My breath escapes as I tighten my fists.Wifey. Fucker. I dig my nails into my palms. How condescending can you be?
“Let’s go.” The voice is muffled, distant, as if someone’s calling from the kitchen.
“What do we do with the body? We can’t leave him like this.” The voices fade, moving toward the front of our house. There’sa lot of shuffling, then the unmistakable scrape of something heavy dragging over the floor. My stomach clenches painfully.
Eventually, it becomes silent.
I don’t know how long we’ve been in this closet—just that it feels like hours. When I’m sure I no longer hear anyone in the house, I finally push the board away and carefully slide the closet door open. I sit motionless for a few moments, Rebel beside me, before slowly crawling out of the cramped space and into our bedroom.
“Wait there, Reb,” I mutter.
Tiptoeing, I sneak into the living room. I peer down the hall and see nothing, no-one. Where’s Connor? Still on my toes, I move deeper into the house. With a deep breath, I finally step into the living room.
Nothing. Everything’s as it should be. The only thing I’m missing is a vase from my cabinet. If I hadn’t just heard what happened, I wouldn’t know anything was off. If I’d actually gone to the supermarket, like the asshole said… I grind my teeth. Then I might’ve assumed Connor had left without ever looking back. But I knew him better than that.
“Rebel?” I call toward the bedroom.
She cautiously comes closer until her little hand slips into mine and she asks, “Where’s Daddy?”
That’s an excellent question…
One
Isetthelastbox down on the kitchen tiles of our new home and take in the space. The L-shaped kitchen offers limited cabinet space, but it’s spacious enough for the two of us.
The sentence still hurts,two of us. That’s not how it was supposed to be.
When I checked out this home, I’d already fallen in love with the black color of the kitchen cabinets. Somehow, it suits my new permanent mood. At the same time, I’m hoping for a fresh start here. Together with my girl.
My best friend Teagan stands next to me. Her long, black hair tied in a long braid that falls down her back and she raises one eyebrow at me. “Satisfied?”
Shaking my head, I open the first box. “I shouldn’t be here.” My stomach squeezes painfully at the thought of Connor. Of our old house, our old life. My brain refuses to accept that someone murdered him in cold blood. The police can’t seem to grasp it either, as they won’t believe he’s really gone. They’ve stopped searching, though his body is still nowhere to be found. He’s officially listed as a missing person.
“As satisfied as you can be with this?” She takes the plates from me and puts them in one of the kitchen cabinets. A smile appears on her lips.
Since I need to stand on my toes to reach it, I’m glad she’s helping. I take note to get a small stepping stool.
With a sigh, I shrug. “Maybe later. When I’ve come to terms with the fact that my daughter has to grow up without her father.”
Today is Rebel’s first day at her new school, just around the block. We moved to Folsom, the town where I was born and raised. She’s attending the same school where I met Teagan.
She squeezes my hand to let me know she understands.
“It seemed better for Rebel to get a fresh start. To leave behind the house where her father got murdered.”
Teagan nods. “I get that, but can you handle seeing Kyler again? Because that’s definitely going to happen. Folsom is a small town, after all.”
I should’ve known she’d start about my ex, and my heart skips a beat. Despite what people here in the village think, I no longer have any connection to Kyler Young; the infamous vice president of the Renegades MC. I open the next box. “Guess we’ll find out, won’t we? What else can I do? Move to a place where I don’t know anyone at all? You know that’s not my thing.” I stare at the baking dishes and kitchen towels, shaking my head.
“I know you can’t do without me, but you could’ve looked for another house in Roseville?”
Roseville and Connor are linked in my mind. All Roseville has left me with are terrible memories. My husband’s blood tainted the good ones.
Quietly we continue, putting aside the weighty matters, and a few hours later, dishes, plants, and cookbooks fill my kitchen to the brim. I arrange the dining table and place the wooden tub chairs neatly around it.
“I really have to go. Gaby will be out of school soon.” Teagan grabs her bag from the coat rack and throws it over her shoulder.
I nod. “I also need to pick up Rebel. The four of us should go to the playground or the lake sometime.” I force a smile onto my face.
