Chapter 1 - DAD, I CAN'T HOLD HIM
Tessa Miller had been standing for too long.
She was nine.
Miles was eight months.
The black baby carrier had seemed easy when Laura strapped it onto her that morning.
“Just ten minutes.”
That was what Mom said.
Ten minutes became an hour.
Then two.
Miles cried until his face turned red.
Tessa gave him the bottle Laura left on the kitchen counter.
It emptied.
There was no second bottle ready.
Miles cried again.
Tessa walked circles around the kitchen.
She sang.
She bounced.
She whispered:
“Mommy’s coming.”
She did not know if that was true.
By late afternoon her shoulders burned.
Her knees shook.
She slid down the kitchen cabinets with Miles still strapped against her chest.
Her phone was at six percent.
She called Grant.
Her father answered on the second ring.
“Tessa?”
She started crying.
“DAD… I CAN’T HOLD HIM!”
Grant stood so fast his chair tipped over.
“WHERE’S MOM?!”
Tessa tried to stand.
Her knees buckled.
She dropped back down, wrapping both arms around Miles.
“She LEFT us!”
Grant grabbed his keys.
“Stay down! I’m coming!”
“Please hurry!”
He ran to his car.
Engine.
Road.
Speakerphone.
Miles screamed through the call.
Grant’s hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“DON’T HANG UP!”
“I won’t!”
He drove faster.
Too fast.
At the next intersection, bright headlights exploded across his side window.
Grant turned.
His eyes widened.
He slammed the brakes.
Another car hit him.
Metal screamed.
Grant’s car spun.
The phone flew to the floor.
Then silence.
Tessa’s voice continued through the speaker.
“DAD?!”
No answer.
May you like
“DAD?!”
Grant did not move.
