“Wait, all of this is because of your first night at--.”
“Just go!” I hissed.
I opened the door and shoved her out, watching as she stumbled her way to the front door. She shot me a shocked look before she rolled her shoulders back, then she raced to her apartment that sat right next to ours. I heard Natty singing to herself while she packed her things, so I went back to throwing clothes into a bag. I rummaged around in the bathroom for a trash bag before I threw toiletries in there, and I made sure to make a pass by Natty’s bathroom to get her things as well.
“Ready, Mom!” she exclaimed.
Chloe tugged a bag of hers back through the door. “I’m ready, too.”
Natty gasped. “Auntie Chloe’s coming!?”
I smiled. “Yes, she is, sweet girl. It’s going to be a great vacation, too. We’re going to meet lots of new friends and make lots of new memories.”
“Uh huh,” Chloe said flatly.
I shot her a look before my phone started ringing again. I practically lunged for it and saw that same restricted number pop up. I answered it before it had a chance to ring again, and I prayed it was Dean.
I prayed he was on the other end as I answered.
“Hello?” I asked quickly.
“It’s me,” he said.
“Oh, thank fuck,” I whispered.
Natty giggled. “Mommy cursed! Mommy cursed! That’s money for the jar, Mommy.”
I cringed. “You there?”
It took Dean a second to collect himself. “So, she is your child.”
I shook my head. “Not right now. Are you here?”
He cleared his throat. “Are you guys, okay? Has anyone shown up?”
I walked over to the window and peeked out. “No, we’re good. Are you coming here? Or do we need to meet you somewhere?”
“Do you remember the route to my place?”
I smiled softly. “I’ll never forget it.”
“Good. I’ll follow you there and keep an eye out, so you don’t have to. We can talk before we make our next moves because you have a couple of options at your disposal. You can pick the one that suits your family best.”
“I appreciate that,” I said as I let the curtain flutter closed. “We’ll head down to my car now.”
“And Lexi?”
“Yeah?”
“If you feel as if you’re being tailed, call me. I’ll come find you guys, okay?”
I reached for my suitcase. “Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon, sweet pea.”
His nickname for me from all those years ago rushed through me, leaving me breathless as I hung up the phone. I turned everything off and unplugged electronics before I turned the heating and air conditioning off. I wasn’t sure how long we’d be gone, and as I grabbed last minute things to shove in my purse, I herded the three of us down to my car.
“Actually, Chloe. Can we take your car? It might be sa--.”
