Eventually, I pull back. “If you want to keep your home, that's fine. We'll make it work. But I think you might like where I've moved a little better.”
Nodding, he says, “We'll figure it out.”
“Okay. Where do you want to go now? Are you hungry?”
He fingers a lock of my hair before answering, “I think I could eat. How about you?”
“Yeah. Let's go get something.” I step to his side, taking his hand in mine, ready to walk wherever this world takes us. Probably to the hotel to get my car. “Where do you want to go afterward? Are you able to come to see my new place? Oh, do you need to let your parole officer know beforehand?” At the look on his face, I add, “I know, I know. Me and my questions.”
“It's okay. I kind of like your questions.”
I smile, and we begin to walk slowly along the path. Everything looks much brighter than before. Maybe it's just this feeling of being truly free.
Free to love him.
Free from my parents.
After a couple more steps, I tug on Jacob's hand to stop him. “Wait.” He turns to me with a raised brow. “Can you tell me again . . . tell me that you love me? This time without the goodbye?”
His lips do that twitching thing before finally giving up and turning into one of his rare smiles. And then his mouth is crashing into mine.
EPILOGUE
Jacob - 9 ½ yrs later
It takes all I have not to go in and wipe away the tears that I can see Remi dabbing at through the crack in the bathroom door. I know she's trying to hide them from me, trying to hide her heartache.
So I stay sitting here on the edge of the bed, watching as she grips the counter, trying to pull herself together. It still kills me to see her tears. But truthfully, right now, I'm trying to hide my own cracking heart from her.
When she steps out of the bathroom, she does a double-take when she sees me sitting here. I try to send a comforting smile her way, but shit, she must see right through it because she changes course and heads straight for me.
Stepping between my legs, she wraps her arms around my head and holds it close to her stomach.
For a brief moment, as I lift my arms and slide them around the curve of her body, I wonder if there's a little piece of me growing inside of her right now. A precious life, just waiting to have me in the palm of their hands.
The corners of my mouth twitch with a smile trying to appear just thinking about it, a nice distraction from the pain.
“It's just so unfair,” Remi sniffles, unable to keep her emotions out of her voice.
“I know, sweetheart. But we've known this would be the case all along.” I slide my hand up and down her back, moving in circular motions as I go.
“I know, I just . . .” She takes a deep breath and releases. “I just thought with only two weeks being left that they'd be more lenient. You know?”
I know she thought that. But I try never to let myself get too hopeful when it comes to things like that.
“It's okay. Two more weeks, and we can start to put it all behind us. Right?”
Remi has been my gift, the priceless reward for all the injustices I've faced. She's been everything good in my life . . . up until five years ago.
She pulls back, looking down at me with all the love in the world in her eyes. And that look right there, directed at me, thathas me feeling like the luckiest son-of-a-bitch in the world, despite all the shit.
“Two weeks,” she whispers, palming my cheek.
The moment is broken when I'm being propelled forward in the next second, and two little arms are coming around my neck. Thankfully, I stop myself from falling forward and knocking Remi over.
“Hey, Popsicle.”
Swinging my arm around behind me, I scoop my baby girl up and pull her around into my lap.
