“You’ll do no such thing,” she announces, stepping forward like she’s got a personal stake in this. “You can stay here.”
“Lil Bit,” Sawyer murmurs, low, warning in his tone.
But Bit just narrows her eyes at him, stubborn as hell, and keeps going.
“Look, she’s my friend, sort of,” she clarifies, but doesn’t back down.
“How?” Sawyer asks.
“I’ve been following Esme for years,” she says, gesturing like this should explain everything. “This is my chance to actually get to know her. The main house is kinda crowded, but there’s a spare bed in the bunkhouse. Real mattress. Sheets. Bathroom. You’ll be fine.”
For a second, I have no idea what the hell she’s talking about.
None.
Esme blinks, clearly thrown too, then gives a small, unsure smile.
“Well, I mean, I appreciate that,” she says to Bit. “But I don’t want to impose. Maybe I can just stay in the van and use the facilities, if that’s okay? It’d be nice to stretch my legs and just stand still for a minute without looking over my shoulder,” she whispers that last part, but I clock it.
My brain finally catches up on one word.
Van.
“What do you mean, stay in the van?” I ask, my voice dropping.
Bit turns to me like I’m the idiot in the room.
“Don’t you know?” she says. “Your wife is famous. She’s Plus Size Life with Esme and a Van. She’s got millions of followers across her platforms.”
I stare at her.
“What?”
“Shit,” Micah mutters behind me, already on his phone. “She’s not lying. Damn.”
I turn just in time to see him scrolling fast, eyes flicking back and forth as whatever he’s pulling up confirms it.
My stomach drops.
My wife.
The woman I thought ran off and disappeared.
The woman I’ve been pissed at, mourning, hating, missing for three years—has been out there. On the web. On social media.
Surviving in a van.
Living her life.
Building something.
With millions of people watching.
“What the fuck are you talking about? And what do you mean about looking over your shoulder?” I growl.
My head spins.
Images slam into me—her laughing into a camera, strangers commenting on her life, people knowing her in ways I didn’t anymore.
