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I just didn’t know if it would work

Audrey brought me out into the main rooround, with equally tiny chairs surrounding them "We feed them both breakfast and lunch plus two snacks The rooe Babies in one One year old in another, and so-on…" Audrey kept talking but when I spotted Max only feet froing above the table she was sitting at

"That’s our activities board," Audrey said, co up to stand bedside me "That’s the schedule of round when another one chi a sreen eyes that literally took my breath away They were the sa’s eyes held the harsh and bitter reality of the life he’d lived, hers were void of any contempt and alive with innocence

I knelt down next to her "Thank you You are too," I said She giggled, her little tiny square teeth reertips

"I like dis," Max said, reaching out to touch a bracelet I’d put on that , in an effort to look more like the Ray Price in the framed pictures in my room

I pointed to the tiny purple plastic bracelet on her little wrist "I like yours even better"

Audrey cleared her throat "I’d like to show you to the playground It’s modernized and we firmly believe in at least thirtyas it’s not hotter than the surface of the sun outside"

"I have to go," I told Max, who hung her head in disappointain," I whispered, she lifted her head and her father’s eyes aze froht there in front of Audrey and the thirty or so toddlers in the room

I stood to leave, but a tiny hand wrapped around one of ed "Here," Max, whispered She took off the purple plastic bracelet and put it around my wrist

My heart exploded in a flurry of war reserved for lovers, because that day I’d truly experienced it In the span of three ain

I didn’t want to leave her I wanted to pick her up and run as fast as I could out of the buzzing door and take her and Sas first, I told old roped bracelet froain, and with my back to Audrey, I carefully looped the delicate chain around Max’s little wrist, twice

I didn’t stay to see her reaction to ift; afraid that if I spent one more second with her I wouldn’t be able to walk out the door

I stood and turned back around to Audrey, hoping she wouldn’t notice the sudden pain in round," I said, with a sniffle

Audrey continued her tour and as I followed her I felt the gaze of a pair of beautiful green eyes on ht of day

Chapter Sixteen

Doe

When I toldwas dead, his only concern was how the hell he’d gotten out of prison in the first place I didn’t have the tiy to explain what had really happened, because what I really wanted was his help "I want to adopt King’s daughter," I told hi in front of his desk while he clicked away on his coer with no source of inco to look upon you favorably for an adoption," he’d toldaway at the keyboard on his coe You can put a word in," I stated

"Yes, that I can do But that’s just a recoe you’re still going to have to follow proper procedure Being a single wo a favorable applicant"

"Then I’ll fix that"

"It will increaseable to adopt her," I finished I was sitting on Tanner’s couch in the pool house while Sammy watched TV, wrapped up in his favorite blanket on the floor Every so often he would look back atthat I was still there, he’d smile and turn back to Elmo