Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“Your uncle didn’t leave you and he never will, do you hear me, Christopher?” I said firmly. “He probably got turned around on his walk but I’m going to go find him and bring him home, okay? I need you to stay here and watch out for your sister. I’m going to lock the door behind me. Don’t open it for anyone.”
Christopher merely nodded. While I would have liked to offer more reassurances that his uncle would be fine, I was too concerned about Micah to linger. The reality was that it still got cold at night in the woods, and it was easy to get lost in them. I didn’t even want to think about the possibility of Micah encountering one of the nighttime predators that called the forest surrounding us home.
I rose to my feet and headed to the front of the house to grab a shotgun from the gun safe in the hallway closet and then returned to the kitchen to fish a flashlight out of one of the drawers before leaving through the back door, locking it behind me in the process. Fear began firing through my nerve endings as I rushed to the last place I’d seen Micah.
Our tree.
Fuck, I couldn’t think of it like that. I couldn’t think of it, period. The whole thing had been a mistake.
A terrible, terrible mistake.
Problem was, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it. Truth be told, I wouldn’t have done anything differently because I’d needed Micah more than I’d needed my next breath.
I still did.
“Fuck,” I muttered to myself just before I breached the woods and made my way to the clearing where the tree was. My heart sank when I realized Micah wasn’t there.
“Micah!” I called as I visually searched the clearing for him. The sun had fallen well below the horizon so I could barely make out anything that wasn’t directly in front of me. “Micah!” I shouted desperately as I glanced at each of the different trails that led away from the clearing. There were three in all, but he hadn’t chosen the one that led to the house or I would have passed him on it.
Which left two.
Two trails that led in completely opposite directions and would only take Micah deeper and deeper into the woods.
Fuck, which one would he have chosen? It was so easy to get turned around that I literally had a fifty-fifty chance. Even as I debated which trail to start with, I could feel the nip of the evening air caressing my skin. The forest around me came alive with the chirps and calls of various insects and critters that called the woods home.
I followed my gut and took the path to the left, the one that was closest to the actual trail that led back to the house. As much as I would have liked to sprint down the trail in the hopes of catching up to Micah, the precarious footing wouldn’t allow for that. Flashlight in hand, I began calling out to Micah again, pausing only long enough to listen for a response. It was a full twenty painful minutes before I finally got one.
I almost didn’t hear the muffled “Here!” at first but when I called out again, the response was louder. Moments later when my flashlight landed on a figure rounding the trail, I let out a rush of air. If I hadn’t been so eager to get to Micah, I would have dropped to my knees then and there to thank the heavens for watching out for the young man who was quickly becoming a part of me.
“Thank fuck!” I growled when I reached Micah. I didn’t hesitate to drag him into my arms just like he didn’t hesitate to throw his around my neck.
“I’m sorry!” he cried, a heavy sob escaping his throat.
“Are you hurt?” I managed to ask after several long beats of silence where we just clung to each other.
I felt him shake his head against my chest.
I forced myself to put some space between our bodies so I could tip his face up. There was enough light from the flashlight for me to see his wet eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I didn’t realize how dark it was getting and then I didn’t know which trail was the one that went to the house. I’m so stupid. I should have—”
“It’s okay,” I interjected. “Let’s get back… the kids are worried about you.”
“Are they okay?” Micah asked.
“They will be,” I responded as I made myself release him. The trail we were on was too narrow to walk side by side so as I turned, Micah was forced to follow behind me.
“Con, about what happened—”
“Nothing happened, Micah,” I said even as my brain was screaming in denial.
“Con—”
“Nothing happened,” I repeated firmly. I didn’t allow myself to look over my shoulder at him because I was afraid of what I’d see there. Of the expression that I would see in Micah’s eyes.