stay on the line

a/n - a little mid-week pick me up for my loves xx

Paedyn

I hate grocery shopping with three kids.

Not because they misbehave — though Adrian once managed to knock over an entire display of cereal boxes — but because it's chaos in slow motion. Everyone wants something different, someone's always hungry, and the cart inevitably fills with twice as much as I meant to buy.

"Mom, can we get the sparkly cereal?" Adrian pleads, holding up the neon box with the unicorn.

"Not a chance," I say, steering the cart past him. "We're not eating glitter for breakfast."

Kit snorts quietly beside me. Ava, perched in the front of the cart, gasps dramatically. "But it's pretty, Mama."

"Exactly my concern," I mutter, earning a giggle.

It's ordinary. Loud, exhausting, perfectly ordinary. I load the groceries, wrangle them through checkout, herd them into the parking lot like a mother duck with three very opinionated ducklings.

I'm halfway through loading the trunk when I notice her.

A woman — maybe in her forties — standing at the end of the parking row. Not shopping, not moving. Just watching.

I keep going, pretending not to notice. Probably nothing. Maybe she's waiting for a ride.

But she doesn't look away.

"Kit," I say quietly, still keeping my tone casual, "help your brother buckle in, okay? And make sure Ava's seatbelt's not twisted."

"Got it," Kit says. I lift Ava into her carseat and buckle her as Kit helps Adrian buckle in before climbing in herself. 

The woman starts walking closer.

"Cute kids," she calls, her tone syrupy sweet.

I force a polite smile. "Thank you."

"They look just like you," she says. "Especially the little one's eyes."

My stomach drops. I can feel the air shifting as I close the car doors.

She steps closer again. "What are their names?"

I freeze. "Sorry?"

Her smile twitches wider. "I had kids like that once. Before they were taken from me."

Everything in me goes still. My pulse spikes.

I jump into the car and lock the doors, and the woman's hand slaps against the window. Ava screams. Adrian's crying now. Kit's holding his hand. I can't let them see I'm scared, so I force my voice low and even.

I can feel her circling the car. Hear her muttering. "Give them back. They're mine."

My heart's pounding, but my mind's sharp. Calm. Controlled.  I grab my phone, thumb trembling as I hit Kai's name.

He picks up immediately. "Hey, darling, what's—"

"Kai." I keep my voice steady, even as my chest tightens. "There's a woman. She followed me from the store. She's outside the car. I locked us in, but she tried to grab the kids."

Instant silence. Then, a voice that I know he uses when he slips on a mask. A mask he uses when he's fighting.  "Are the doors locked?"

"Yes."

"Good. You did right. I'm calling the police. Keep me on the line, Pae. I'll be there soon."

"Okay." My knuckles are white around the phone. "The kids are scared."

"Keep them talking. Just breathe. I'm already driving."

I focus on his voice — not the woman shouting outside, not the pounding on the window, not my heart threatening to break my ribs. Just Kai's voice, grounding me.

Minutes stretch. The sirens finally come — loud, sharp, cutting through the noise. The woman freezes, then bolts.

I don't move. Not until an officer taps on the glass.

"Ma'am? You can open the door. It's safe now."

I nod, but my body doesn't listen. I open the door mechanically, checking on each kid — touch their faces, their hands. "You're okay. You're safe. I promise."

Ava sits in her seat, tears streaking her chubby cheeks and I wipe them gently with the pads of my thumbs before kissing each of theirs. 

Kai

I don't remember running the red light. I don't remember half the drive.

I just remember the sound of her voice, and the kids crying in the background.

When I see the flashing lights, my heart nearly stops. Then I see her.

Paedyn's standing beside the car, kissing the pads of their thumbs like I did all those years ago. 

"Paedyn." 

She turns at the sound of my voice, and the second our eyes meet, all composure she possesses shatters.

She stumbles toward me, and I catch her just as her knees give out. She's shaking so hard I can feel it through my clothes. Her breath hitches, breaking into sobs that sound like they've been waiting to escape.

"I couldn't—I couldn't lose them, Kai," she whispers, clutching my jacket like it's the only thing keeping her upright. "She was right there, she—she looked at them—"

"Shh." I pull her closer, one hand on the back of her head, the other holding her against me. "You did everything right, Pae. You're okay. They're okay." 

"Is Mama okay?"

I look up. Kit's standing by the car, eyes wide and wet. Adrian's holding her hand, and Ava's tucked against her chest.

I brush Paedyn's hair out of her face and whisper, "Yeah, baby. She's okay. She's just tired. She was very brave."

Paedyn pulls back slightly, forcing a trembling smile for them. "I'm okay, loves. Promise."

But when she meets my eyes again, hers are glassy and lost. And I know she's not okay, at least not yet.

So I gather her close again, one arm around her, the other reaching for Kit's hand. "Come on," I say quietly. "Let's get everyone home."

The drive back is silent except for the sound of Ava's soft sniffling. When we pull into the driveway, I unbuckle the kids and carry Ava inside while Paedyn stands frozen by the car door.

"Hey." I walk back to her, take her hands. "They're safe. You're safe. It's over."

Her lips tremble. "I didn't feel scared until now."

"That's the adrenaline," I say softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. 

–

Paedyn

Ava fell asleep first — clutching her fox so tightly I had to pry it from her hand when she drifted off. Adrian conked out on the couch halfway through a movie, head in my lap, Kit curled up beside him. They didn't want to sleep alone tonight. I didn't have the heart to make them.

Kai carried each of them upstairs, one by one. Whispered something to Kit that made her nod sleepily. And then it was just us.

Now, hours later, I'm sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of tea that's long gone cold. The clock ticks too loudly. My hands won't stop shaking, even though I keep telling them to.

I can still see her. That woman. The look in her eyes. The sound of her hand hitting the glass. I keep hearing Ava's scream.

The door creaks softly, and Kai steps in, barefoot, hair mussed from running a hand through it too many times.

"You keep replaying it."

"Every second." My voice cracks. "I can't stop seeing her face. I—" I swallow hard. "She was right there, Kai. If I hadn't looked up when I did—if I'd dropped my keys—if one of the doors didn't lock—"

"Hey." He squeezes my knees gently. "Stop. Don't do that."

"But what if—"

"No 'what ifs.'" His voice is firm now, but soft. "You did everything right, Pae. You kept them safe. You kept yourself safe. I know you're scared, but you don't have to be. Not anymore."

The house hums quietly around us. The fridge, the rain outside, the faint ticking of the clock. It's normal again. Ordinary.

And somehow that's what undoes me most of all — because I realize how close I came to losing it.

Kai must feel the shift, because he holds me tighter, whispering, "You're home. You're safe. All of you."

I nod against his shoulder, the words muffled. "I know. I just needed to hear it."

He kisses my temple. "I'll say it as many times as you need."

He finally scoops me up, carries me to bed, and tucks me against him, I don't dream about the woman or the parking lot. I dream about the sound of his voice in my ear, calm and sure, saying stay on the line.

a/n - i hope y'alls week was good!! happy friday (tomorrow) have a lovely weekend and i hope you enjoyed this!!