Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mom.”
“Esther?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Oh, Esther,” she said softly. “Noel said you were okay. She said it, but I didn’t believe it.”
“I’m okay,” I confirmed. “And Noel is with me.”
“Praise God,” she replied, letting out a huge breath. “Ephraim? Noel’s okay. She’s with Esther.”
“You can come pick her up if you want,” I interrupted, ignoring my brother’s voice in the background. “We’re at Otto’s parents’ house.”
“That’s—that’s your husband?” she asked tentatively.
“He is.”
“Okay. Okay, we can do that.”
Somehow, in the months that I’d been apart from her, I’d forgotten how very timid my mother was. I wondered for a moment if she’d always been that way or if she’d adapted after a lifetime of living with my dad.
“Esther?” my brother Ephraim barked through the phone. “Give me the address.”
“I was talking to Mom,” I replied, sitting forward on the couch. “Give her back the phone.”
“Mom gave the phone to me,” he replied importantly. “What’s the address so I can come get Noel.”
I looked at the people across the room from me, who’d quietly moved away to give me some privacy to call my mom. My hand fisted in my lap. I loved my brother, but I also remembered every single time he was chosen over me. Every time I got in trouble for something that was his fault. Every time that he was put on some crappy pedestal just because he was a boy and every time I had to defer to him even though he was only a couple of years older. I didn’t have to submit to him anymore.
“You’re not doing anything,” I replied firmly. “Noel isn’t going anywhere with you. If Mom wants to pick her up, then Mom can come get her.”
“I’m already on my way,” he replied stubbornly. “What’s the address?”
I rattled off the address Heather had given me. “If you show up here without Mom, you’ll leave empty-handed,” I warned.
He hung up without responding.
“That seemed like it went well,” Otto said sarcastically from behind me.
“Ephraim’s trying to throw his weight around,” I replied, not even trying to hide my frustration.
“Sounded like you put your foot down.” He shrugged and gave my shoulders a squeeze. “It’s like you said. He shows up here without your mom, he’s outta luck.”
“Is Mom coming?” Noel asked listlessly, sitting down next to me.
“Hopefully.” I pulled her against me and squeezed. We’d decided not to tell Noel anything more than she already knew, and it was a very strange position to be in—sending her back home. I knew that my dad was gone and she would be safe, but Noel didn’t. The closer it came to when my mom would come get her, the more tense she became. “Ephraim got on the phone and started trying to boss me around.”
“He’s such a pain in the neck,” she sighed, laying her head on my shoulder. “He’s just like Dad.”
“Hopefully Caity will soften him a little,” I replied. Neither of us believed it, but she didn’t argue.
We sat like that until headlights came through the front window.
“Esther,” Otto called from the front door. “Looks like Noel’s ride is here.”
I hopped up and moved toward the door as Titus crouched down in front of Noel.
“Did he show up without her?”
“Look for yourself,” Otto murmured, opening the door wider.
My mom stood at the edge of the porch, her hands nervously clenched together.
“Mom,” I breathed.
I didn’t consciously move toward her, but a few seconds later, we were only a couple of feet apart.
“Hi.”
“Esther.” She smiled. “You’re blooming.”
“Almost halfway there,” I whispered, my hand going instinctively to my belly.
“Where’s Noel?” Ephraim called obnoxiously, leaning against the car.
“Come meet my husband.” I reached for her hand.
“We don’t have all night,” Ephraim added.
“I better not,” my mom said quietly, squeezing my hand before letting it go.
I glared at my brother. “Otto, come meet my mom!”
He’d been giving us space but immediately strode down the steps, his shoulders straight. My chest filled with pride.
Ephraim had nothing to say.
“We’ve met,” Otto said kindly, reaching out to shake my mom’s hand. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“You found your brother,” my mom said, putting her hand in his.
Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wasn’t going to miss a second.
“I did,” Otto replied with a nod. His hand moved to my lower back. “Found Noel, too.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, glancing over her shoulder at Ephraim. “Is she coming out?”
“Yeah, Mom,” I assured her. “She was just saying goodbye.”
“You know how Ephraim is,” she said apologetically. “Always in a hurry.”
“Why didn’t you drive?”
“Oh—” She waved me off. “You know I’m no good driving at night.”
I didn’t have a chance to contradict her because Noel and Heather came out the door behind us.
“Noel,” my mom gasped, staring at my sister’s battered face.
“She’s alright,” Otto reassured her. “Just a few bruises. She and Titus got jumped at the park. My aunt’s a nurse, and she looked them over, though.”