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She shrugs, a nonchalant tilt of her slim shoulders. “And then, we’ll see what happens. Money can give us a lot of options; it can make our life easier in many ways.”
"But it could also make things more complicated," I counter. "Certain people could gain access to our lives through it."
"Then let them come," she declared, her voice steady and resolute. "I'm not afraid. Not anymore. I stood up to them. You made it clear to my father that you’re going to stand by me. I honestly don’t think he expected that. I’m a little ashamed to say I’ve been kind of flighty. I haven’t really made solid connections."
"Okay," I say eventually, staring down at our intertwined hands. “I will fight for you. I told you I will go to the ends of the earth to find you.”
“Thank you for sticking by me,” she smiles. “Thank you for being my rock.”
"I wouldn't be anywhere else," I tell her firmly. "You're my world, Paige."
She grins at my words, her eyes lighting up in a way that makes my heart speed up in my chest. She shifts closer, her body pressing to mine. "I love you too," she murmurs, pressing a tender kiss to my cheek.
“I know you think I’m spoiled, and I am, but me wanting access to my money isn’t really about me. I’m thinking about our baby. I’m thinking about you. I don’t want you to be burdened with trying to bust your butt to take care of us.”
A sigh escapes my lips. She was right. We were going to be parents; we had to think about our child's future. “I understand," I say. "I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
“We don’t have to do anything right now,” she smiles. “We’ll take it one step at a time."
We sat in silence for a few minutes. I had come to terms with leaving my old life behind. Now, I was back. I was resurrected.
“I think I’m going to take a shower,” she says.
“I’ll make us some dinner,” I tell her. “And I think I’ll call Rylan. Let him know I’m alive.”
She gave me a quick kiss. “Good. We’re alive! We should celebrate!”
I laugh. "Yeah," I say, capturing her hand and kissing the back of it. "We're alive. Let's celebrate."
She leaves the room to take her shower. I marvel at her strength, her resolve. She'd grown so much from the flighty girl that I first met, now standing strong despite all the odds. I move towards the kitchen, pulling out ingredients for dinner. I quickly find myself lost in my thoughts as I cook.
While the water is boiling, I grab my phone to call Rylan. I have no idea where he might be.
I wait for him to answer. “Hello?”
“Hey,” I say.
“Hunter?”
“That would be me.”
“Where the hell have you been?” he asks. “You could have told me you were skipping town. Do you know how many phone calls I’ve gotten? You put me down as your emergency contact on your apartment and your job.”
“I know, I know,” I sigh. “It was complicated. I’m sorry. Do I want to know how much crap I’m in?”
He let out a long whistle. “Obviously, you lost your job. I paid the rent on your apartment, but I did give your thirty-day notice. I couldn’t keep covering it. I went in and packed some stuff up.”
"You did?" I ask, surprised and touched by his actions.
"Yeah, man," he replies. "I figured you'd want some of your things, so I got as much as I could before they cleared out the place. I kept waiting to see if you would reappear. I have a lot questions."
"I appreciate it, Rylan," I admit. "Thanks for saving my ass. I’ll pay you back."
"So where are you now? Are you going to tell me what happened, or do I have to play twenty questions?"
I sigh, rubbing my hand over my face. "I’m in Miami.”
“You’ve been there all this time?”
