Page 4 of Bittersweet Redemption

My eyes stay focused on her house for a few more seconds before I head inside and jump in the shower before collapsing into bed.

* * *

The next morning I sleep until almost noon, catching up on the sleep I missed over the weekend. I’m off work today, so I don’t have anything to do until I meet my brother and his fiancée, Riley, for dinner. We usually try to get together at least once a week to catch up after the time we lost when I was in prison.

My days off involve laundry and cleaning up around the house, although there’s not much to clean when you live alone. But I take pride in my house since it’s something I’ve dreamed of for so long. It was one thing that kept me going. . . what my life would be like on the other side.

Early afternoon, I take my sketch pad and an energy drink to the backyard. I’ve accumulated a couple of chairs and a table where I can sit and relax on nice days. The yard backs up to woods so it’s really serene. Sometimes I sit out here and close my eyes and just listen. It’s nice to be able to go outside whenever I want and not just when I’m scheduled for outside time like I was in prison. I could sleep out here if I fucking wanted to. That freedom is something I’ll never take for granted again.

I’m working on a sketch for a client I’ve got scheduled later this month. It’s a big job with a lot of small details, and I want to make sure I’ve got it right for him. As I’m sketching out a forest scene, I see a white and black ball roll across the grass in front of me from the direction of my new neighbor’s house.

Looking up, I see a little boy running after the ball. He grabs the ball and turns towards me.

“Sorry, mister. I didn’t mean to kick it that hard.” He looks down at the ball in his hands. I hadn’t even noticed he was outside.

“That’s alright, kid. You’ve got a powerful kick.”

His eyes light up at my words. “Mommy signed me up for soccer, so I have to practice.”

I nod, remembering I saw a kid tagging along with the pretty blonde yesterday. “That’s sick. You’ll be scoring goals left and right.”

He smiles and walks towards me. “Whatcha drawing?” he asks, looking down at my sketch pad.

“I’m drawing a tattoo for someone.”

“My dad has tattoos,” he tells me. “Not as many as you, though.”

I chuckle as his little eyes take in the ink covering my arms. At the mention of his dad, I wonder why I didn’t see him helping them move in.

“Does your dad live with you in your new house?”

His shoe makes a small circle in my grass. “Um, no. We don’t live with Daddy anymore.”

Ah. Now it makes sense. “Sorry to hear that, kid.” I know how hard it was for my brother and me when my dad left. Our mom tried hard to give us a good life, but it’s not the same for a little boy without his father.

“It’s ok. Mommy smiles a lot more now, and I like that.” I nod. This kid reminds me a lot of myself. I always tried to look out for my mom growing up. I wanted her to be happy, so I did everything I could to make her proud of me. And I did a pretty good job until I got arrested, and everything went to shit.

“What’s your name?” I ask him.

“Roman. What’s yours?”

“Kai. How old are you?”

“Five.”

Before I can say anything else, we hear his name being called from across the yard. We both look in the direction of the voice and see his mother jogging in our direction.

“Roman, honey,” his mother catches her breath when she gets to the kid’s side. “What are you doing over here? You can’t just run off like that.”

“Sorry, Mommy. My ball rolled over here, so I came to get it.” I study the woman’s profile while she’s talking to her son. Her long blonde hair is styled in loose waves. She’s short, which I knew from watching her move in, but I’d say she’s probably a good foot shorter than me. She’s pretty, but the oddest thing is that she looks familiar, like I’ve seen her before but can’t place it. Maybe I’ve tattooed her. I scan her skin but don’t see any visible tattoos. Of course, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have any.

Then she turns to look at me. When I see her full face, I know exactly where I know her from. My stomach drops. She sucks in a sharp breath, informing me she recognizes me too.

This cannot be fucking happening.

Chapter 3

Willa