“I spent the whole time foraging berries and drinking dirty water at the creek.”
“You were resourceful. Emma, she’s…not.”
“Her momma is brave, so I think you’re cutting her short there. I’m sure some of that rubbed off.”
Addison’s grimace is quick. “You don’t have to say that. We both know it’s not true.”
“You damn near jumped me like a flying squirrel that first day. Didn’t matter that I was twice your size. You would have tried if I didn’t catch you eyeing that knife. If that ain’t brave, then I dunno what is.”
She hadn’t thought of it like that. Never expected it would gain her a few slivers of respect either, but apparently, that’s what it’s done. Wyatt thinks she’s brave. Wait until he realizes that’s never been true.
“Either way, I didn’t do much to prepare her for this world. I should have.”
“Thought that was your whole thing back at the compound.”
He elongates that last word with a mocking sort of annoyance, and she purses her lips. “It was. For the men. Hunting and fighting and knowing how to gut a wild animal for breakfast wasn’t what I was there for.”
“And what were you there for?”
She gestures to her belly with a raise of her eyebrows.
His nose wrinkles. “Right. Repopulating the earth. How are you feeling about that these days?”
“Like it might be a futile effort.” She cups her mug in both hands, wishing the pot would boil faster. “I was raised to follow these beliefs, but I would be lying if I said I never had doubts. Especially as Emma got older and I realized that what had become of my life is what was waiting for her, too.”
She fidgets with the gold band on her finger that’s always been a shackle. Almost takes it off before she has second thoughts. He might still be alive and assume she’s cheating with Wyatt if he sees her finger bare.
Hell, he’s going to assume that anyway, she thinks bitterly. “Could you teach me how to use the rifle?”
“You wanna be ready to shoot his dick off?”
She snorts, then feels guilty for being amused at anything while Emma is gone. “I want to learn how to survive, and that seems like one of the first steps. You’re a good teacher.”
“You’ve never seen me teach.”
“Taught me how to kill my first rotter already.”
He pauses, chewing his lower lip. “Yeah, alright. I’ll show you, and when your kid gets back, we’ll teach her too. The first time I shot a gun, I was younger than her.”
The tea kettle whistles and startles the cat, who jumps right into Wyatt’s lap.
“Come on now, I’m more of a dog person,” he grumbles when the cat begins to knead his paws into his leg. “That shit hurts.”
“He thinks you’re a cat person now.” Addison smiles, prepping their tea and handing him his cup before joining him again. “I hope the orange cat is okay. Haven’t seen it since…”
Her face breaks, and all the effort she’d been putting into distracting herself falls apart. She’s talking about cats and shooting lessons like everything is fine, but the thin layer of resolve that keeps her from breaking down is starting to crumble.
“I can’t do this,” she gasps, head in her hands and tears flowing freely all over again.
“You can. You will,” he tells her gently.
Crying must make him uncomfortable because he gets up a moment later, putting the cat in her lap and grabbing his coat off the hook. “I’m gonna walk the perimeter, take the flashlight so maybe she’ll see it.”
“I can go with you.”
“It’s alright. Stay. Get some rest. If anything happens, you’ll know.”
He’s gone before she can thank him.
