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Uniformed officers scatter, looking grateful for the chance to escape.
Not wanting to be seen, I turn away quickly. But my panic only grows at what I see next.
Fear and despair make me stumble.
Lulu and Mary step out onto the road, my new love smiling down at my daughter.
She’s running and taking Mary with her.
Rage joins the swell in my chest. I rush forward, desperate to get to them, but people block the way. I push through, shouting for her to stop, all thoughts of police momentarily forgotten.
“Louise! Mary!”
I lose sight of them when traffic picks up. Cars, trucks, and buses hide them from sight. I can’t see my girls.
This isn’t happening.
A large bus stops directly in front of me as the traffic stills on one side. The other continues to flow, keeping me trapped on this side. I stand on the curb, gasping for air as my whole world crumbles.
I can’t live without them. I won’t.
The bus hisses, the noise making me jump as it pulls away.
Mary and Lulu stand on the other side. My baby girl waves excitedly with cotton candy clutched tightly in her hand, the other holds Lulu’s.
Wide-eyed, I take in their matching smiles. My gaze flicks behind them to the cotton candy stand surrounded by another family. My gut twists at the pay phone beside it.
What did you do, Louise?
My body turns, a mind of its own, to where the feds and local cops still congregate within the crowd. Lulu’s gaze follows mine.Does she see them?
My wife-to-be and daughter step out into the road as the cars thin. My heart thuds with every step they take. I’m having a stroke at thirty-six.
My girls cross quickly, but it feels like a lifetime. Their big smiles attack my chest, taking away my panic as they come back to me. As Lulu comes back to me.
My eyes glance at the bus station behind them. She had time, and she had Mary. This could have ended so differently.
But it didn’t,I remind myself.
She chose to stay. Lulu chose us.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Lulu
When I cross the street, my smile falls at Ajax’s expression.
He’s angry. Shit.I knew we shouldn’t have gone that far, but I couldn’t leave forever without reaching out to my friends. Before Ajax and Mary, they were the closest thing I had to family. I was just too deep in denial to see it.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, feigning ignorance.
“Absolutely fucking nothing.” He sighs. His whole being relaxes as we join him on the sidewalk.
Ajax drops his forehead to mine, and his deep frown transforms into a bright smile, his hands gentle as they frame my face.
His body shakes, the tremors traveling up his arms and into my body.Not so relaxed.
His kiss makes me moan. “Hi,” I breathe against his lips. “We just wanted candy.” I motion behind me with my thumb.
