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“The three-alarm chili?” March asks, excitedly.
“Hell, yeah. Come on. It’s ready now. Both of you. Shoes off. You know the drill.”
I follow the pair inside and kick my shoes off. The ranch looks exactly like I imagine it to be. It looks like it’s straight out of a magazine. Everything is perfect. Nothing is out of place, but I imagine that five-year-old can do a lot of damage rather quickly.
We sit down at a large dining room table, and a matronly housekeeper named Diane serves us chili, cornbread, and sweet tea.
Two hours later, March is ready to go. “We’ve got to get going,”
“Of course. Be safe out there.”
“We will be,” I assure him, shaking his hand. I have so many questions about why she’s doing this, but whatever her reasons, I can keep her safe in the process.
“Junie, I’m leaving.” March kneels down and opens her arms.
“Bye, Mommy,” she says, running over and hugging her tightly. Junie moves over to me. “Bye, Josh.”
“Bye, Junie. It was nice to meet you.”
“You too.” She’s off playing before the last word is out. I chuckle. “She’s going to be a handful.”
“She’s already a handful,” March says.
She hugs her grandfather again, and we head outside. She moves the booster seat to his truck and then yawns. I can tell she’s exhausted.
“Let me drive, Peaches,” I say, extending my hands for the keys. She thinks about if for a second and then hands over the keys. I open the door for her. “Your chariot awaits, my passenger princess.”
“Don’t go being all charming, Josh. I don’t have time for all that.”
“There’s always time for that, babe.” I shut the door and move to get in. I start the truck and put it in drive. “Now, where are we going?”
“A hotel.”
“I’m gonna need a bit more information than that,” I say chuckling.
“Missoula, Montana,” she says, yawning again.
“You rest now, Peaches. I’ll get you there.”
CHAPTER NINE
MARCH
God, I am exhausted. I think of pulling when I feel some arms pull me from my sleep. “Come on, Peaches.” All I want to do is snuggle into that voice that is familiar and warm, like home. I feel myself moving, but right now, all I want to do is keep my eyes closed and be…wait a minute.
My eyes pop open, and I take a second to look around before I realize we are in a hotel room; my bags are on the floor, and I am in his arms. I wiggle and try to get him to let me down. “Okay, well, thank you for getting me to my room.” I attempt to move once again, but his grip on me only tightens. “Uh, Josh, can I get down now?” I glance up to look at his eyes and the heat that I remember fondly is there but then blanketed by anger.
“Yes. I guess I should do that, huh?” He lowers me slowly but doesn’t step back.
“Well, I guess I should be getting to bed then. See you in the morning.” When he smirks, I know I am missing something. “Joshua?” He looks at me and then sits on the bed.
“No problem, babe. Go get ready for bed.” Suddenly, it clicks. I see his bag on the side of the bed, and I am pissed.
“Did you get only one room?” I ask him with my hands on my hips. He walks over to me and leans into my face. His nose and mine are touching and it takes everything in me not to stick my tongue out and lick his lips, familiarizing myself with the taste I was so obsessed with in high school. Instead, I pinch my mouth together and look him in his eyes.
“You bet your ass I did, Peaches. You have dropped off Junie and now there is no buffer.” My heart jumps when I hear him call our daughter by her nickname.
“I can’t believe you did this!” I shout, needing to express my frustration in some way.
