"They left her there?" I said in disbelief as I rose on shaky legs.
"We won't know why they left her until you talk to her, but King said it looks like Emma is in a relationship with another girl. Not the friend she’s staying with, but another classmate."
There was a certain level of hesitation in Lex's voice, like he was unsure of what my reaction would be to that particular piece of information. Admittedly, I was on sensory overload as one truth after another hit me, but that one didn't bother me in the least.
"I need to go get her," I said. "Will you come with me?"
The smile that drifted across Lex's face was small and soft. "Try and stop me," he said. He pulled me down for a quick kiss and then he said, "Let's go bring your little girl home."
And just like that, I knew that no matter what happened, no matter what obstacles stood in our way, that was exactly what we'd do.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lex
"I don't see her," Gideon said nervously as he clung to my hand. "What if I don't recognize her?"
"You will," I said as I gave his hand a squeeze.
I could feel Gideon fidgeting next to me, but there was little I could do other than give him something to hold on to as he waited to see how this moment in his life would play out. In actuality, it was a moment in our lives. Because from here on out, everything that happened to one of us happened to both of us. It'd taken meeting Gideon to realize that’s what I'd been looking for from the moment I'd learned I hadn't come with the instant family that so many other kids did. I'd been fortunate enough to have brothers who’d taught me what it meant to love and be loved, but it was Gideon who'd shown me I was worthy of having those dreams of my own husband and kids.
Everyone was worthy of having that in their lives.
"Maybe we should've let Maria and Javier tell her first."
I leaned into Gideon and put my arm around his waist. He’d been having the same doubts, and many others, since we'd left Maine. For once in my life, I'd been more than glad to use every penny and every connection I'd had to get Gideon to Argentina to see his daughter. I'd handled all the travel arrangements while King had agreed to stay at Gideon's house with Brewer so we wouldn't have to put the dog in a kennel.
King’s man on the ground in Argentina had met us at the airport. Our first stop had been to talk to the parents of the friend Emma was staying with. They'd been the ones to confirm that Emma hadn't run away from her grandparents; they’d kicked her out after learning about her girlfriend. Gideon had barely managed to contain his rage when he'd learned why his fifteen-year-old daughter had been left behind to fend for herself in a foreign country.
Maria and Javier had been able to fill in some of the other details as well. After taking Emma in, they'd wanted to find Gideon, but Emma hadn't been willing to tell them her real last name. She was convinced that after all that had happened between her and her father that he would no longer want her, nor would he accept her sexuality.
Gideon had been heartbroken to know that Emma hadn't felt comfortable enough to turn to him for help. After we’d left Maria and Javier's house with their blessing to meet Emma at her school when it got out, we’d gone to our hotel to try and get some rest. Gideon had waffled between pure rage and heartbreaking despair. I knew his guilt from having let what he considered too much time go by before he’d tried to reach out to Emma would haunt him forever, but I also knew that I would be there to remind him that it was okay to leave the past where it belonged.
"Everything will be all right, Gideon, I promise."
He squeezed me hard and then began describing the scene before us. I found myself smiling when he began complaining about how all the girls looked alike since they were wearing uniforms. He was in the midst of just such a statement when his voice suddenly dropped off. His grip tightened on me even more. "Oh God, Lex, I see her."
The old me would've lamented over the fact that I couldn't see what he was seeing. And I would've been hoping that he’d tell me every detail just so I wouldn't feel so lost, but I wasn't the same man anymore. Time and Gideon had both shown me that losing my sight didn't mean I'd lost the ability to see. The images were clear as day in my head. I just had to find other ways to get them there.
Like the soft clinking of metal on metal that was likely a flagpole of some kind. The sound of wheels grinding over cement was probably from a gate being opened, presumably to allow the girls to leave the school grounds. And the girls… I could hear their laughter and the tapping of their shoes on the ground. My nose was picking up various floral scents, so I knew we were likely surrounded by a variety of plants and flowers. There was traffic moving slowly up and down the street behind us, so I knew we were still in the city. All those little things were just puzzle pieces that I had to put together to form that picture in my head… the ones my eyes could no longer see on their own.
"She's so beautiful, Lex. Her hair looks darker. The last time I saw it, it was brown, but now it looks like it has some red in it. She's gotten taller, too. She looks so grown up. She's holding hands with another girl. They're both laughing."
Gideon continued to share everything with me in great detail. I never tired of how he looked at things. There were times now and again that I wished I could've seen some of his old photographs, but when I'd had him show me the ones he had on his phone, he’d described them in the very way he’d wanted people to see them, to feel them. I didn't know what the future held for either of us, but I hoped that his love of exploring the world would be a part of it.
It wasn't until Gideon's voice slowed and then stopped altogether that I knew the moment of truth had come. I didn't need a running narration to know that Emma had finally spotted her father. The hitch in Gideon's breath and the way he held my hand was proof of that. I struggled to tune out the sounds around me. It took some doing, but when I heard a young girl's voice call out "Daddy?" in disbelief, I knew I'd managed it.
"Lex," Gideon said softly.
"Go," I told him and then I dropped his hand because I knew that was what he was waiting for. He was afraid to leave me there by myself, but at the moment, his daughter needed him more. And I wasn't afraid. Even if I couldn't necessarily keep track of where Gideon was, I knew he'd always come back to me. He'd always find me.
I stood completely still and zeroed in on Gideon's heavier footsteps as he moved away from me.
"Daddy!" I heard Emma sob.
Gideon's footsteps quickened and I knew he was running. The chattering of all the girls that had been around us as they’d left school suddenly died down and I knew that meant Gideon and his daughter had an audience for their reunion. But I doubted if either of them noticed. Not with Emma sobbing like she was and Gideon murmuring to her. He was close enough to hear, but not close enough that I could make out the actual words. But it didn't matter because I knew he was comforting his daughter and telling her how much he loved her and that he'd missed her and how sorry he was.
I knew that because I knew Gideon.