Ava took that as a yes. “The sun feels good, doesn’t it.”
More of that some response. “Are you trying to talk?”
“Uh-huuuh,” she said again.
“I can’t wait for that. It will be nice to chat about things, won’t it?”
“Uh-huuuh.”
She kept making that sound as she shoved her entire fist in her mouth and Ava acknowledged she was probably just talking to herself. But she knew that babies socialized by having conversations, so talking to Gracie was what was needed.
For herself, she was pretty sure she needed to talk to her therapist. Seeing someone watching her…that was an old fear. She knew that Daniel Wayne was still in prison.
Ava had gotten a restraining order and had moved apartments to avoid Daniel, but his next victim hadn’t been so lucky. He’d attacked and beaten her and was currently serving a fifteen-year sentence.
Tipping her face up to the sun, she let the heat of it warm her from the inside out. Reminding herself it was okay for her to be happy. It was okay for her to have a baby and to be dating Chay.
Chay. She’d already made a note to bring up the cabin when she spoke to Fern the next time. Of course she wanted to get answers for them both. Ava suspected that Fern’s recovery was hampered by her fear of those men who’d taken her, but knew part of it also stemmed from her previous drug addiction. The other woman was in such a fragile state right now.
That and her insistence on not taking any pain medication. Though all the medication did was dull the pain, it would make it easier for Fern to sleep. But Ava totally understood and supported Fern’s decision. The recovering addict wasn’t about to take anything that could start her down that path again.
Ava rubbed her hand on Gracie’s back as her watch pinged. It was time to head back home and take the lasagna she’d prepped earlier over to Chay’s. Tonight was going to be fun. Ava had spent the day no closer to deciding how she was going to broach visitation with Chay; hopefully it would simply come up naturally during the conversation.
But if not…she’d bring it up.
Bossy didn’t mean that she wasn’t right. Tempering her need to urge him to do this with what her mom had said wasn’t easy. But she was determined to do it.
Getting home, she changed Gracie and put the baby down to play while she finished getting everything ready to go to Chay’s, loading the food into a cooler and getting that into the vehicle before she got the baby bundled up and settled into her car seat.
Gracie looked a bit sleepy, and Ava was hopeful she’d nap on the way out to the Navajo Nation so she’d be rested for the evening.
Again she felt someone watching her. Peering up and down the street, she only noticed a car parked on the street at the Petersons’ home. But they’d mentioned their daughter and her boyfriend were coming up for a visit. And as she looked more closely, the car seemed empty.
Stop it.
Rubbing her hands on her thighs, she got into the truck and closed the door firmly. Unable to stop herself from hitting the lock button twice, she confirmed that no one was hiding in the back seat.
Her heart was racing and no matter how many times she verified she was alone in the truck with Gracie, she didn’t feel safe.
Her hands were shaking. Talking deep breaths until she felt calmer, she repeated her mantras.
I am safe in my hometown.
My parents and brother are nearby.
Chay is looking forward to seeing me.
I have a mission with Chay.
Show that man he’s meant to have a family.
Calmer now, she turned on the vehicle and deliberately didn’t drive toward the Petersons’ so she didn’t give in to her paranoia. Daniel Wayne was still in jail. Feeding her fears was just going to send her into a spiral.
She turned on her upbeat music playlist because hearing “Mr. Blue Sky” always cheered her up.
Singing along as she drove out of her neighborhood, she lied to herself that she felt safe. But it wasn’t until she pulled onto Chay’s property and saw him standing in the doorway of his house that she truly relaxed.
He waved at her and came to help her with Gracie, but before he opened the back door, she threw herself into his arms. He hugged her hard back.
