tight.
“You did the right thing, honey. Anytime you feel uncomfortable, you leave the situation. And you tell me.” She placed her hand beneath Lyla’s chin and raised her face until she was looking at her. “You always tell me, okay?”
Lyla nodded, and her voice dropped into a whisper. “Can I tell you a secret?”
Alyson nodded.
“You can’t tell anyone. Promise.” Lyla held out her pinky, and without a second thought, Alyson hooked her own pinky inside her daughter’s finger.
“Some of the dances her dad taught her, but Keera said that they were private dances.” Lyla’s gaze dropped to the ground, and she played with one of the measuring spoons on the counter. “And the game she wanted to play, she plays with her dad too. But she made us promise not to tell anyone, because then she would be in a lot of trouble.”
“The game with the blindfold?” Alyson didn’t like the sound of this.
Lyla nodded. “When Keera’s dad plays the game with her . . . he writes things on her skin, and she guesses the words. There’s a prize . . .” Alyson gripped the edge of the counter tight and forced herself to speak in a calm voice.
“What kind of prize, honey?”
Lyla’s lips quivered before she looked up at Alyson with big doe eyes.
“Then they do it .”
“What do you mean, ‘do it’?”
Lyla’s cheeks burned bright red. “You know.”
Alyson shook her head. She prayed to God she didn’t know. Her daughter couldn’t mean what she thought she meant.
“They do it. Like what you and Daddy do.”
“Sex? Are you sure?” It was very hard for Alyson to keep her voice calm and not freak out. Inside she was in full freak-out mode. Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod . . .
Lyla nodded her head.
“Mommy, I’m not lying. That’s what Keera said. And she was going to show us some of the moves of her dance, even though her daddy made her promise not to show anyone, and . . . I didn’t like that.”
Alyson hugged her daughter close. So many emotions were running through her head, through her heart . . . so many memories of things she didn’t want to recall.
“Oh honey. Did she actually say her daddy does this?”
Lyla nodded.
“Thank you for sharing that with me.”
“You won’t tell anyone, right?”
Alyson sighed. “I have to, Lyla. This . . . what you told me, that’s not okay.”
“But Mommy, you promised. You can’t tell. Not anybody.”
“I know I did, but sweetheart, sometimes promises have to be broken if it means protecting someone else, especially when it involves a child.”
Lyla frowned. “They’re going to be so mad at me.”
“But I’m not.” She was proud of her daughter, proud that she said something, that she had come to her.
Now it was her turn to right a wrong, to do something she’d wished long ago had been done for her. Believe her and do something about it rather than turn away and pretend everything was fine.
“You did the right thing, telling me.” She gave her daughter another hug. “And I’m so glad you did.”
“Are you going to tell Aunt Tricia?”
Alyson nodded. She hated hearing the insecurity in her daughter’s voice. “I need to, especially since this happened at your aunt’s house. And Keera’s mom is Aunt Tricia’s best friend. I’d want her to tell me if the roles were reversed. But”—she leaned over and placed a kiss on her daughter’s forehead—“I don’t want you to worry about anything, okay? I’ll take care of it.”
“I’m not lying.” Lyla whispered.
Alyson believed her. With everything in her core, she knew her daughter told the truth. Why would she lie? There was no reason.
“Lyla, I will always be on your side. Always. I will always believe you. Always fight for you and always be there to protect you. Okay?”
She’d expected to see something akin to relief on her daughter’s face, but instead she saw signs of panic, of worry, and of doubt.
Alyson knew that she had to do everything
“You did the right thing, honey. Anytime you feel uncomfortable, you leave the situation. And you tell me.” She placed her hand beneath Lyla’s chin and raised her face until she was looking at her. “You always tell me, okay?”
Lyla nodded, and her voice dropped into a whisper. “Can I tell you a secret?”
Alyson nodded.
“You can’t tell anyone. Promise.” Lyla held out her pinky, and without a second thought, Alyson hooked her own pinky inside her daughter’s finger.
“Some of the dances her dad taught her, but Keera said that they were private dances.” Lyla’s gaze dropped to the ground, and she played with one of the measuring spoons on the counter. “And the game she wanted to play, she plays with her dad too. But she made us promise not to tell anyone, because then she would be in a lot of trouble.”
“The game with the blindfold?” Alyson didn’t like the sound of this.
Lyla nodded. “When Keera’s dad plays the game with her . . . he writes things on her skin, and she guesses the words. There’s a prize . . .” Alyson gripped the edge of the counter tight and forced herself to speak in a calm voice.
“What kind of prize, honey?”
Lyla’s lips quivered before she looked up at Alyson with big doe eyes.
“Then they do it .”
“What do you mean, ‘do it’?”
Lyla’s cheeks burned bright red. “You know.”
Alyson shook her head. She prayed to God she didn’t know. Her daughter couldn’t mean what she thought she meant.
“They do it. Like what you and Daddy do.”
“Sex? Are you sure?” It was very hard for Alyson to keep her voice calm and not freak out. Inside she was in full freak-out mode. Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod . . .
Lyla nodded her head.
“Mommy, I’m not lying. That’s what Keera said. And she was going to show us some of the moves of her dance, even though her daddy made her promise not to show anyone, and . . . I didn’t like that.”
Alyson hugged her daughter close. So many emotions were running through her head, through her heart . . . so many memories of things she didn’t want to recall.
“Oh honey. Did she actually say her daddy does this?”
Lyla nodded.
“Thank you for sharing that with me.”
“You won’t tell anyone, right?”
Alyson sighed. “I have to, Lyla. This . . . what you told me, that’s not okay.”
“But Mommy, you promised. You can’t tell. Not anybody.”
“I know I did, but sweetheart, sometimes promises have to be broken if it means protecting someone else, especially when it involves a child.”
Lyla frowned. “They’re going to be so mad at me.”
“But I’m not.” She was proud of her daughter, proud that she said something, that she had come to her.
Now it was her turn to right a wrong, to do something she’d wished long ago had been done for her. Believe her and do something about it rather than turn away and pretend everything was fine.
“You did the right thing, telling me.” She gave her daughter another hug. “And I’m so glad you did.”
“Are you going to tell Aunt Tricia?”
Alyson nodded. She hated hearing the insecurity in her daughter’s voice. “I need to, especially since this happened at your aunt’s house. And Keera’s mom is Aunt Tricia’s best friend. I’d want her to tell me if the roles were reversed. But”—she leaned over and placed a kiss on her daughter’s forehead—“I don’t want you to worry about anything, okay? I’ll take care of it.”
“I’m not lying.” Lyla whispered.
Alyson believed her. With everything in her core, she knew her daughter told the truth. Why would she lie? There was no reason.
“Lyla, I will always be on your side. Always. I will always believe you. Always fight for you and always be there to protect you. Okay?”
She’d expected to see something akin to relief on her daughter’s face, but instead she saw signs of panic, of worry, and of doubt.
Alyson knew that she had to do everything
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