“Oh wow. That’s intense.”
“I have two older brothers, Adam and Dan, who went off to college and defied my parents by marrying girls who weren’t active church members and hadn’t been homeschooled. But I was the biggest disappointment, with the pregnancy out of wedlock and all.”
I whistle under my breath. “Well, you’re in the Redford family now, and you’re my friend. We’ll acclimate you to normal life, which Justin Bieber is a very important part of. We’ll watch some music videos of his when we get back home.”
I turn up the song, “Everything Hallelujah.”
I hum under my breath as we pull into Loretta’s Café. They have my favorite burgers, homemade ranch dressing, and dangerously delicious sweet tea.
“You missing Sterling?” I ask her.
She nods, sighing as we walk inside. “Every single day. I got a new letter yesterday. I’m so worried about him.”
“I bet. I’m sorry. I would be a mess.”
We take a seat at an empty booth. I slide the menu to the side, already knowing exactly what I want.
“I think I’m questioning if he was even real or not. He’s been gone longer than I was actually living with him. I’m so glad I’m here with y’all, or I would really think I’d made him up in my head.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “He’s real. I think you guys still have some getting to know each other to do, but since you sort of skipped around in the order of things, you’ll just have to do it with a baby. Which isn’t a bad thing. Life changes so much after kids. I truly think a lot of couples fall apart after living for years with just each other. Kids throw so much work and responsibility into a relationship, and if you don’t both pull your weight, it’s hard.”
The waitress appears, chewing her gum. Her curly gray hair is tied up in a blue bandana. “What can I get you gals?”
“Sweet tea for me. Eden?”
“Same for me.”
The waitress walks away, wide hips swaying.
“I think you guys will be fine. Honestly, from what I’ve heard, Sterling is pretty easygoing. I don’t know him well, but that’s the vibe I get from what everyone says. He’s a good egg.”
“He’s done so much for me already. It’s part of why I question whether or not it was all real. It’s hard to believe.”
“Like what?”
She twirls a long golden strand of hair around her finger. She’s so pretty and innocent-looking with her freckles sprinkled across her nose.
“I—” She looks around sheepishly.
The waitress returns with our sweet tea. “Anything to eat, hon?”
“Yes, I’ll have the cheeseburger, cooked medium well, with fried pickles and ranch.”
“Oh, that sounds amazing. Same for me, but no onions, please,” Eden says.
The woman nods and walks away again. I look back at her, reaching for the tea.
She lowers her voice and leans in toward me. “I think either he or Duke might have murdered my ex.”
I choke on the tea, accidentally inhaling it while trying to sip from the rim. It dribbles out of my nose, making my eyes water. I blink, coughing as I reach for a napkin in the metal holder.
“Um, excuse me.” I try clearing my throat, dabbing my face with the napkin.
When I’m finally recovered, my eyes meet hers again.
“Could you, uh, expand on that statement?” I choke out.
She licks her lips, her cheeks warm and her voice low. “I don’t really know. It was … weird. I hadn’t told anyone where I was, but he found me—Michael, my ex. I was walking down the street, and he took me—kidnapped me, I guess. He drove me to this motel room and was being his usual jerk self. I genuinely thought I’d never see Sterling again. I figured he was better off, you know?”
