Chapter 1
I stared at the neon-pink sticky note in disbelief.
Babysitting duty.
Surprise.
Ten days in paradise with a six-year-old I hadn't agreed to bring.
My dream vacation.
Two years of eighty-hour work weeks.
Skipping lunches.
Saying no to friends.
Saving every extra dollar.
All for this.
For my sister's surprise.
Lily was still crying.
Her little shoulders shaking.
Her stuffed rabbit—Mr. Floppy—clutched so tight her knuckles were white.
I pulled her into my arms.
"It's okay, honey," I said. "Aunt Brooke is here."
She buried her face in my shoulder.
"Mommy said we were going to Orlando," she whispered. "She said we were going to Disney World. She said I'd meet the princesses."
My heart broke and burned with rage at the same time.
Jessica had promised her daughter Disney World.
And then she'd abandoned her at an airport.
For a vacation.
For a "real girl's vacation" without "juice boxes."
I stood up.
I held Lily tightly.
I looked at the boarding pass in my hand.
Maui.
Gate B12.
Boarding in ten minutes.
I could get on that plane.
I could take Lily with me.
I could spend ten days in Maui taking care of my sister's child.
Or I could fight back.
I chose to fight back.
I dialed Jessica again.
Straight to voicemail.
I dialed my mother.
Straight to voicemail.
I dialed my father.
Straight to voicemail.
They'd turned off their phones.
They thought they'd trapped me.
They thought I'd have no choice but to take Lily to Maui.
They thought wrong.
I looked down at Lily.
She looked up at me.
Red-eyed.
Scared.
Confused.
"Who's your daddy, honey?" I asked softly.
"Mark," she said. "He lives in a big house. With a pool."
"Do you know his phone number?"
She nodded.
She recited it from memory.
Like she'd been taught.
Like she'd needed it before.
My blood ran cold.
A six-year-old who knows her father's phone number by heart.
That told me everything I needed to know about Jessica's parenting.
I dialed the number.
A man answered on the third ring.
Deep.
Calm.
Professional.
"Mark Davidson speaking."
"Mark," I said. "My name is Brooke Carter. I'm Jessica's younger sister. And you need to listen to me very carefully."
I told him everything.
Quickly.
Calmly.
The vacation.
The airport.
The sticky note.
The abandoned phones.
Lily crying in my arms.
Mark was quiet for a long time.
Then his voice changed.
From calm professional to cold fury.
"Where are you exactly?"
"Gate B12. Hartsfield-Jackson. My flight to Maui boards in five minutes."
"Don't get on that plane," he said. "Stay right there. I'm sending my assistant with tickets for you and Lily to come to Chicago. I'm also calling the FBI. And child protective services. Jessica and your parents are landing in Orlando in forty-five minutes. They're going to have a very warm welcome."
"The FBI?" I whispered.
"Abandoning a child at an airport is a federal crime," he said. "And I've had enough of Jessica's games. This ends today."
He hung up.
I looked down at Lily.
"Who was that?" she asked.
"That was your daddy," I said. "He's going to take care of everything. You're safe now, honey. Nobody is going to hurt you again."
She snuggled closer.
I looked at the gate.
The final boarding call for Maui was being announced.
I'd saved for two years for this.
I'd dreamed about it.
But I didn't hesitate.
I walked away from Gate B12.
Away from my dream vacation.
Away from Jessica's plan.
And toward the customer service desk.
I needed to change my tickets.
Not to Maui.
To Chicago.
Mark's assistant met us at the gate an hour later.
She was a sharp, efficient woman named Sarah.
She handed me two first-class tickets to Chicago.
"Mr. Davidson has arranged everything," she said. "A car will be waiting for you at O'Hare. And he's already set up a room for Lily at his house. And a guest room for you. He wants to make sure you're both comfortable."
"Thank you," I said.
Lily was already asleep in my arms.
Exhausted from crying.
From confusion.
From being abandoned.
I carried her onto the plane.
I held her the entire flight.
And I thought about Jessica.
About my parents.
About what they'd done.
And about what was waiting for them in Orlando.
The FBI.
Child protective services.
Mark's lawyers.
They thought they'd trapped me.
But they'd trapped themselves.
When we landed in Chicago, Mark was waiting for us at the gate.
He was tall.
Handsome.
Expensive suit.
But his eyes were red.
He looked like he'd been crying.
He saw Lily in my arms.
And his face crumpled.
He walked toward us.
Slowly.
Like he was afraid she'd disappear.
Lily woke up.
She saw him.
And her face lit up.
"Daddy!"
She reached for him.
He took her.
He held her so tightly.
Like he was never going to let go.
"Thank you," he said to me. His voice was rough. "Thank you for not getting on that plane. Thank you for protecting my daughter."
"She's my niece," I said. "I couldn't just leave her."
He looked at me.
And there was something in his eyes.
Gratitude.
Relief.
And something else.
Something I couldn't quite name.
"Jessica and your parents landed in Orlando twenty minutes ago," he said. "The FBI and child services were waiting for them at the gate. They're being detained right now. This is far from over, Brooke. But you don't have to worry about anything. I'll take care of everything. I'll protect both of you."
I nodded.
And for the first time since I'd found Lily crying alone at that gate, I felt like I could breathe.
But I also knew.
This was just the beginning.
Jessica wasn't going to go down without a fight.
And my parents weren't going to either.
The family drama was just getting started.
May you like
And I had a feeling it was going to change everything.
Forever.
