I watch as the contractors finish up installing the glass windows with retractable shades for when the summer heat sets in.
“You can adjust them, opening them when you need fresh air and closing them when it’s cold. The manual has all the instructions.” The man hands me the little green booklet, smiling at me.
My gut instinct is to back away from him so that nobody thinks I’m flirting with him.
Then I remember, I don’t have to do that anymore.
Duke places a warm hand on my lower back and takes the booklet from the man. “Thank you. We’re excited to try it out.”
“There’s a number on the back to call if you have any issues.”
“All righty, sounds good, man.”
They shake hands, and the crew starts cleaning up. I keep staring at the greenhouse, admiring how beautiful it looks with the open field behind it.
“You wanna go check it out?”
I blink up at him. His blue eyes are bright in the afternoon sun. He grabs my hand, drawing me over.
He opens the glass door, and we step inside. The swamp cooler is running already, cooling the interior and pushing the air through the open windows.
A burst of excitement starts to unfurl inside my chest.
It’s been weeks since I’ve felt anything other than anxiety or fear.
I’ve been struggling to be completely present emotionally ever since the boys disappeared.
I’ve been in intensive therapy three times a week, but this greenhouse might be the key to me finally beginning to heal.
Growing new life is a from of starting fresh. Watching seeds take root and sprout through the dirt feels like real growth to me.
Matt’s mom gave up and disappeared not long after him. She sent me a few nasty messages about how I never deserved him before I blocked her. His sister did the same thing, so I just decided to get a new number and never talk to them again.
Matt was officially declared a missing person, but without him present, his family has no legal rights to visitation with the twins. His last known whereabouts was a sketchy strip club in Oklahoma, where his truck was foundabandoned. He’s presumed to have gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd.
Duke and I didn’t talk about what happened after he brought the twins home to me. I might ask him about it someday, but all he said was that my ex would no longer be a problem.
It turns out, mothers-in-law really are the evil demons everyone says they are. Sandy was pretending to be on my side all along when, in reality, it was only to keep her access to the boys open. She never cared about what was actually best for them, even if that meant distance from her son. She lied to me and handed them over to him, even though he’d proven again and again that he was an unfit, unsafe parent.
I’m determined not to be that way when my boys get married. The cycle stops with me.
My friend Jo told me she had heard through gossip at Old Harry’s that Sandy was the one behind all the rumors going around town that I had been cheating on my ex. In reality, he was visiting the strip club in Oklahoma when he was supposedly on work trips.
That same strip club was raided for sex trafficking minors only a week after Duke found Matt’s truck there.
It was never just for private dances. I guess underaged trafficking victims had been his thing for a while, even while we were married, and I had no idea.
Even though he was my sons’ father, I’m glad he’s dead. Maybe that makes me a bad person, but after he hurt my kids and put them in danger, I don’t feel any remorse.
I run my fingers over the window before turning to Duke. “I don’t even know how to begin thanking you for this.”
He smiles softly, leaning down to press his forehead to mine. “Well, you can start by planting these.”
I look down to see two packets of seeds, one for jasmine and one for lavender.
“I researched the most calming herbs and scents that represent healing and alleviate tension. These were the top choices, so I hope you like?—”
I don’t let him finish his sentence before throwing my arms around his neck and crushing him into a tight hug. Tears fall freely onto his shoulder as I inhale the minty leather scent of his cologne.
