmas, but that was all she could tolerate.
Still, I wasn’t willing to place that bet because fear can be motivating.
Instead, I had to assure her father I had things under control—even though I clearly did not. “Kent, I know you’re worried about her. So am I. I’m doing everything I possibly can to take care of her. Her psychologist is amazing, and I’ve already seen Sarah making progress. Right now, she’s got some stability.” I had no doubt Kent could provide our daughter with a more lavish lifestyle, but at his house she’d always be a second-class citizen when compared to her half-siblings. While I didn’t have much, I loved my children ferociously.
I could almost hear the defeat in his voice. “If you change your mind…”
“Thanks.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t come to Colorado right now. I’ve got some big stuff going on at work this week. But, if you want, I could talk to my lawyer.”
“What for, Kent? This would be a criminal suit. What would your lawyer be able to do?”
“Protect Sarah, for starters. I just don’t want some overzealous DA using Sarah to nail this bastard.”
“I don’t want that, either.” Hell, I didn’t even know how all this was going to work.
“Did they find other girls that went through the same thing?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. Like I said, Sarah will be talking to the Child Protection today.” I refrained from letting out all my emotions. I really needed to fucking get some shit off my chest—but Kent had already drawn a weapon, so no way in hell was I going to give him ammunition.
“Do you know the guy who did it?”
“Not really. I met him a couple of times at parent-teacher conferences. And even though he seemed kind of strange, I never would have guessed he was a pedophile. I mean, this guy’s been teaching at the elementary school for a couple of years now. If he’d done this before, I would have thought it would have already been reported.” But then I remembered how he’d threatened my daughter. Maybe there were lots of victims out there afraid to speak.
Suddenly, it felt like a vice was clamping itself on my heart.
“What can I do right now?”
I felt some relief that we’d moved beyond the threats and were now back at a healthier version of coparenting. “There’s nothing I can think of. I’ll let you know.”
“If I could get my hands on that guy—”
“Yeah, I know. I just hope the law moves quickly.” Rotting in hell would be too good for that man.
“I’m sorry I can’t be there. Please keep me up to date. And tell Sarah I love her.” That was the tone I’d been hoping for and it helped me be kinder as well.
“I will. Sorry I had to tell you all this.”
“I wouldn’t forgive you if you hadn’t.” I knew that, too.
After promising to call him as soon as anything new developed, I jumped in the shower to get ready for Sarah’s appointment with Child Protection. On our way there, Sarah actually spoke. “Did you tell my dad?”
“Yeah, honey. I hope that’s okay.”
“I guess.”
“He loves you, honey. He wishes he could be here with you right now.”
“I’m kinda glad he’s not. It’s embarrassing.”
As much as I hated to think that way, I banked her statement in my head just the same. My daughter didn’t want to tell her father about what had happened—another reason why she needed to stay with me. But that didn’t change the fact that I needed to try to be a good mother and not say shit about her dad. “I know, sweetie. He just wants you to know you have his support and love.”
We drove the rest of the way in silence, soon arriving at the building Rebecca’s secretary had sent us to. Fortunately, Rebecca was waiting for us in the lobby when we got there, and she asked Sarah if she was ready. My daughter, brave and strong, nodded resolutely.
It wasn’t long before we were led in the back by a woman slightly older than I. After the four of us entered a small conference room,