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“Mom!” I said when the door shut. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“When you didn’t wake up from surgery, Bridget called me.” Her head hung low. “She told me what your father did.”
I squeezed her hands. “It’s okay, Mom.” I looked at Bridge. “It is okay, right? Everything got worked out?”
“Oh, it’s fine,” she said. “In fact, it’s more than fine. Jonah found the most spectacular working ranch for sale a few miles south of Bitterroot.”
“Does the family like it?”
“The family loves it,” Bridget admitted warmly. “They’ve already moved the ranch and drove the cattle south.”
Thinking back on Hunt Ranch made me so incredibly sad, but I was happy I was able to provide them the life my father stole.
“Your money helped,” she said. “There’s still a million left,” she said.
“That’s yours, Bridget.”
“What?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“It’s for you and the baby.”
“And what are you going to do?”
“I’m leaving,” I told them, shocking Bridge.
“What? Why?”
“As long as Dad is alive, is around, he will stop at nothing to ruin me. I can’t risk the Hunts. I can’t risk you or Mom.”
“Spencer,” Bridge said softly, “what about Cricket?”
“I’m doing this all for Cricket, Bridge. I did all this for her.”
“She’s not going to stand for this,” she said.
“She’ll have to. It’s to keep her safe, Bridge. Do you promise not to tell her? At least until I’ve left.”
“Yes,” she complied, though she hated to.
We talked about my plan to leave and I agreed to take a few thousand dollars to keep myself afloat for a bit. I would return to Brown and continue going to school there. I would talk to the administration about the rowing scholarship I had and what it meant for me in the long run. I also promised Bridge I would return when the baby was born.
My mom was moving to Montana and planned on living with Bridget until she was done with her education, including college.
I had done everything I could for the family that did all they could for us, and I was more than satisfied.
Now, if I could only muster up the courage to leave Cricket behind.
Early in the morning, I discharged myself, much to Dr. Caldwell’s dismay, but I promised him I would see a nephrologist as soon as I got to Providence and would report back to him. I thanked him and grabbed the bag Bridge hesitantly packed for me.
I kissed my sister and mother goodbye and caught a taxi to the airport.
I was going to keep Cricket Hunt safe if it killed me...or tried to...again.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
It had been nine days, seven hours and three, no, four minutes since I’d left Montana and I was in torment. I was getting shit sleep, not just because I was recovering from surgery, but mostly because I kept dreaming of the night I kissed Cricket.
I laid in bed, in my new apartment with bars on the window, with my new furniture I got at the Goodwill. I didn’t buy anything upholstered there though. I drew the line there. Instead, I splurged and bought one sofa at Ikea as well as a mattress from one of those monster warehouse places that also sell gallons of nacho cheese.
