“Can I sleep here?”
“As long as you want.”
“Will Uncle Cameron come?”
“No, sweetheart.”
“Daddy?”
I knelt beside her.
“Nobody is coming here to take you anywhere.”
She studied my face.
“Promise?”
I gathered her into my arms.
“I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.”
That night, she slept with the bedroom door open.
I sat in a chair nearby until morning.
At four, she woke crying.
“They’re taking me back.”
I crossed the room instantly.
“No, Maya. You’re here with Aunt Rebecca and Mommy.”
Her breathing was fast.
“The lady said I had to be good.”
I stroked her hair.
“You don’t have to do anything to make them happy anymore.”
Maya looked at me.
“Am I bad?”
The question shattered me.
I held her face gently.
“No. You are a wonderful little girl. The adults who hurt you made terrible choices. You didn’t cause any of this.”
