Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“It’s okay. I really need to get this done.” She gave me a wink. “I have a shift later tonight.”
“Okay. I’ll catch up with you later.” Once she was gone, I turned back to Antonia and asked, “So, what brings you out today?”
“Memphis needed to talk to Preacher, so I decided to tag along. I wanted to see how you were doing.”
“That was very thoughtful of you... I can honestly say that things have been going pretty well. I’ve been going a little stir-crazy, but it’s nothing I can’t manage.”
“I bet. It has to be hard to be so couped up all the time.”
“It’s really not that bad. I kind of like it. It gives me a little stability and all that.”
“I get it.” She took a sip of her coffee before asking, “Does that mean that the dreams have gotten better?”
“Yes and no.” I’d mentioned the dreams when we first met. I’m not sure why I thought to open up to her and Jenna, but they were so easy to talk to. I found myself telling them things I never thought I would share. “Not quite as frequent, but I still have them from time to time.”
“And the bad one?”
“Yeah, I’m still having it.” I didn’t like to think about it much less talk about it, but I found myself confessing, “I try not to think too much about it. I know I can’t change any of it, but I just can’t stop thinking about the look in his eyes when he said he was coming back for me.”
It wasn’t just the look in his eyes that spooked me.
It was what he said that rattled me to the core.
His grip on my throat tightened as he yanked me close and warned, ‘I’ll be back for you. You know I will, and when I do, you will be mine. Once and for all.’
Antonia tried to reassure me by saying, “He was throwing out empty threats.”
“I don’t know. He’s got the means to make good on them if he wanted to.”
“But he’d have to get through the guys first.”
“That’s a whole other concern. There’s no telling what he would do if...”
Before I could finish my thought, Toby and his new friend barreled through the doorway. Both were sweaty and out of breath as they made their way over to the fridge.
Toby grabbed a bottle of water, and his eyes were bright with excitement as he turned to me and said, “We found a baby snake.”
“What?”
“It was just a garden snake.” Garrison took a drink of his water before adding, “It won’t hurt ya.”
“A snake is a snake.” My voice cracked as I said, “Please tell me you left that thing outside.”
“Yes, Mom,” Toby groaned. “It’s outside.”
“Thank goodness.”
Garrison leaned over to Toby and giggled, “Your mom is a scaredy-cat.”
“Yeah, but she’s still cool.”
“Moms are never cool.” He laughed, then gave Toby a quick wave and ran for the door. “See ya later.”
He darted out the back door, and the room fell silent. Toby stared off into space, and it was clear he had something on his mind. “Honey, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I was just thinking about something Garrison said.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“He’s in fourth grade, just like me.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured that.”
“Well, he said his teacher is really nice, and he’s got a lot of friends. He said I’d really like them.”
“I’m sure you would.”
“He said I could meet them if I started going to school with him.” His little hands fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as he told me, “I know we gotta be careful because of, you know, but it could--”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I interrupted.
“I knew you were going to say that.”
“It’s just not safe, honey. At least, not yet.”
“It’s not fair." Defeat marked his face as he muttered, “I just want things to be normal again.”
It was clear he really wanted this, and I wanted it for him. I just wasn’t sure it was the right time, and that broke my heart. I’d done this. I’d brought this monster into our lives and turned our world upside down. And more than that, I hurt the one person I loved the most in this world. Trying my best not to cry, I swallowed hard and told him, “I know you do, and eventually, they will be. But right now, we have to go about things the right way.”
“That’s just your way of saying no.”
“No, that’s my way of saying I will think about it.”
I knew he needed some normalcy, and I wanted to give it to him. I just wasn’t sure how to do that and keep him safe at the same time. Clearly unhappy with my answer, Toby rolled his eyes and muttered, “Whatever.”
Without saying anything more, he turned and walked out of the room. Once I was certain he was out of earshot, I leaned my head back and groaned, “Why does this have to be so hard?”