Steve and I followed them along the narrow road and then down to the parking lot of the Inn.
Suddenly I was excited about seeing the kids again. And their dad, of course. Law was a good guy. I wished my own father had been half the guy Law was, but it was what it was.
I smiled as I walked, my fingers touching the big black dog beside me. We’d done a good job, I felt like, and I couldn’t wait to hear what Law and the kids thought about it all.
Chapter 5
Law
Three more hours. According to maps, that’s all we had left to go. The kids had finally fallen asleep just after we exited I-81 near Watertown and it was basically a straight shot down Route 11 until we finally made it to Fairville. I was glad for the silence, because no matter how well behaved my children were, being cooped up in a car for three days was enough to try anyone’s patience.
The novelty of the road trip had worn off for them by the end of day one. While they all had tablets to entertain them—Cait and I didn’t care how much screen time they got during the trip, as long as they were occupied—there was only so much they could take. The SUV wasn’t that big and the excitement had disappeared and devolved into someone always being in someone else’s space. Or someone talking or chewing too loud. Or once, Marlie yawning in Tristan’s direction, which sent my son into a meltdown.
It was a lot.
But we persevered. Caitlyn and I traded off driving to get as much time on the road as we could. The kids, honestly, had beentroopers through the whole thing. Yes, there had been some bickering, but overall, they’d handled it well. But that didn’t mean that all five of us weren’t ready to reach our destination.
It had been a tight squeeze at the end, and we almost hadn’t left on time. As it was, we hit the road a day later than we’d originally intended, but that was due to a mix up with the moving company only sending one truck. It was supposed to be two, since one was going to Fairville and the other to Boston. Fortunately, they took responsibility, sent another truck immediately, and sorted out the problem. We managed to squeeze a few last minute “necessities” into the back of the SUV and the U-Haul trailer, then hit the road.
But it was the Saturday before Christmas, we were only a few hours from Fairville, and even though we’d had setbacks, we were making it before the big day, just like I’d promisedeverybody.
“Mom?”
Caitlyn turned in her seat to face Harper. I glanced in the rearview mirror to check on her. I thought she’d been asleep like her siblings, but maybe she’d only been dozing. Either way, she was awake now, her eyebrows scrunched in the way that she had when she was thinking.
“What’s up?” Cait kept her voice low so as not to wake the other two. I wasn’t as worried about that, since Tristan could sleep through a bomb when he was out like this and Marlie was completely slumped sideways, letting me know she was good and asleep.
“You’re gonna be there for Christmas, right?”
“Yes.” I could tell by Caitlyn’s voice she was smiling. “We’ll all get to celebrate together.”
“But after…then you’re moving?”
Harper had an edge in her voice that I’d come to know well. Her anxiety was spiking, and so she was checking, making surethe plan was the same. She was so much like Charlie sometimes that I joked she was his kid instead. But learning to help Charlie gave me good practice to help my daughter.
“That’s right,” Caitlyn said. She’d learned, too. “I’m going to leave for Boston the day after Christmas. Just like we talked about.”
I glanced back in time to see Harper nod. But that frown was still there. She was twirling her hair around one finger as well.
“Mom? Are you going to be there for Marlie’s birthday?”
Cait’s gaze slid to me. I let go of the wheel long enough to squeeze her knee, encouraging her to be honest. Not that she was the type to make false promises. But as much as she wanted this job, and as much as I was the one to handle the kids day-to-day, Cait hated letting them down.
Caitlyn took a deep breath before she said, “I’m going to try. But I’m starting my new job on January second, remember? And it’ll be just a few weeks before your sister’s birthday. I might not be able to be there in person.”
“Yeah.” Harper sounded thoughtful more than upset. Cait and I were both quiet, letting Harper work through what she wanted to say. It took a couple of minutes, but she finally spoke. “What you do is really important, and you save lives. Sometimes you missed stuff back home too.”
Cait gripped my thigh, just for a second, but I understood. She was tapping me in, asking for help.
“That’s right, sweetheart. Mom’s super important, and we’re proud of her and what she does. But that means sometimes she has to miss time with the family. None of us like it, but we have to think about all the good she does. Her patients need her.”
“I know.” Harper was quiet for a few seconds. “It’s gonna be different though, because you’re gonna be living in a different city.”
Caitlyn’s inhale was a little shaky. “It will be. But you know what?”
“What?”
“There is no one on this whole planet I trust more than your dad. Not a single person. And I know he’s going to take care of you and Marlie and Tris so well. I won’t have to worry about a thing. And there’s a whole bunch of people who are going to help him. You all told me all about them when you got home, and I can’t wait to meet them.” Caitlyn leaned between the seats to hold out a hand, which Harper took. “And you know what else?”
