Page 52 of Peaks and Promises

“Hear me out,” I said. “I have an idea.”

Turning to look at me, she raised her eyebrows.

I cast a quick glance in the rearview. Nate wore the headphones and seemed engrossed in his game.

It felt like a replay of offering to take her to Tilikum. As soon as I said it out loud, I’d have to do it.

Here goes nothing.

“What if we pose as a family? You’re my wife, and Nate’s our son. Or if that’s too weird, I could be his stepdad. But you both use my last name. We find a place to live together, make it convincing. Mayhem isn’t looking for a family of three, they’re looking for a single mom and her son. It’s not perfect, but it could help keep you both hidden.”

The way she gaped at me made me feel like an idiot. Like it was exactly the terrible idea I’d told myself it was. I shouldn’t have said it out loud.

“Sorry,” I said, hoping it wasn’t too late to retract it all. “It’s probably a stupid idea. I just thought setting things up so it’s not what Mayhem expects might help.”

“It’s not a stupid idea at all.”

“No?”

“It’s smart, actually. Sort of like witness protection without the feds.”

“Do you think Nate would go along with it?”

She glanced over her shoulder at him. “That won’t be a problem. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he looks at you like you’re a superhero.”

“I’m no hero.”

“Are you sure about that? You’ve been awfully heroic the last few days.”

I shook my head. I didn’t know what else to say.

“But how will this work? My ID says Lewis, and so does Nate’s birth certificate. That might make us easier to find. It’s one thing to say we’re Havens, but what about things like work and school? I’ll need documentation.”

“Don’t worry about that. I know a guy who can get us everything we need.”

“You know a guy? Does he owe you a favor, too?”

“Not him, no. But he’ll give me a discount.”

“I think the less I know about this, the better.”

I glanced at her with a hint of a smile. “Probably.”

“What about your family? That seems like a big secret to keep from them.”

“I’ll tell them the truth.”

“That’s good, but… Will they go along with it?”

“Yes. They absolutely will.” It had been a long time since I’d been a part of their lives, but I knew they would.

Hesitating, she rubbed her lips together. “So you’re sure about this?”

The hope in her voice made my chest feel tight. “Positive.”

She twisted in her seat and reached back to tap Nate on the knee. “Hey, buddy.”

He pulled off the headphones. “Yeah?”