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“Youbastard!”
We all spin around to see Piper, Georgia’s sister, going toe-to-toe with a dark-haired guy about my size. He looks like he wants to simultaneously rip her head off and throw her over his shoulder to cart her away.
Then he does just that. He grabs Piper, tosses her over a shoulder, and starts stomping away from us.
“Put me down! Hey! You overbearing pig!” She beats her fists on his back. “Put me down, Rhett!Rhett!”
Georgia has Piper’s sons’ hands in hers, and she’s watching her sister being carried off with a slightly bemused expression on her face. “Call me in the morning!”
“I’m not—PUT ME DOWN!”
The man—Rhett—sets her on her feet, then opens the back door of a dark SUV and gestures for her to enter. Piper, fuming, huffs…and enters the car.
Nate looks up at his aunt Georgia. “Where’s Mom going? Why is Mr. Baldwin carrying her?”
“Um…she has work to do,” Georgia answers. “Remember?”
“Is that why we’re having a sleepover at your house?” Alec asks, frowning at the leaving car.
“Yes, honey,” Georgia answers. “Come on. Let’s get donuts from that kiosk.”
I glance at Mia, who’s watching the scene, blinking rapidly. “Any idea what that’s about?” I ask.
She snorts. “No, but I’m sure I’ll find out.”
“Crazy women,” I mumble, and Mia punches my arm.
I’m notsure why I take Mia and Bailey to my old house. But as the air turns colder and Bailey starts shivering, I bring them both across town to a neighborhood that used to be quite rough but is now in high demand. My little three-bed, one-bath brick house sits on a large lot, cheerful lights strung on its eaves.
“What are we doing here?” Bailey asks, pressing her nose to the car window.
“I wanted to show you the first house I ever bought.” The car’s still running, and I don’t intend to stay long. It’s strange being here now.
Buying that place was the first time I ever felt like I had a home. I scrimped and saved through my early twenties to get a deposit together, borrowing money from my old boss when the bank turned around and told me I needed an extra five grand to get approved for the loan. Then I lived like a pauper to pay this place off as quickly as humanly possible.
It was all mine—the only thing in my life that felt like my own. I could be myself inside those walls.
I moved out only a few months ago, after living in that place for fifteen years. A nice family with two young kids moved in and have been renting it ever since.
“It’s nice!” Bailey exclaims. She beams at me through the gap between the two front seats. “Maybe one day, Mom and I will live in a house with a big yard. Right, Mom?”
“Right,” Mia answers, avoiding my gaze.
“But I like our apartment too,” Bailey says, staring at my old house. “Especially after the renovations.”
I put the car in gear, intending to drive off, when the front door opens. Bob Webber steps out and lifts a hand in greeting. I blow out a breath, exchange a glance with Mia, and step out of the car.
“Hi, Bob!” I call out.
He lets out a booming laugh. “I thought that was you! Come on in! Who have you got there with you?”
“Hello!” Mia says, exiting her side of the car. Bailey scrabbles out and takes her mother’s hand.
We’re ushered inside, where Bob introduces the girls to his wife Laurie and two young children, Beth and Will. Then we’re plied with tea and coffee and cocoa and the best of Laurie’s baking, and we sit in my old kitchen like one big family.
It feels strange. This used to be my sanctuary, and now it belongs to someone else.
“We were fortunate that Desmond offered this house to us,” Laurie says, looking at her husband with shining eyes. “We’re still so grateful.”
