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“We?”
“The couple who is staying in the apartment now. We’ve been trying to get a hold of him, and we’ve tried to find him at the address he has listed, but we haven’t had any luck.”
“He’s not going to be easy to find, but he needs to pay.”
“Anne has a lawyer friend who is looking at all the evidence, and she’s trying to help me build a case.”
“I’ll give my lawyer a call in the morning,” Albin replied after a brief pause. “We’ll think of something. In the meantime, where are you going to stay?”
“We’re back at Anne’s until I figure out our next move. I had to dip into my savings to move us out, so I can’t afford to go anywhere anytime soon, but it’s okay.”
Albin moved closer and looked into my eyes. “What if you and Jimmy moved in here? With me?”
“You want us all to live together in your parent’s house?”
“It’s a big house. There’s plenty of space, and I know my parents wouldn’t have wanted it to remain empty. More importantly, I want the two of you to move in with me. I want us all to be together.”
I stared at Albin, a smile hovering on my lips. “Alright.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, let’s move in together.”
Because I could no longer think of a single reason why we shouldn’t.
Albin was right. It was time to take a leap of faith, and it was time for us to be a family.
Chapter 26
Albin
I reached between us for Martha’s hand and laced my fingers through hers. “I can’t believe we’re finally doing this.”
Martha turned away from the window to look at me with a smile. “Are you sure your parents’ house is in living condition? No one’s lived there for years.”
One hand stayed on the wheel, and the other lifted her hand up to my mouth. I pressed a soft kiss there, and Martha giggled in response. “I’m sure. I’ve been spending a few hours there every night with a plumber and an electrician. Everything is up and running. I’ve checked.”
Martha breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”
“I know you’re nervous,” I continued, pausing to cast a quick glance in her direction. “But this is going to be fine. We’ll be more than fine, I promise.”
Martha lowered her lashes and studied me. “You can’t promise that.”
“You’re right, but I promise we’ll figure things out.”
And I couldn’t wait for Jimmy to see the house I had grown up in. Over the past week, each time I stopped by the house to make some repairs, I imagined my son on the swing in the backyard or in my old tree house, staring up at the stars. I pictured what it would be like to have Martha there, cooking in the kitchen or with her feet propped up on the coffee table, snuggling into me while we all watched a movie.
And the thought filled my heart with more happiness than I knew what to do with.
A small part of me still believed I would wake up tomorrow, alone in my rented apartment, searching for Martha in a sea of unfamiliar faces and feeling like a part of me was missing. In the distance, Anne’s house loomed, bathed in the glow of the late morning sun. I pulled up outside Anne’s house and killed the engine. In silence, Martha and I got out of the car and stood next to each other.
I peered at the house and shifted from one foot to the other.
A moment later, the front door clicked open, and Jimmy came racing out, an action figure in his hand. He barreled into me and made me lose my balance. Before we fell backward, I hoisted him up onto my shoulders and made a beeline for the front door.
“Mommy, look. I’m so tall.” Jimmy threw his arms out on either side of him and giggled. “Look how tall I am.”
Martha laughed and brushed past me. “Yes, sweetheart. We should take a picture.”
