After tucking them in snuggly, I pulled out their favorite book. I hadn’t even managed one full reading of Goodnight Moon before they’d both passed out from exhaustion. With one last peek over my shoulder, I confirmed that Cameron and Callie were both sound asleep on the king-sized bed before stepping from the room and pulling the door to, leaving it cracked open just enough that I could hear if they woke up and needed anything.
The room I’d managed to rent in cash for one night wasn’t swanky by any stretch of the imagination, but at least it was clean. I’d gathered the kids’ blankets and pillows from the trunk of the car and, dumping the motel pillows on the floor, I made a pallet for them to lay on top of the comforter, just to be on the safe side. I didn’t care if it was a five star hotel or a rundown, side-of-the-road place like this, you wouldn’t catch me or my twins sleeping in the sheets.
Allowing myself one brief smile over the fact I’d given birth to two of the best kids on the planet, I lowered myself to the sidewalk outside the hotel room door and pulled my phone from my pocket.
It’d been turned off since right after Lance left for work early that morning, and although I knew I had to do it, a ball of dread plummeted low in my belly with the knowledge I had to turn it back on.
As expected, alerts for numerous texts and voicemails sounded as soon as I had a signal. They could only be from one person. Deleting everything without listening or reading, I quickly scrolled for his number and hit the call button, willing myself not to get sick as the phone rang.
“About fucking time, Kenz,” Lance’s seething tone broke through the line.
“I take it you got my note,” was my only response.
“Yeah, I got your note, you stupid bitch. If you actually think this is gonna work, you’ve lost your goddamned mind!”
Sucking in a breath and squeezing my eyes closed, I gave myself a mental pep talk. I wouldn’t let him intimidate or frighten me. For once, in the ten years we’d been together, I had the upper hand. And I was keeping it.
“It’s already done, Lance. The kids and I are gone and we aren’t coming back.”
“Listen here you stupid piece of—”
“If you come after us, I’ll leak every single piece of information I have on you. I’ll make sure you go down for every sick, twisted, illegal thing you’ve done. You already know I’ve got the proof, Lance. Just be smart about this. Leave me and the kids alone, for good, and no one will ever know.”
“You’re nothing without me, Mackenzie, and you know it. You won’t last a fucking week without me,” he spat out menacingly.
“Yeah, well, I’m willing to take that chance. Now, do we have a deal?”
A bone-chilling chuckle rumbled through the line. “Fine, you got a deal. I’m better off without a dumb bitch like you anyway. And I bet those little brats aren’t even mine.”
It took every ounce of energy in me not to respond. It was typical Lance; he was needling me, trying to get a rise out of me because he got off on my anguish. He knew damn good and well there had been no man before or during him. He just thrived on being cruel.
“Goodbye, Lance,” I said before disconnecting the call and shutting the phone off once again. I wasn’t worried about him tracking me. Even if he were able to figure out a way, we had a twelve-hour head start; he’d never get to us before I woke the kids up and hightailed it out. And I had no intentions of leaving the hotel with that phone anyway.
It was over.
Finally.
With a relieved sigh, I stood from the ground, dusted off the back of my jeans, and headed inside our little room. I climbed onto the bed between my sleeping angels and pulled them tightly against me, relishing the warmth of their tiny bodies. Ease settled over me knowing when we woke, it would be the first day of our new lives.
Better lives.
I kissed Cameron and Callie on the tops of their heads and burrowed down beneath their blankets, letting sleep pull me under. It was the first peaceful sleep I’d had in almost ten years. The weight sitting immobile on my chest all those years was finally gone.
I couldn’t wait for what the morning would bring.
Present
“Oh, come on, the guy’s been staring at you like you’re a friggin’ popsicle and he wants to lick you all over, all morning long. You can’t tell me you aren’t interested. I mean, he’s hot!”
God, I loved my boss, Lizzy. The kids and I had been in Cloverleaf for eight months and I’d been lucky enough to score a job at Elegant Nails within our first week. It had taken a while for me to finally warm up to the owner of the salon. I’d spent so many years having to hide the evidence of what happened with Lance behind closed doors from my friends that it finally became too tiresome, leading to me eventually having to cut out any relationships outside of my ex-boyfriend, so as not to risk anyone finding out the truth. Not that Lance was at all disappointed with that development. He’d been thrilled to have me even more under his thumb. It eventually grew to the point that the only time I was ever allowed out in public in a social setting was when Lance dragged me to whatever functions his firm was throwing. I’d be his arm candy for the night and always had strict instructions to keep my mouth shut at all times, unless absolutely necessary. A life without substantial friendships was a lonely and depressing one, but it gave Lance one less reason to lash out, so I swallowed down my misery and bore it.