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That was true forgiveness from Gray. I hadn’t thought much about what I would do for work if he never got his head out of his ass. That was second to the worry of losing Winnie or my best friend forever, it was good to know I still had a job. I punched him in the arm for being a turd, because, you know, feelings, and went inside to grab my shit.
When I came back outside, Dad was in his rocking chair with a small smile on his face. “Thank you, for everything,” I said sincerely.
“Anytime, son. I know I don’t say it enough but I’ll always be here for you, whatever you need.” I swallowed the emotion that was clogging my throat. There was never a doubt in my mind that my father loved me, that he would support me. Things changed after Mom died but now that I had Winnie, I could see how awful it must have been for him to live with that pain every day.
“One more thing,” he rose from the chair and walked over to me. “You need to be careful. Now that they have been identified, these men are far more dangerous and unpredictable. They’ll deviate from their normal routine to avoid being caught. They won’t want to go back to prison and that makes a man desperate.” His uneasiness showed and I nodded my head, knowing he was right.
“When this all settles down, I want you to bring that girl of yours to see me.”
“Okay, Dad,” I smiled. He clapped me on the shoulder and that was my signal to get going. Fire was raging in my blood to finally get this taken care of so that I could move forward with Winnie. I was ready to begin the rest of our lives together.
29
Winnie
“I’ve got some news, Little James,” Roe said as he plopped down on a barstool at the counter. He and Sam had been trading off watching over the diner for the last few weeks. It was nice having their company during the day, but every time I spotted one of them sitting whereheused to sit, a wave of grief would engulf me.
“Oh?” I continued rolling the silverware without missing a beat. Roe liked to chat, I always appreciated him keeping me distracted so that my mind didn’t have time to worry about the complications in my life. Like the fact that I was going to the doctor tomorrow for my first appointment about the baby.
“We got an ID,” he waggled his eyebrows at me.
“Really?” I dropped the silverware, making him smile at my reaction.
“Did you doubt my skills, dearest Winnie? Locals caught one of them holed up in a motel, thanks to an anonymous tip,” he used finger quotes when he said that last part. It wasn’t surprising that Roe would have to deliver his information to the authorities carefully, I imagined explaining how he got that knowledge would be tricky. “He came in nice and easy and I’m sure that the other will be found soon.”
“That’s great! Does that mean we aren’t on top-secret lockdown anymore?”
“I’m sorry to say that you won’t be seeing this gorgeous face every day, my superpowers are needed elsewhere now,” he posed dramatically with his fists on his hips and looked off to the side.
“You’re ridiculous,” I threw a napkin at his face and laughed, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Since finding out about the baby, I had become more cautious in my daily life. There were so many things I had to be watchful of now that I never would have thought twice about previously. Coffee was probably the most difficult one, not being able to have my morning dose of caffeine was torture. But the fear of not being able to protect my little guy, or girl, terrified me.
“Do you want me to kick him out for you? Because I have the authority to do that, I’m thinking of adding it to my business cards.” Sam placed a box on the counter next to us and started unpacking different electrical components.
“Ah, my trusty sidekick has arrived to aid me in my latest heroic adventure—oof.” Sam elbowed Roe in the stomach before he could put his arm around her.
“What’s all this stuff?” I asked, picking up a complicated looking tangle of wires.
“Panic button,” Sam held up a small red button the size of a quarter. “Now that one of the perps is caught and the other is on the run, the threat should be over. But none of us liked the thought of this happening again in the future, so we’re going to install this little guy under the register.”
“Think of it as your direct line to the super squad!” Roe rounded the counter and began pulling out tools.
Sam rolled her eyes, “He isn’t wrong, if you need help, you push this and it alerts us and the sheriff.” The button didn’t make a sound as she pressed it. “One of us will still be here at opening and closing until the other guy is captured but you should be good during operating hours.”
Starting back up with the silverware, I watched them work and bicker off and on. I felt relieved to know this whole ordeal was almost over but like always, my mind drifted to Kane. I had enough self-respect to stop asking if they had heard from him. I didn’t want to put them in the position of having to snitch on their friend. Maybe he would come back and maybe he wouldn’t, either way life goes on and I had to be ready for how my own would be changing.
* * *
No one preparesyou for how absolutely exhausting pregnancy can be. The last customers had left and Jim and I were cleaning up but all I could think about was dropping into my bed and sleeping for eighteen hours.
“You look dead on your feet, girl, why don’t you sit down and take a break while I finish up,” he took the mop out of my hands and guided me to a stool we had behind the register. I opened my mouth to protest but the look he gave me had me planting my behind on the chair.
Uncle Jim had found me crying in the back office one day and I couldn’t help but blurt out the news that I was pregnant. After hugging me until my tears dried up, he told me how excited he was to be a great uncle again and he had been watching me like a hawk at work ever since. He and Dad were so much alike, they both looked at me like I was made of glass and would break any second.
I started closing out the register because if I was going to be forced to sit here anyway, I might as well make myself useful. I pushed the cash drawer closed and took out the key when I heard the front door bells. Roe, Sam or Gray were still coming by at night to make sure everything was safe and follow me home. The smile on my face froze when I sawhimstanding there.
His hair had gotten longer in the time he was gone and his beard was bushier, like he hadn’t groomed it in weeks. Kane’s hands were fisted deep into his pockets and he looked just like a little boy as he gazed at me uncertainly. He seemed tired and I hated that I was worried about that.
Uncle Jim came out of the kitchen and took in the scene, his eyes ping-ponging between us. “Kane, good to see you’re back,” he said in his gruff voice.
