“The beach.” Then I realized Ash must be somewhere around watching me. I looked around as we drove hoping I would spot him.
I didn’t want him to know where I spent most my time. I knew the girls wouldn’t tell him because I made them promise not to tell anyone the first day I took them there.
I couldn’t see him, but I knew he must have been tracking me through the GPS. When we got to a fuller road, I pried the screen out with my pocketknife.
“What are you doing?” Josh asked me, shocked.
“Making sure we aren’t being followed.” I looked at the wires. They were connected differently. Dad wasn’t joking when he said the car would stop if I tried to cut the wires. “Josh, which of these wires doesn’t look right to you?”
“What?”
“My…uncle said if I tried to disconnect the GPS again the car would stop.”
“Let me take a look at it.” He pulled the car to the side of the road and stopped. “Why do you want to disconnect it anyway?” He took th
“I’m not most guys, and you looked like you needed the company. I heard what Jonah said, I just want to help.” “Thanks. You are taking it much better than anyone else has.” I looked at my watch, three more hours to go. “I take it Ash didn’t take it well. Did you guys break up?” His voice got gentler, like he wasn’t sure if he was right in asking me about Ash. I felt my chest tighten. Hearing Ash’s name and break up in the same sentence was never going to get easy. “Yes.” “The way you two were with each other and the way he hovered around you protectively, I was sure nothing in this world would be able to break you up.” “You and me both.” My voice cracked and I could feel the tears sting my eyes. I blinked them away quickly. I wasn’t going to cry my heart out again, not around Josh, he’d seen enough of how screwed up my life is. I pressed my lips in a tight smile but kept my eyes on my belly. “I would say shit happens, but this is like
I felt a nudge in my belly. I smiled but I didn’t bother to wake up. The twins might be up but I still felt very tired. I turned to my back to give them more space as they swam around hoping they wouldn’t disturb my sleep. I felt another nudge on my right. It was harder this time. I ignored it; I didn’t want to wake up now.“Whatever it is, you’ll have to wait until I feel like waking up,” I mumbled.The kicks got harder, but the ones on the left were softer than the right. Annoyed I woke up. It might be my body but they called the shots. “Baby on the right, don’t blame me if I like baby on the left better.”I pulled myself up and sat on the bed. I felt sicker and more exhausted than I’d ever felt before. This may be usual according to Josh but there was nothing usual about my body. With all that was going on inside me, I was sure my body was having a difficult time dealing with it.“Don&rs
I wasn’t going to feel guilty for dreaming about Josh. Ash left me while he stayed, and no one told him to go nosing around in my head. “I loved you more than enough to go through the constant threats on my life. You didn’t love me enough to stay with me through my pregnancy. Josh is more of a friend to offer to help me, and you want to throw rocks?”“Since you have all that figured out, the discussion on you and I shouldn’t be brought up ever again.” He turned for the door. I watched him, hurt that he would dismiss us so easily.I really didn’t mean anything to him.“Is it so easy for you to forget me? Did you even love me?” I heard the words come out of my mouth but they felt like they belonged to someone else. My voice was sad, lifeless and broken.He stopped and turned to face me.“You are doing just fine forgetting me.” His voice mimicked mine but his was leveled.W
“I do have siblings and my mom’s a nurse. I love them but sometimes I feel like ringing their necks. And we talked babies because it seemed to be the topic which relaxed you.”I shook my head. “Relaxed, I don’t think so. I’m scared out of my mind when I think about it.”“Motherhood will be a challenge but you’ll manage.” He gave my hand a tight squeeze.I looked at him, envious of his oblivion. I wished that motherhood was the fear I was talking about. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to experience it because I died or they died or I’d have to give them up for adoption.“You sound so sure of me.”“Of course I am. You’ve been through so much and you are still standing. You are talented and caring. And you’ll be the coolest mom ever!”I gave him a weak smile. “Mom’s aren’t supposed to be cool.”“You wi
I opened the door to the house only to be greeted by a crashing sound and Ann yelling. I walked into the living room watching her as she went psycho on Billy. I wondered what he had done now to deserve the weight of Ann’s wrath.“How could you say that to her? She’s been through enough without you adding to it!”The fight was about me, but I wasn’t sure exactly what in context. I moved close to Maria who was at the foot of the stairway. Maria turned to me with a polite smile and put an arm around me. My dad and Joe just watched. Ash was nowhere to be seen. I had spent a wonderful night with Josh only to come home and have it ruined. I needed to move out sooner than scheduled.“It’s the truth!” Billy yelled back.“You are unbelievable! How could you be so self-absorbed! She was right about one thing I need to see a shrink.”Someone had told them about the argument we had. I was hoping they
“What about the twins, are they all right?” I whispered under Ash’s neck. I didn’t feel like turning and looking at Joe. His voice didn’t hide how unsure he was about me, I was sure his face would express the same if he had to lie to me about the twins.“They sound fine, the pace is picking up.” Joe’s voice was clearer and leveled. He wasn’t lying.“Good, that’s all that matters.” I relaxed myself in Ash’s arms and made myself even more comfortable as my eyelids became too heavy to keep open.“Joe, do you think the venom is doing this to her?” Ash sounded scared.“I don’t think so. It should be making her stronger not weaker,” Joe answered.“Maybe I should go back on the balanced diet. Blood hasn’t been working for a while.” I fisted Ash’s shirt in my hand before I closed my eyes. I wanted to sleep in his arms just in
I slept peacefully that night and for once I woke up on my own without coercion from the twins. I felt light, better than I had ever felt before, well enough to go to school. Sleeping in Ash’s arms brought back memories and feelings of the fairytale times we spent together. They didn’t hurt like they used to when I pined and cried for him, instead they spread warmth inside me that if the twins felt like kicking up a storm I wouldn’t feel it.I still had my art stuff and I needed to take them back to Jonah. I didn’t have permission to keep them for this long. I walked to my car, drinking up the warm sun and the cool air. The trees looked beautiful as they swayed majestically to the wind. Everything seemed different in a wonderful way. I didn’t bother to pass through the kitchen because I didn’t want anyone to burst my happy bubble. Everyone was still on edge, and I didn’t want Joe’s concern over my health to dampen my spirits.
He gave me a perplexed look. “Only last night? That’s weird. I’ve always thought myself as a very attractive man on a twenty-four-seven basis.”I laughed. His first good joke! “That’s not what I meant, Johnny Bravo. Your body temp, how did you raise it so high?”“It’s something we can do. Our blood pumps faster than the blood of humans. I just had to increase the pace a little.”“Thanks for that. I thought my fingers were going to start falling off due to frost bite.”“You’re welcome. It scared me to see you so sick. But it did give me a good excuse to hold you as you slept again.” His velvety smooth voice sounded so sincere.I didn’t want to get my hopes up, and I didn’t want to ask in case he shot me down again. The only thing left was to change the subject.“What time did you leave my room?”He was quiet for a mom