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“Are you happy here, Buddy?” I ask, sliding him down to the ground, genuinely curious. “Or would you like to move closer to Grandma and Grandpa?”
“I want to stay here forever,” he says wistfully, tossing his arms out. “My friends are awesome, and I’m getting way better at riding horses.” The smile on his face is so wide that I can’t help but smile right back. His words put my mind at ease—I long to stay, too.
The wind blows, ruffling his hair, and my eyes catch on something white fluttering on the porch railing. My brows furrow in confusion, and dread sinks like a stone in my stomach. What is that?
The sensation of eyes watching me suddenly returns, and I bring my son in closer as we near the fluttering item. My eyes dart around the space, ready for someone to appear, but everything seems quiet. Nothing’s out-of-place other than that strange paper. I’m being so silly. Maybe Jeremy left me a note.
He would just send a text…
Walking past it, I check the door, breathing a sigh of relief to find it locked. Not wanting to alarm Theo over nothing, I open it quickly and usher him into the house. Carrots is hopping around in her cage, excited to see us, and everything is just as I left it earlier. My computer sits open on the table, and the shoes are lined up the same as always. There’s nothing, no one, moving about.
Once I’m sure the house is safe, I pop back onto the porch. With a shaking hand, I reach for the fluttering white paper. It has a rock over it, pinning it down. My hand trembles hard, and I pull it back into my chest for a moment to ground myself. I just know that this stupid white piece of paper is going to be bad. A lump forms in my throat when my fingers graze the material. It flutters ominously against me, thicker than I expected. The rock feels impossible to lift, weighing thousands of pounds, but that’s just the fear. Finally, I will my muscles to work, picking it up and holding back my scream of horror.
Bile rushes up my throat, and I clasp the object tightly. It’s not paper. It’s a picture. My wedding picture. The smiling couple, dressed up for the camera, my arms wrapped protectively around my enormous baby bump. Shock holds me captive as I look at the familiar image, noticing the big red X across my face. Flipping it over, I scan the back, ‘Be seeing you soon,’ a message reads in Frank’s familiar scrawl.
The nausea wins, and I pitch forward, leaning over the side of the porch and hurling up the meager contents of my stomach. Dry heaving a few more times before I get it under control. Cold sweat covers my body, making me shiver and shake.
He’s found us.
Fear grips me, my heart racing in my chest. Pounding so hard I become dizzy.
“You okay, Mom?” Theo asks, his eyes fearful as he pokes his head out of the door. And as much as I want to protect him, there is no way to hide this. We need to leave. And we need to do it fast.
“I’m so sorry, Buddy,” I tell him, retreating into the house and locking the door behind us. Tears fall from my eyes, tracking down my cheeks and soaking my blue shirt. “We have to pack fast. Daddy found us.”
The words drop like a bomb, cracking the beautiful illusion of safety we’ve built here. Theo’s face crumbles, and I catch him when he sways.
“But he can’t hurt you anymore. That’s what the lawyers said. Just tell him to go away so we can stay,” he tries to reason with me. We both love the ranch… Lustre Lake… Jeremy. But there is no way to fight Frank. The only answer is to run—far. And fast. And now.
Giving Theo a big squeeze, I usher him into his room, pulling the suitcase from below his bed. He looks at me tearfully and my heart splits wide open. But he comes over and gives me an enormous hug, wise beyond his years, before going to gather his clothing from the dresser.
We move around the house quickly and efficiently, packing bag after bag. And the emptying rooms make the desolation worse. The luggage drops near the door with a loud thump, each piece louder than the last in the silent space. And as the pile grows, Theo breaks a little more and I hate myself.
The scraping of a key in the door interrupts, cleaving the quiet and making me scream. Shoving Theo behind me, I search the small space for any kind of weapon, grabbing a nearby stool as the door swings open on silent hinges. A huge figure stands in the doorway, and a furry blur runs into the house. Relief. Pure relief slams into me and I release the stool with a sob.
Jeremy walks into the room and kicks the door shut behind him; a golden angel that’s only going to make this harder. The scent of garlic and cheese fills the air, all coming from a big pizza box in his arms. Totally forgot he was bringing over dinner.
Blue sneaks behind me, pressing against Theo, who hugs him so hard that I’m surprised the dog doesn’t snap. He presses the side of his face into the crook of Theo’s neck, giving him a ‘Blue hug’ as we call them.
My mouth opens, ready to explain—to apologize—but not a single word comes out. My voice has been stolen, along with the safety that cocooned me in his arms just this morning.
His eyes scan over the room and drop to the bags piled by the front door and I cross my arms in front of me, hunching forward, bracing for the explosion. But it never comes. The pizza box scratches quietly against the counter as he slides it down, abandoning the meal to pull me into his arms. They wrap around me, blanketing me in warmth and shielding me from the storm raging inside. The one tearing me apart as my heart begs me to stay and my instincts force me to flee.
“It’s going to be okay. Whatever spooked you, I’m here,” he croons, soothing me. Theo pops up from the floor, and Jeremy reaches out with one arm, drawing my baby in close, holding us both in his strong arms. Theo begins sobbing, snot running from his nose right onto Jeremy’s shirt, but the man doesn’t flinch or scoff, remaining still. A pillar ready to stand between us and anything coming our way.
“My dad found us,” Theo tells him. “We’ve got to leave so he doesn’t hurt Mom again.” Jeremy’s body hardens slightly, but he relaxes quickly. We haven’t spoken much about Frank. He knows that I have an ex-husband that was an asshole and that I left, but not much more. However, at Theo’s words, I wonder if he’s aware of a bit more than I expected.
His jaw is hard and ticking as it clenches in anger, but no fear comes from the movement. I know he isn’t angry at me. All of my instincts scream that I can trust this man. With everything—even my son.
“Well, I’m here now. Maybe we can figure out some options,” he says, with concern, not condemnation in his tone. But this house is closing me in, walls pressing around me like a coffin. The urge to run is still strong. “Let’s talk, Sugar.”
Chapter Twenty
Well, this isn’t what I was expecting to walk into tonight. I’d been looking forward to pizza night and a movie with my two favorite people, so being hit with this maelstrom has my world spinning. Working to unclench my jaw, I take a few deep breaths, doing my best to let go of the hurt. She was going to leave without even saying goodbye.
The bags piled at the door mock me as I usher Arden and Theo toward the couch. They both sit dutifully, anxiety etched on every plane of her beautiful face. This isn’t about you, dummy.
“Well, first off—how do you know he’s here? Did you see Frank? Did he touch you?” The thought clenches my gut, and I reach forward, grasping her face in my hand and twisting it to look for bruising. Thankfully, she looks physically alright, even if she struggles to meet my eyes.
