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CHAPTER ONE

Kensey Lyons, age 7

I sat on the hard chair, legs swinging, as my mom boasted, “She received the Student of the Week award”

My dad’s eyes briefly slid to ain?”

“And her teacher was so impressed with Kensey’s story that she read it out loud to the entire class”

“Well, of course she was impressed,” he said “I love all the stories that Kensey writes for me”

My ive Daddy the picture you drew”

I handed him the folded piece of paper He reached for it with a smile, and his handcuffs rattled

I stilled Don’t look at them, I told myself

Like always, I tried to pretend they weren’t there Just like I tried to pretend that he earing a nore tee Just like I tried to pretend ere sitting at the kitchen table at home, not at a desk that was fastened to the floor in the cold, dull place that smelled of metal and concrete

There were no hofootsteps, and iron doors sliding open and closed

Before I was old enough to understand what prison was, I’d once asked why he never went hoel What happens e do bad things?”

I’d thought about the times my mom told me “no TV” when I didn’t tidy my room “We’re punished,” I’d replied

He’d nodded and said, “That’s right Daddy did so bad, and now he has to stay here”

At the ti bad” couldn’t be very bad My daddy loved ht back He drew me pictures, wrote me poems and stories, and sent ed ot mad or mean Always told me that he loved me and was proud of me Sometimes his eyes would turn hard, but never when he looked at me

Holdingprecious, he smiled “It’s beautiful Very creative Thank you, baby Now I have another to stick on oing on in that clever head of yours, my Kensey?”

I bit my lip I didn’t want to talk about it Didn’t wantBut there was no point in saying that I was fine He always knehen I lied Like he had a superpower “I heard so” I hadn’t meant to whisper it

“What did you hear?” he asked gently

I didn’t want to say it out loud Couldn’t “It was the girls At school One of the about it, and she told the others” And then they’d all teased me about it at recess and called him horrible names, but I didn’t say that It would only make my mom cry

“Talking about what?”

“You”

“I see What did you hear them say?”

I sed “That you killed people,” I whispered “Ladies Lots of them” My mom sucked in a breath

His gentle expression never changed “Is that all that the girls said?”

Slowly, I shook my head “They said you’re not my daddy Said that Mommy married you while you were already in prison” They’d also said that my real dad was married to someone else and that he was a lot older than my mom

“You listen todifference between a father and a daddy I had a father, but he wasn’t in my life, so he wasn’t my daddy See the difference?”

I nodded once “Yes”

“Your father isn’t in your life—which just goes to show that he’s stupid—but I am part of your life I’m your daddy Don’t let anyone make you think differently”

Again, I nodded