Chapter Twenty Six

Trinity

Despite Lachie’s objections, the boys had returned to Benji. We all knew it was the right thing to do. Clint was on edge, with Mia’s due date just around the corner, but she insisted he’d regret not going. She promised to call him the moment anything changed.

Stephen had texted me to say they’d arrived safely and would call later with an update. They planned to stay with Benji for the night, but weren’t sure about the duration of their stay. He’d been missing the kids terribly, and they were missing their dad. He’d been texting me every chance he got, asking if they were okay.

The girls and I spent the day at home, letting the kids play hide and seek and swim in the pool. The twins were getting braver in the water with their floaties, and Flick filmed them so I could send the video to their dad.

Little Livy was missing him the most. She was a daddy’s girl through and through, always following her father around.

As the afternoon rolled in, we got the kids down for a nap. The girls and I sat on the patio with our coffees. I was just setting my cup down when I noticed Mia’s tear-streaked face.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” I asked.

“Hormones, mostly,” Mia replied. “But I think it just hit me that we’ll never see Maddie again.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine what Benji is going through,” Felicity said.

“They were robbed of so much together,” I added.

“Is it wrong that all I can think about is not wanting to wait any longer with Dave?” Felicity asked. “I don’t care about the dream wedding anymore. We already have our life. It can be taken away so easily, so why should we wait when it’s something we both want?”

“No, babe, that makes perfect sense,” Mia said. “When something like this happens, it makes you realize how quickly things can change. You want to hold on to the things you love and that are important.”

“I think when Dave gets back, I want to see if he’d be ready to marry now,” Felicity said. “I only need you guys here with us. We’re family.”

“We’d love to help you make it happen, babe,” I said. “My heart aches for Benji right now. The life we all have that they were robbed of.”

“I’ve never seen him so in love,” Mia said. “Benji has never been one to talk of settling down and getting married, let alone having children. And knowing he’ll never have that now with her, the one woman he wanted it all with, while Clint and I wait on our second child any day... Life is so cruel.”

“It’s the hardest game we’ll ever play, babe,” I said.

“Does anyone else feel like hiding here is robbing us of the future we all want?” Mia asked. “Like we’re sitting by, waiting for someone else to dictate our future to us rather than creating it ourselves?”

“I know what you’re feeling, babe,” I said. “But how can we right now? You have peanut to worry about. How could Clint focus on anything else right now if he didn’t know you and his baby were safe?”

“She’s right, babe,” Felicity said. “The best thing we can do at the moment for the guys is to stay here with the kids, keep them safe, and let them do what they do.”

“Protect us,” Mia said.

“Fight for our families,” I added.

We all nodded in agreement.

“I think we should still try and do something for Benji and Maddie,” I said. “Something that’s special to them.”

“I have that photo from the Christmas we all had together,” Mia said. “The group photo. We could have it blown up into a canvas for him. Something to hold on to the good times and remind us what we’re fighting for—justice for her.”

“I think that’s a beautiful idea,” Felicity said.

“I’m just really scared this could be the tipping point,” I said. “The boys knowing those shots were meant for Benji, the fact it took Maddie from us all, and the continued harassment over the years. I know none of them wanted that life anymore, but can they stay away now?”

“If there’s anything I know, it’s that it will be all or none of them,” Mia said.

We all sat around talking for a while until we heard the kids stir.

Once the kids were up and awake, we spent some quiet time in the house with a movie and playing with our children, cherishing the moments we had with them.

Evening rolled around and while I made dinner, the girls bathed the kids and I fed Jay.

The kids and us girls all sat down together for dinner before we put them to bed and had a glass of wine. All three of us were feeling emotional, not only for the pain our friend Benji would be enduring but also for the loss of our friend Maddie.

We all went to bed early. As I sat in Stephen and my bed without my husband, our kids asleep next to me on their daddy’s side of the bed, I put on my dressing gown and went out to the balcony to have a spliff. I wasn’t out there long before my husband called me.

As we talked, Stephen asked me if he told me enough how much he loved me and if he showed me.

“Baby, if I didn’t feel the love you show me or give me, do you think we’d still be here today?” I asked.

“I guess not, babe,” Stephen said.

“What is it, babe?” I asked. “I feel like you want to say something but you’re holding back on me.”

“I’m scared, babe,” Stephen said. “I feel like while Benji wants us to believe he’s okay, he’s on the verge of losing it. I’m scared if we come back too soon, something is going to happen. But I don’t want to be away from you or the kids either. If something happened to you and I wasn’t there, it would kill me. You’re my wife. I’m supposed to be there to protect you.”

“Baby, I’ve been blessed with a husband who has built me up to be a strong woman, a strong wife and mother, and a woman who will stand side by side with you,” I said. “If you need to be there with Benji, you know me, baby. I will stop at nothing to protect our family. I’m strong because you make me strong. Your love, our love, lifts me up.”

“I’m going to speak to Lachie to see if we can bring Benji back with us,” Stephen said. “If not, I might stay a bit longer, but I think Clint needs to return sooner rather than later for Mia.”

“Babe, those bullets were meant for Benj,” I said. “I don’t think Lachie is going to have much argument about wanting to protect him too.”

Stephen agreed but fell silent for a moment.

Stephen - (Phone call) “I watched him tonight, babe, and I can’t figure out how he’s still standing. He’s stronger than I am. If I ever lost you, I’d...”

Trinity - (Phone call) “Don’t finish that sentence. We’ll always find our way back to each other.”

Stephen - (Phone call) “I want to kill them all, Trinity. And I don’t even feel bad about it. What kind of man does that make me? What kind of example am I setting for our kids?”

Trinity - (Phone call) “I think you’re being too hard on yourself right now, babe. It’s natural to feel that way when someone threatens your family.”

Stephen - (Phone call) “I don’t want to come back to this city, babe. It doesn’t feel like home anymore. Home is where you and our kids are. And that can be anywhere but here. At least anywhere but here, I know you’re safe.”

Trinity - (Phone call) “Okay, babe. If that’s what you need, you know I’m with you.”

Stephen - (Phone call) “I want to list the businesses for sale and once this is all done, start fresh with you and our kids.”

Trinity - (Phone call) “Are you sure you’re ready to walk away from everything?”

Stephen - (Phone call) “I’m not walking away from anything I don’t need, babe. I’ll talk to the boys and give them the option to come too, but Clint, Dave, and I have already briefly talked about it. We all agree we want out. We want our families safe and we want a quiet life now. This whole ordeal has made us realize that nothing in this world is more important than the people in our lives. Everything else is replaceable.”

Trinity - (Phone call) “I love you, babe. I can’t wait for you to be back in my arms.”

Stephen - (Phone call) “I just want to hold you for an eternity and then some. How are my babies? Are you giving them lots of kisses for me, momma?”

Trinity - (Phone call) “Always. Your baby girl asks for you all the time.”

Stephen - (Phone call) “Remind them how much daddy loves them and that I’m doing this for them. Tell them how proud I am of them for watching that video. And when I get back, they better show me.”

Trinity - (Phone call) “Of course, I will, babe.”

Stephen - (Phone call) “Thank you, momma. You soothe my soul, whether you realize it or not. You’re the last bit of sanity I need in this crazy world.”

Stephen was talking, but I heard a knock at the door and turned around to look.

Trinity - (Phone call) “Hang on a second, babe. Mia just walked in.”

Trinity - “You okay, babe?... Oh shit, I know that look!”

Mia - “My water broke.”