Page 32 of Loving Wild

“How was your day? Do you know those boys?”

We both talk at once. Slicing my gaze to Ava, then back to the road, I don’t miss the eye roll she gives me.

“No, Dad, I don’t know those boys. They’re like, seventeen. Why would I know boys that old?”

Hopefully she wouldn’t, doesn’t, won’t ever, not even whenshe’sseventeen . . . or thirty.

I decide to change the subject to Lauren. I need to explain to Ava what’s happened this week and why we’ve had security cameras installed. I’m obviously too quiet for too long because Ava asks, “Is there something wrong?”

I shoot her another quick glance and let out a sigh. My daughter’s far from stupid and takes what life throws in her stride in a more mature manner than most adults, but she is only twelve, and I don’t want to scare or upset her.

“They are now, but earlier this week . . .”

“What happened? Is Pops okay?” she interrupts.

“Pops is fine, I just saw him at the office earlier.”

“What then?”

I chance another look her way, taking in her wide blue eyes before focusing on the road as I talk.

“Remember I told you about Lauren’s ex-husband . . .”

“That he’s a dick who likes to hit women?”

“Ava, language. But yeah, he’s a dick who likes to do that.”

“But she’s done with him, right? She’s with you now. You two are together?”

I give a small laugh at the panic in her voice. I love that my kid wants this to work as badly as I do.

“Yeah, she’s with me, but her ex didn’t know about us. He found out over the weekend, and when Lauren went out to the car Monday night, he was waiting for her.”

“At your house? He came to the house?”

“Yeah, he came to the house,” I nod slowly as I speak.

“What happened? Did he touch her? Where were you?”

Using the controls on my steering wheel, I turn the music down, draw in and let out a long, slow breath, and admit to my daughter how I fucked up.

“I was in the shower. Lauren wanted fish and chips. I’d had a couple of drinks and didn’t wanna risk driving, so, while I had a shower, Lauren went out to get fish and chips.”

“What did he do? Did he hit her?”

“Yeah, she didn’t even make it to the car, he beat her and left her unconscious at the side of my truck.”

“Oh, my god, Dad. Is she okay?”

I chance another look at my little girl, hoping I haven’t told her more than she can handle. Her eyes are full of tears, her hand covers her mouth.

Leaving just one hand on the wheel, I reach for her with the other.

“She’s okay, we had to call an ambulance, and she was checked over at the hospital, but she’s doing okay.”

“I can’t believe he came to the house,” she wraps both her hands around mine as she speaks.

“Yeah, neither can we. I feel . . . I feel like absolute shit for not being there with her when it happened, but the police have him now. He’s been charged and was refused bail, so he’s been locked up. I’ve also had a new security system installed, so I’ll show you how all that works over the weekend.”