With her.
God, I missed her.
I blink, my eyes adjusting to my musky room. Nothing’schanged since the last time I was here. My dark gray sheets are still rumpled, the top drawer of my dresser hangs open, clothes spilling out from the hasty packing job I did six months ago.
“Hunter! Hunter! Hunter!” Little feet pound down the hallway, calling my name in excitement. “Do you have a dog?”
My door swings open, and all I catch at first is the blur of little feet tripping over my open duffel bag lying by the door. My reflexes kick in, and I lunge forward, my hands hooking under his little arms before he hits the floor.
“Whoa, lil guy,” I say gently, picking him up and setting him on my bed. “You gotta watch where you’re running.”
He looks at me with wide, brown eyes, his round cheeks flushing red as he catches his breath. The shock of tripping, almost falling, and being caught all cross his little features at once. I ruffle his wavy hair, then gently take the toy from his hand.
“Remi! What have I said about running inside houses?”
Turning toward the voice, my lips curve, and my shoulders relax as I step back from Rem. “He’s alright, Sarah.”
“Yeah, Mommy. Hunter always catch me.”
My chest fills with a lightness at his words, and a shaky breath slips out before I can stop it. But it’s the way Sarah’s eyes ping between us, the little crease forming between her brows, and how she hesitates at the door that has the doubt seeping back in.
Clearing my throat, I turn to hand the dog toy back to Remi. “I don’t have a dog,” I tell him, keeping my voice light, “but one of my buddies, Connor, does. His name’s Ace, and they’re here all the time.” I smile down at him, and just like that, his whole face lights up.
“I’m sure you’ll get to meet Ace soon,” Sarah says,stepping further into the room, her voice gentle. “Why don’t you go back to the kitchen and finish the snacks Hunter got you?” She crouches down and picks up the bag Remi tripped over.
“’Kay, Momma! I do that,” Remi says excitedly as he hurries off.
I step over to Sarah, reaching for the duffel just as she hands me a stack of envelopes. The sight of them makes my stomach drop. I stuff them back inside the bag without a word, like burying them deep enough might keep them from suffocating my thoughts. She offers a small, knowing smile and shuffles toward the bed, watching as I jam the bag back into the closet.
“You’re going to have to show her those, you know?” she says softly.
“Yeah,” I murmur. “But not today. Her birthday is coming up, and I don’t want to drag her down again. Asher said she’s doing good right now, and her art store is officially open… I just…” My voice trails off, and I drop down next to her, sighing as I go.
“You want to protect her. I get it. But she’s older now. Stronger, from what you tell me. She has Asher.” She pauses, giving her words time to sink in. “Keeping those letters from her now? That’s not protecting her. That’s you hiding them because you’re avoiding the hard part.” Her eyes flick toward the closet. “Have you even read your ones yet?”
My eyes dart over to hers, narrowing, and my heart hammers in my chest.Damn herfor calling me out.
I stand abruptly, walking around the side of my bed to my nightstand. Grabbing my phone, I check it, looking for any missed calls or texts. The air stirs behind me as I feel her approach. Everything in me tightens, the roomsuddenly feels stuffy, and my neck itches, heat crawling up the back of it at being put on the spot.
“I’m not going to tell you what to do here.” Her cool hand wraps around my arm, her understanding easing the tension in my muscles. “Just know I’ll be here for you and Halle in a heartbeat. By the sounds of it, you’ve got other people here who will be too. But you’ve gotta let them in.” Her hand slips away, and she takes a step back, giving me space.
The loss of her warmth sends a chill down my spine, and I spin quickly.
“Sarah,” I call softly, and she pauses at the doorway.
“Thank you,” I say. “For coming back with me.”
Her smile lights up her whole face, dimples deepening. “I think it’s Remi and me who should be saying thank you. If you hadn’t been in the diner that day… I don’t know where we’d be right now.”
My stomach sinks. Flashes of her panicked eyes finding me in the back of the diner, the bruises peeking out from the edge of her uniform, purple and yellow hues fading across her soft skin. A fire rages inside me, curling under my ribs. Shoving the unwelcome memory aside, I slide my phone into my back pocket and glance around my room, making a mental note to clean the mess up later.
“Come on.” I gently usher her out the door. “How about we go clean Remi up and head out? I want to surprise Halle.”
“Do you think she’ll remember me?” Sarah asks, her words coming out too quickly. “Do you think she’ll love Remi?”
I chuckle softly at her unnecessary worry, my hands landing on her shoulders as she walks in front of me, squeezing until she releases her panicked breath. She’s beenunsure about this move ever since I asked her to come back to Sunlit Cove with me. It took some convincing, but the moment I saw her, I knew I wouldn’t be leaving town alone this time. Not like before. No, this time, I was doing it the right way.
I ran from a monster twelve years ago, leaving my little sister and our mom with that abusive bastard of a stepdad. I was nineteen, beaten down, lost, and in a world of pain—physically and emotionally. I thought leaving, carving out a new life, was going to save them.
