Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
It wouldn’t have been so bad if the house wasn’t such a dump. The paint was peeling, revealing the weathered, crumpling wood beneath. The front porch was falling apart and creaked with every step. Several windows were broken and boarded up like the house was already condemned, and the worn-out sofas and mismatched chairs looked like he’d picked them up off the street.
And our little room wasn’t much better. It accommodated a twin bed and a rickety wooden dresser. The wallpaper was dull and peeling at the edges, and it was a far cry from the pretty pink bedroom she’d once had.
I’d done what I could to arrange our few possessions in a way that made the small room feel like home, but it did little to help. Thankfully, Luna was only three and wasn’t old enough to realize that we were in such a bad spot. I glanced over at Luna lying next to me, and she was sleeping soundly, all sweet dreams and innocence.
Just looking at her made my heart smile.
That little girl meant everything to me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her. Every little smile, every giggle, every hug gave me the strength to keep going. She was the reason I did the things I did, and I would keep doing them if it meant keeping her safe.
I ran the tips of my fingers through her curly hair, brushing it away from her sweet, angelic face, and guilt washed over me when her big brown eyes flickered open. In barely a whisper, she muttered, “Momma?”
“It’s okay, sweetie.” I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Go back to sleep.”
She didn’t need much encouragement. She was exhausted and fell right back to sleep. I reached over and turned out the light, then curled up next to her. I wanted to put the day behind me and drift off myself, but the second I closed my eyes, I saw his face—Officer Simon Reynolds.
He was the man who showed up at my doorstep one early morning and delivered the news that would change my life forever. It wasn’t a good memory. It was the opposite. It was one of the worst days of my life, and I still hadn’t recovered. I just wanted to sleep, so I inched closer to Luna and listened to the soothing sounds of her breathing. It wasn’t long before my exhaustion took over, and I drifted off.
The next morning, I woke to my alarm going off and Luna nudging my arm, “Momma... Momma.”
“Okay, okay.” I reached over and turned off my alarm. “I’m up.”
I tossed the covers back and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. After a quick stretch, I stepped over to Luna’s plastic tote full of clothes and asked, “Overalls or...”
“Overalls,” she answered, cutting me off.
“You got it.”
I pulled them out of the bin and grabbed her favorite white top, then tossed them onto the bed. Once I’d gotten her dressed, I braided her hair and put on her shoes. “Okay, sweetie. You’re all set. Now, it’s Momma’s turn.”
I was just working as a cashier at a small drugstore, so thankfully, there was no need to get dressed up. All I had to do was throw on some jeans and a sweater, brush my hair, and dab on a little makeup. As soon as I was done, I gathered our coats and bags, then quietly slipped out of the room and headed to the kitchen.
Luna would get breakfast at daycare, so I grabbed myself a granola bar and we were on our way. I took her out to my car and put her into her car seat. As always, Luna was accommodating and helped me buckle her in. Minutes later, we were on the road and headed to her small daycare center.
I was living paycheck to paycheck, so I couldn’t afford some of the nicer centers in town. After a great deal of searching, I finally came across Little Feet—a family-owned daycare with less than twenty kids. It was far from perfect, but the people there were wonderful and took amazing care of Luna.
When we arrived, I parked and helped Luna out of her seat. Her tiny fingers gripped my hand as I led her up to the daycare’s front door. Before going inside, I crouched down in front of her and adjusted the straps of her little overalls as I said, “I’m sorry, sweetie. I’ve gotta get to work. I want you to be a good girl today, okay?”
Luna nodded, her two little, braided pigtails bouncing as she replied, “Okay, Momma.”
I led her through the front door, then bent down and gave her a tight hug. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
"Okay, Momma!"
Luna smiled as she took her teacher’s hand and walked over to join the others. I watched her for a moment, then headed back out to my car. I needed to be at work within the hour and still had to drop off the duffle bag at Jimmy’s, so I wasted no time getting back to my car.