“I wish I could’ve been there when his lawyer informed him that he has to pay half his pension to me every month.”

Owen grunted out a laugh. “You earned every dime of it and then some. Besides, he’ll be getting his three hots and a cot from the Commonwealth of Virginia for the foreseeable future. He won’t have much need for his pension.”

“What if he’s not convicted?” Sarah asked, her brows furrowing with worry.

“He will be. There’s no way he’s going to walk with all the evidence we have piled up against him. David, Blaine and Slim will all be there to testify about your condition and injuries when you got here last October. It’s a slam dunk.”

“Except none of them can testify to the fact that they saw your father beat me.”

“That’s where I come in. I’ll testify that I saw him repeatedly beat you. We’ll get him, Mom. Try not to worry.”

“What I really worry about is what’ll happen if we don’t get him. He’ll come after me, and we’ll all be in danger.”

“He won’t come near you. No matter what happens in the trial, you’ll still have a restraining order that keeps him far away from you.”

“I hate the idea of seeing him again. I know you must feel the same way. It’s been a long time.”

“Not long enough, but I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he can never lay a hand on you or anyone else ever again.” Despite his intense desire to keep his emotions out of the equation, his voice wavered on those last words.

“Owen…”

“I look at him, you know?” Gazing down at the baby he loved with everything he had, Owen ran his hand over Holden’s back. “He trusts me implicitly. He trusts me enough to fall asleep in my arms because he already knows I’d never let anything happen to him. How does anyone violate that kind of trust and hurt a child who depends on them for everything? How does a man become that kind of monster?”

“I don’t know,” Sarah said with a weary sigh. “I’ll never understand how that happens. And you’ll never know how much I regret the way you grew up, the sacrifices you made for all of us.”

“I have no regrets, because everything that happened led me to exactly where I belong—and it led you to where you belong, too.”

Holden squirmed in his arms but didn’t wake up.

“I’m going to walk him upstairs.” Owen stood, balancing the baby carefully. “Talk to Charlie, Mom. Let him in. You won’t be sorry you did.”

“Even if he insists on coming with us?”

“Especially then.”

She smiled up at him. “You’re a son any mother would be proud to call her own.”