Next, they visited a local library where she had taken them on one of their lessons. This time, they split up as they walked the aisles. It was empty on that day, so it made the search easier. Notthat this mattered, as both Aaron and Henry were nowhere to be found.
From there, Miss Finch led them to an assortment of locations across the city, all of which she had taken the boys to at one time. It took hours, it was tiring, and with every location they visited, every time they realized that the boys were not there, Evander became more riddled with worry than he knew was possible.
“They must be somewhere!” Evander beseeched Miss Finch. “Think, Miss Finch! Where else?”
“I am trying!” she shouted at him.
“Try harder!”
She glared at him. “Do not get angry with me. This would not have happened if you had not…”
“Not what? Remember, you are the one who left.”
“You are the one who did not ask me to stay!”
“I…” His words caught in his throat. “I did as was right,” he said lamely. “You wanted to go, so I let you.”
She shook her head, the anger leaving her. “And who said that I wanted to go…”
Evander looked with surprise at Miss Finch. The anger was gone. She appeared saddened and desperate. Her eyes were filled with tears. Her cheeks were stained. And for the first time since Lady Redgate appeared in his home, she looked at Evander as she used to… as if was the center of her world, someone to protect her, a man worth saving.
“I… I…” He started to reach for her. Her expression softened, hope brimming behind her eyes. The urge to take her finally, to pull her into his arms, was overpowering, and for once, Evander did not try to fight it.
Rather, he wasn’t going to, that was until Miss Finch’s eyes lit up.
“I know where!” she gasped and then laughed. “Oh, why did I not think of it!”
“Where? Where are they?”
“Where do you think?” she scoffed.
They found the boys thirty minutes later, at a place that Evander should have guessed, and the first place that they should have gone to. It was the same park where they had walked that day, the first time that Evander had dared to try being a real father.
Evander heard Aaron’s laughter first, followed by Henry’s. They stepped around a row of hedges, scanned the park, and his heart soared to see his son perfectly safe.
“Henry!” Octavia raced across the park.
The two boys were playing by the same pond where they had splashed Miss Finch. They were both dripping wet, and with the sun now starting to set, there was no chance of them drying.
When Evander saw Aaron, his first thought was to be angry. The boy had done this to purposefully upset him; he knew it was wrong, and Evander should have disciplined him. But when he found Aaron’s eyes, he did not see chaos behind them; he did not see mischief. He saw sadness, an utter sense of hopeless loss that Evander felt in his heart.
“Aaron!” Evander rushed across the park, and without saying another word, he pulled his son into his arms. “What were you thinking?”
“I’m sorry, Father,” Aaron said as he went limp. “I didn’t mean –”
“Don’t,” Evander spoke over him. “Do not apologize. Ever.”
As he hugged his son, Evander heard Miss Finch saying similar things to her brother. She wasn’t upset with him, nor did she blame him. She was just glad that he wasn’t hurt.
That’s what love is… not being angry, not blaming others. Accepting their faults and being willing to love them no matter what.
It had been a long day, so much so that as they walked back to Evander’s residence, he was forced to take both boys by the hand while Miss Finch dragged her feet behind them. She wore a determined expression as they walked, never once taking her eyes off Henry.
When they arrived, Evander let go of both boys and sent them inside. Now that he knew Aaron was safe, there were things he had to speak to Miss Finch about, and now felt like the right time.
“Miss Finch…” He stood watching the doorway where the two boys had just vanished. His heart was full, and for the first time in his life, he did not wish to hide the fact. Rather, he wanted to embrace it. “There is something…” He turned, and his eyes widened. “Miss Finch!”
Miss Finch had collapsed. Wore through. Emotionally broken. She fell to the ground in a heap.