Page 70 of Together Is Where We Belong

“You didn’t have to miss work,” she said as she walked further into the room.

“Yeah, I did. We’re goin’ to the sheriff's office this mornin’.”

She opened her mouth I’m sure to object, but the sound of Luke’s footsteps racing down the hall stopped her.

He ran right past her and up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“You’re here,” he said as he hugged me.

“Good mornin’, little man. Yeah, I’m still here. Why don’t we go get ready for the day, and then we can go on an adventure,” I suggested. The mention of an adventure made him turn around on his heels and race up to Carolina.

“Did you hear that, Mom? We’re goin’ on an adventure,” he said, his voice full of excitement as he ran down the hall.

“I have work, Leo,” Carolina said as she crossed her arms.

“Call out. This is important.”

I stared down at her, looked her in the eyes, and said, “Yours and his safety are top priority. We need to make sure the sheriff is aware of the situation.”

I waited until she nodded in understanding before I stepped around her and went to Luke’s room to make sure he was getting dressed.

“What kind of adventure are we going on, Dad?” Luke asked as he hopped on one foot, attempting to get his shorts on, trying to hurry up and get dressed.

“I thought your uncles could take you to the ranch and let you see the animals and maybe you can help Nana make some cookies. How’s that sound?” I asked as I helped him get into his shorts and change his shirt to the one he'd laid out on his dresser.

“Yes,” he said as he pumped his arms in the air. Once he was done, we went to the bathroom where I combed his hair and left him to brush his teeth and wash his face.

When I got back to the kitchen, I found Carolina making a bowl of oatmeal for Luke and heard the sound of bacon popping in the frying pan.

“Look, I’m sorry if I came across as tryin’ to tell you what to do,” I said as I walked up beside her and leaned against the counter.

She stirred the bowl of oatmeal and drizzled honey on the top before she added the small pieces of apple she’d cut up. Once she was done, she walked over to the table and sat the bowl of oatmeal beside a cup of orange juice that she’d made for Luke.

She walked up to the stove and grabbed a fork and moved the bacon in the pan.

“You still like yours extra crispy?” she asked without looking over at me.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“Over medium or scrambled?” she asked as she continued to cook the bacon.

“Over medium. You’re mad?” I asked her, and she turned her head toward me.

“No, I’m not mad. I’m frustrated. Not at you. At the situation. I’m tired of it all,” she said before she continued cooking.

“I get it. But we’ll keep you safe. You know that, right?” I whispered, not wanting Luke to hear and cause his innocent mind to worry.

“It’s not your job to keep me safe. Luke, sure,” she said as she picked the bacon up and placed it on a paper towel clad plate.

“That’s where I’m goin’ to stop you. It is my job. You wanna know why?” I asked as I put my hand on each of her shoulders and turned her to face me. She looked over to where each of my hands were before she looked at me and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Why’s that?” she asked with a hint of stubbornness. That caused me to smirk. There she was. The firefly I used to know. It was good to know she was still in there somewhere.

“Because keepin’ you safe means he remains safe. Keepin’ you from bein’ hurt allows you to continue bein’ the mama he deserves. Just because we have our past issues, doesn’t mean I’m just goin’ to leave you to the wolves. The past is just that. The past. We are here in the present, and we will work through this. Together,” I told her as I dropped my hands at the sound of Luke’s footsteps heading toward us.

She didn’t respond; she just went back to cooking our eggs. I walked over to the table and sat beside Luke who happily dug into his bowl of oatmeal. Nowhere was the little boy I’d heard hated mornings. He was cheerful and happy this morning, and a part of me hoped it was because I was here. Once that thought crossed my mind, a pang hit the center of my chest knowing that we’d likely never make those hopes of his a reality.

“You’re uncles are on the way over here,” I told him as I looked over to Carolina who turned her head and gave me a questioning glance over her shoulder.