Page 115 of Whiskey Wednesdays

“She doesn’t want to be his punching bag, so she mostly stays quiet. They’re both still religious fanatics, and I guess we make easy targets.”

She looked at Stella with a sad, tired smile. “I wanted so much more for her. But I live in grinding poverty, and I can’t seem to get out from under my parents’ thumb.”

I put my arm around her and laid my head on her shoulder. She was a little taller than me and she used to be curvier. Not anymore.

“Did your father do that to your face?”

“Yes.”

“Did he do anything else?”

She stilled, and I knew my hunch was right. Abby had been favoring her left side.

“My ribs are bruised.”

“Is anything broken?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Her motherfucking asshole parents. I hated them so much. “You and Titus need each other, so use his free rent and monthly pay to figure out what you want to do. It’ll give you some breathing room. How does that sound?”

Stella ran over to us, and Abby reached down to brush her hair out of her face. “It sounds… safe.”

My heart broke to think Abby equated moving to another state to live with a man she didn't know as "safe." I wanted her to dream about her future again, and talk and laugh with me like she used to. I put up a silent prayer that she and Stella would be safe, and maybe even a little happy, in their new home.

The motel had a continental breakfast, and the next morning both Abby and I took extra fruit and cold cereal boxes from the buffet to have for lunch.

We took turns driving for another seven hours until we reached our next pit stop. I pulled into a discount grocery store, and we bought a few items for dinner that night. Then we found another cheap chain motel to stay in.

Early Sunday evening on the third day, we finally reached Titus’s house. We were strung out, and Stella was fussy and tired of being in her car seat. But she’d been a little trooper. I’d also heard her say a few simple words, but no full sentences.

When we pulled up to Titus’s house Abby looked a little green, and I saw her swallow a few times.

I turned to her. “Like I told you, Titus looks a little scary, and he growls a lot. But he’s like a coconut––hard on the outside but soft in the middle.”

She turned to me. “Coconuts aren’t really that soft inside.”

I shrugged. “You know what I mean.”

Things went downhill from there. When Titus saw Abby’s bruised face, he looked like he wanted to kill someone. Abby took an involuntary step back, and Stella started whimpering.

I sighed and smacked Titus’s arm. “Quit looking like a serial killer. You’re scaring them. Let us in, I’ve needed to pee since Riverside.”

Two hours later, after I’d introduced them and helped Abigail and Stella settle in, Titus ordered an Uber to take me home. They needed to figure things out on their own.

Abby still shot wary glances at Titus, and he still looked like he wanted to kill someone. But Stella inexplicably decided she liked Titus, and when I hugged Abby goodbye and waved at Stella, she was sitting next to Titus at the kitchen bar eating cold pizza and drinking apple juice.

“Bye, Stella Bella. Come see me in a few days, okay?” Stella waved back at me and stuffed more pizza in her mouth. Well, at least one of them seemed to be settling in.

I texted Connor and my dad on the way home, and let them know I was coming. When I walked in, I smelled something delicious.

Elodie met me at the door. “Your birthday cake looks yummy. Can we eat dinner now?”

Connor smiled, kissed me, and handed me a glass of wine. “Welcome home. Happy Birthday yesterday.”

I hugged Elodie with my free hand and stole another kiss from Connor. “Thank you. I’m now officially just ten years younger than you.”

He smirked and patted my butt. “I’ll have to give you your birthday spankings later.” He sobered and studied me. “How’s she doing? And how did it go with Titus?”

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