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Due to my stubbornness, I worked hard and all alone to buy every single thing in this apartment. It’s mine. I own it all. I had to prove to myself that I could be a mother and give my little girl everything she needed. To my own detriment, I’m exhausted.
I’m having to rely on the man I never thought I’d see again to keep me safe, and all of it feels so very unfair. It feels as if I would’ve always ended up here regardless of the pains I took to keep from having to reach out to him.
I’m not a superstitious person, but the idea that so many things might have tested fate and set all of this in motion eats at pieces of me. If I had told Vincent when I found out I got pregnant, would his role in her life somehow have kept my sister and brother-in-law safe?
“May I help you with those?”
I spin around at the accent I can’t exactly place. The big redheaded guy who has been standing guard outside the apartment has his head poked through the open doorway.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to take all of this on a plane,” I mutter, motioning to the suitcase and bags at my feet.
“It’ll be fine,” he assures me, stepping inside and grabbing everything before pausing at the door and waiting for me to follow him.
“Mila?” Sammie says from her own doorway when we walk past. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I answer and keep going.
I owe her no explanation. Honestly, telling her anything could be dangerous for not only us but also for her.
“That one,” the accented guy says, somehow managing to point at a different vehicle despite his hands being full.
I walk closer to the SUV, realizing we’ve gone from a Tahoe to a Suburban, the switch making me feel less bad about the things I’ve packed.
“Is that it?” Vincent asks as the suitcase and bags are loaded into the back of the vehicle.
“Is there room for more?”
He scoffs as we watch the guy push the middle of one of the bags so he can close the hatch.
“I think I’m going to need more suitcases.”
“The bags will be fine.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a plane, but I don’t think you can travel with trash bags.” I turn my eyes from him, already embarrassed for how I had to pack in the first place, but it never occurred to me that I’d have to travel with three children all at once.
“We aren’t flying. We have to drive.”
I spin around to face him, blinking in his direction.
“Impossible.”
“It’s what we’re doing,” he argues.
“It will take a damn week to get to New Mexico.”
“It’s less than eighteen hours to Farmington.”
I stare at him like he’s grown an extra head.
“Have you ever traveled with a toddler?”
He shrugs. “It’ll be fine.”
“Famous last words,” I say.
If anything will make his true colors clear, it’s going to be this damn trip.
Eighteen hours in a car? There’s no way any of them will tolerate that very well. Even Jace, who is wise and mature beyond his years, will struggle with such a long trip. Thinking they’ll make it without complaint or issues is foolish.
