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9
KAYLA
It seemed like such an insane idea at first.
So insane that when Monty first suggested it to me, I was left blinking several times, trying to make sense of it.
“You want me to move to Gracetown?” I asked.
He nodded. “Why not? It’s a safe neighborhood with good work opportunities, and you’ll be surrounded by friends who can help you take care of Hunter.”
“Yes, but…” I struggled with the idea. I mean, logically, I knew it wasn’t that far-fetched. I knew I needed to move away from here anyway, and all the reasons he listed were pretty good reasons to choose Gracetown as my next stop. Still, I stubbornly held on to the idea of staying, and I wasn’t even sure why. Perhaps it was my natural inclination to resist, heightened by my suspicions of him. It was like a mental block for me to decide whether or not he was on my side, and it probably had a lot to do with my mixed feelings about Monty.
I had no idea what to do with him now, how to treat him.
Previously, I had ticked him firmly into the category of asshole who had had sex with me while working for my father and also a stalker who tracked me down and played mind games with me, but now…I wasn’t so sure. He had expressed genuine shock, both at the existence of his son and upon discovering my identity. And he had also so easily dismissed the fact that my father was a thug…like he truly believed it. Everything he said rang of truth, and that was what was seriously messing me up.
Because at this point, it was difficult not to believe him.
Besides, if he was truly working for my father, then why hadn’t he taken me yet? There had already been several opportunities for him to knock me out and simply take over, but he had not taken any of them. Instead, he had brought me home and then proceeded to express displeasure at the state of my apartment.
If he was playing some kind of game with me, then he wasn’t doing it very well.
Which led me to the dreadful conclusion that I had been wrong.
And if I were wrong, then that would mean…
I hesitated to think about it as guilt slammed into me regardless. If Monty were indeed innocent of all the accusations I lobbed against him, then it would mean I kept him from his son for no reason and almost had Hunter live his entire life without knowing his father. If Faith had never picked Monty of all people to find me, then we would have remained strangers, and I would have continued on this path, running from place to place with an eye over my shoulder the entire time.
God. What had I done?
I mean, I wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t a thug, but even that wasn’t enough to comfort me amid the realization of the terrible mistake I had made. Jeez, I had nearly confined myself to a miserable existence for the rest of my life because of this. I’d had dreams before going to see my dad—dreams of going back to school, getting my creative writing degree, and finally becoming a writer as I had always dreamed. Dreams I had given up because survival had always been at the forefront of my mind.
And in addition to that, I had nearly ruined a man’s life based on suspicion alone. I owed him an apology.
“I…I’m sorry,” I murmured. He had been staring down at Hunter at the time, but at my words, he turned his gaze to me. “For what I did. I thought…I don’t know. I thought I was keeping him safe because—”
“Because I was supposedly working in the criminal underbelly of Mississippi, yeah, I already got that part,” he said wryly, smiling at my chagrin. “Don’t worry about it. I was mad before, but I understand why you did it.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. And honestly, I’m a little impressed that you managed to take care of him by yourself this long. Someone else would have crumbled under the sheer pressure of it all.”
Relief flooded through me, but I narrowed my eyes at him. His easy capitulation made me equal parts worried and guilty. I had expected him to hold a grudge for some time or at least continue to hold it over my head for emotional blackmail or hammer on it to the point where the guilt intensified. And I had been ready for it, ready for the emotional roller coaster. His brushing it off easily confused me.
“Why didn’t you go to the police?” he asked. “If you thought there was this criminal mastermind after you and your child, I would have thought the police would be the first person you’d go to.”
“Well, at first, I thought that if I simply never spoke about what I saw or involved myself in any way, he would just leave me alone. And then, by the time I realized that wasn’t the case, it was too late. I tried going to the police then, but they didn’t take me seriously, and it wasn’t like I could afford security. Eventually, I figured I was better off on my own.”
Monty gave me an odd look before saying softly, “You’ve been on your own a lot, haven’t you?”
I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Ever since my mother died, yeah.” The statement pricked at a sore spot inside me, one that I didn’t know still existed. Even though she died a few years ago, losing my mother in a freak accident still sometimes felt like a fresh wound.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was solemn, and his tone was without dramatic effect, but somehow, those two words held more meaning and understanding than some platitudes given at her funeral.
I nodded, feeling my throat tighten.
“But you don’t have to do that anymore,” he continued. “I’m here now. Let me take care of you. Move to Gracetown.”
