“After dinner.”
I get to my feet and hold my hand out for her to take and help her up. She hobbles into the kitchen, holding onto her belly. The pan of food is on top of the stove, covered in aluminum foil. There’s a plate beside it piled with garlic bread. I peek under the foil to get an idea of what was made.
“You like lasagna?” I ask.
“I’ve never had it.”
I do my best to hide my shock.
I don’t know much of her life before the Iron Runners had taken her, but what kind of life did she have if she’s never had such a simple meal? All sorts of pasta was a staple in this house, and it still is. I fucking love pasta.
I make us both a plate, heat them up in the microwave and pour us drinks while I wait for it to be done. The microwave beeps, and I bring the plates to the table so we can eat.
Her portion is half of mine, and she eats only half of that.
“I think the baby is taking up all the space,” she says with a laugh as she leans back, rubbing her stomach. I stare at her small hand and imagine what that little baby looks like and who they’ll be when they grow up. As sweet as their mother, I bet.
“Are you excited about meeting them?”
“More than anything,” she whispers.
I want to tell her that I’m happy too, but I don’t know if that’s too much. This isn’t my baby, and I have no ties to her. I’m just a guy helping her out.
I clean up the dishes and put the leftovers in the fridge. I’m pretty sure Tommy and Kelsey are already in bed. They usually go to bed early and lie together to read while the TV plays in the background. It’s really fucking cute and makes me so damn jealous.
“If you’re tired, you can go back to sleep,” I say as I dry my hands on the dish towel.
“Actually, can we go for a walk?”
“A walk?” I scratch my head. “Like outside?”
She giggles. “Yes, but not far. Just down the driveway or the walkway around the house?”
“Yeah, sure.”
We get outside, the warm air hitting us as soon as I open the door. It’ll be cold soon enough, so we should get out here as much as we can before the air threatens to turn us into human popsicles. We walk down the path that leads to the side of the house and end up not far from where the garden is.
“I saw them working on it today,” Anastacia says. “They’re really happy together, huh?”
We take a seat on the bench that Tommy bought and put together today. I’m sure it’ll be moved around a ton of times before Kelsey finds the right spot for it.
“Yeah, they are. It’s kind of annoying.”
“I think it’s sweet.”
“Yeah, in an annoying way.”
She smiles, then leans over to rest her head against my shoulder. Her hand seeks out mine, and we lock our fingers together. We sit there peacefully together, nothing but the crickets to keep us company. It’s so peaceful and just really fucking nice.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“When did they take you?”
I hear nothing in her breathing that gives away how she feels about the question. There’s just a quick silence before she says, “They had me for almost two years.”
My stomach drops, my head falling back as I take that in. They had her for two years? Fuck. Those bastards.
