When Emme’s solo ends, the crowd rises to a standing ovation. Dax whistles and claps, maybe louder than anyone else in the room, and I hope like hell the information I’ve come across is going to be enough to end this battle with his aunt.
He picks up a huge bouquet of flowers and we wait as everyone files out of the auditorium. We’re seated close to the front, so we’re last to leave. I can feel Dax behind me, and I have the urge to reach back and find his fingers, to lace us together. I want to force him to listen to me and understand that what we have—had—was never about me making partner and everything about falling in love with him and Emme. But I doubt he’s going to give me airtime for that, and I have a much more pressing issue I need to alert him about. “I really need to talk to you,” I throw over my shoulder. “I’m taking Emme out to celebrate. It’s not a good time.” It’s too loud and there are too many people around to find privacy. When we finally escape the auditorium, Emme’s already waiting in the foyer, bouncing excitedly. She throws herself into my arms, wrapping me up in a huge hug with her skinny arms. “You were amazing up there.” “I missed you,” she mumbles into my hair. “I missed you, too, sweetie, so much.” I hold her tighter, fighting another wave of emotion and losing the battle. When we finally let go, I have to brush away the fresh tears. Dax stands off to the side, his expression unreadable until his sister turns to him, and then his smile lights up a black sky like fireworks. My chest aches, hollowness eating at me because I know they’re not mine the way I want them to be, and I made it that way. He holds out the bouquet, and her happy shriek is a sound I want to hear more of. Emme turns to me. “We’re going out for something to eat, can you come?” I glance at Dax. His mouth flattens into a line. “I think Dax probably wants a little time with you.” Emme’s smile falls. “But I haven’t seen you in forever. Please, Kailyn? She can come, can’t she, Dax?” Emme sends an imploring look her brother’s way. His cheek tics, but he forces a smile. “Of course Kailyn’s welcome to join us. It’s your night.” “Yay!” Emme throws her arms around me again. “Can I ride with Kailyn? Can we go to the diner down the street? I was too nervous to eat before the performance, and now I’m starving!” Thank you, I mouth to Dax as she drags me toward the door. He nods, but his smile has vanished again. The diner is busy, full of other students and their parents who had the exact same idea we did. Emme sits beside me in the booth and chatters away. Once we’ve ordered she’s dragged off to sit with a few of her friends. “I’ll be back in a few minutes!” “She seems like she’s doing well.” “She has really good days. This is one of them.” Dax arranges his silverware, but doesn’t look at me. “You had something you needed to talk to me about.” I look around the diner. “It’s about Linda.” I reach into my purse and pull out the emails I printed off. Dax leans back in his seat and crosses his arms over his chest, regarding me coldly. “What about her?” “I overheard a conversation with someone before the assembly and it sounded rather suspect, so I recorded it. I also found this.” I push the printed sheets toward him. “What is this?” “An email chain between Linda and a principal at a private school.” “What?” Dax skims it. “How’d you get this?” “She left her email open on a laptop in the library.” I set my phone on the table between us. “I haven’t had a chance to listen to it, so I have no idea if I caught anything helpful or not.” “Helpful how?” “In building your case to keep Emme with you.” “Emme keeps earbuds in the front pocket.” Dax points to her backpack. I unzip the compartment and smile when I find the little pouch I gave her to keep her girl supplies in when it’s that time of the month. Tucked in beside them are earbuds. I slip the jack in and pass Dax one bud, pushing the other in my ear. He leans forward, forearms on the table, head down and inches from mine as I cue the recording. I turn the volume all the way up, cross my fingers, and hit Play. It’s not the clearest recording, and the noise in the diner makes it hard to hear. I pass Dax the other earbud and he listens again, and then again, eyes on mine as his expression hardens. He yanks them out. “What kind of person wants custody of a grieving teenage girl so they can cash in on her trust allowance?” “Not a very good one.” He scrubs his face with his palm. “She can’t get custody of Emme. There’s no way.” I glance over my shoulder, checking on Emme, who’s still engaged in conversation with her friends. She’s actually sitting beside a boy who seems to be hanging on her every word. I wonder if that’s Clark. Or Liam. Or Jimmy. She has quite the fan club. “Come sit on this side.” Dax slides over a few more inches and I move into the space beside him. I quickly pull the rest of the emails between the private school administrator and Linda. He stops at the one about boarding options. “She plans to send her to San Francisco? When has she had time to plan all this?” I tap the time stamp. “It looks like she started as soon as she filed for custody.” “Can I keep this?” “All of it is yours. I just want Emme to be safe and with someone who loves her and wants what’s best for her. I didn’t want to hurt her, or you. Whatever else I can do to help, I will.” He places his hand over mine and squeezes, eyes soft. “Thank you.” It’s not forgiveness, but it’s a step in the right direction.