“That depends. If you’ll go with me, I would like to leave tomorrow. If not, I’ll probably head out Tuesday. I gotta tell you, Annabelle, I damn sure don’t want to leave you here. I want you with me, where you were always meant to be.”
Before my brain realized what I was saying, the words were out of my mouth, “Let me talk to Wave about work. I’ll be right back.”
I excused myself from the table and went into my bedroom to make the call. I didn’t want to go to Croftridge as much as I did want to go. I hurriedly dialed Wave. “Half pint! What’s up?”
“Hey, Wave. Um, I need to talk to you about work,” I said.
“All right. What is it?”
“Would it be possible for me to take some time off?”
“How much time and when?” he asked.
“That’s the thing...I don’t know how much time, but it would start tomorrow.” I braced myself for his reaction.
He cleared his throat. “What’s going on, Taylor? Is everything okay?”
“Yes and no. I’m fine, but after talking with Phoenix, I need to go back to Croftridge. I’m going to have to go back there one way or another, but he’s leaving tomorrow and offered me a ride. It’s not a big deal. I can always fly out there later on,” I rambled.
“Half pint, do you want to go with him?”
“I think I do,” I almost whispered.
“Listen here, you go with him and you can take as much time as you need on one condition.”
“And that is?” I asked.
“You have to check in with me every couple of days.”
I smiled. “I can do that.”
“Does Nathan know you’re going back with him?” he asked carefully.
“No, he doesn’t and I would like to keep it that way. I need to feel things out in Croftridge before I talk to Nathan.”
“All right. If you need anything, and I mean anything, you call me or Token. I don’t care if you’re here or half-way across the country, we’ll come get you.”
“Thanks, Wave. You guys are the best. Love you.”
“Love you, too, half pint. Be safe.”
I sat there for a while after the call disconnected. What had I gotten myself into? I wanted to go with Phoenix. A ride across the country with him was literally my dream come true. It was everything else that terrified me. How was I going to face the children I left behind?
The sound of my bedroom door creaking open had my head shooting up to see Phoenix filling the doorway, his hands braced on the top of the door frame. “You’ve been in here for a while. You okay?”
I cleared my throat and licked my dry lips. “Yeah. I was able to get the time off from work. I can leave with you tomorrow.”
“You don’t seem so happy about that,” he observed, taking a few steps closer.
“I’m not happy about it. I’m terrified,” I whispered as tears began to fall from my eyes.
He sat down on the bed beside me and put his arm around my shoulder. “There’s no reason to be scared. Octavius can’t hurt you or anyone else anymore.”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with him.”
“Ah, you’re worried about seeing Ember and Coal.” I nodded even though it wasn’t a question. “They are going to be ecstatic when I roll into town with you in tow. They don’t know where I went or why I left last week, but they both know that I have been looking for you. I already told you Ember was helping me try to find you. Coal would have helped, too, but he only recently found out about you and me being his biological parents. And, he’s had some other things going on that have kept him from diving into the search head first.”
“They don’t hate me?” I asked.
