Page 2 of Down the Aisle
Giving me a confident smile and nod, Eve told me to wait and disappeared around the house. Moments later, a midsize SUV pulled around to the front right next to me. "Alright, get Asher settled. I'll move all your bags over," Eve told me in a rush, after hopping out of the driver's seat.
She handed me a set of keys. "There's a bag in the passenger's seat with all your new documents in it, along with documents for Asher." She pointed over to a black briefcase which looked rather ominous under the dim lighting of the car. "And I know you said you don't want any more help from me, but I'm not going to take no for an answer." Her eyes drifted to the floor, where another briefcase sat. "And the trunk is packed with water and food for the road trip and a lot more than you need probably, but better safe than sorry."
Tearing herself away from me, she opened the doors to my car to start transferring things over. "Got a phone set up for you, and don't worry, it's untraceable and shit, and my number is programmed in there along with Jag's and Hartley's." Taking a second to breathe, she shut the trunk with a grunt. "Your new place is set up, and the address is on the sticky note on the wheel."
Huffing, she stood next to me as I set up Asher's car seat. "From what Hartley told me, there should be a list of employers at your new place, too," she added after tapping her chin in thought. "But you're mostly set for a few months if you stretch the funds well."
Shutting Eve up with a hug, I rubbed my teary face onto her shoulder. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I really don't know how to thank you properly or repay you." It was a damn miracle I hadafriend in my life still; it was some act of God for Eve to be as helpful as she'd been.
"Getting away from James and living a good life is more than enough. I expect more updates and shit, though, especially nowthat you can." Eve grinned with a giggle before urging me with a shove toward the driver's seat. "It's a long drive, but take all the breaks you need, and stay safe."
Guilt sunk into my bones as I slowly dragged myself behind the wheel. "Are you sure you're going to be fine? I don't want to give you so much trouble after you've been so helpful and supportive." I knew for a fact Jameswouldgo after Eve the moment he woke and got his thoughts together.
Eve reassured me with a smile before shutting the door. "Don't worry about me. I do this for a living, remember? Besides, if he has half a functioning brain cell in that empty space of a head, then he won't come after me." I barely caught her words through the cracked window. "Now, quit stalling. Go. The more distance you make before he wakes, the better," she urged me before any words could come out of my open mouth. "Be safe."
I opened the window and, with one last tearful smile, reached an arm out to hug her. “Thank you.”
Wasting no time, I punched the address into the GPS and practically floored it the moment we pulled out of Eve's driveway.
Twelve hours.
Well, probably closer to fifteen or more, factoring in the needed stops for rest. If I was traveling alone, the ETA might've been accurate, but I had a three-month-old with me.
No matter, as long as I could make it to Seaside in one piece with Asher. The major task right now, besides making it alive, was to get out of Idaho as fast as possible to minimize the chances of being caught.
God, I'm fucking insane. A twelve-hour drive by myself with a baby?! What am I thinking?! I'm not going to make it. I'm going to be stopped at the border, or some shit, and James is going to show up and drag me back home where I'm never going to see the light of day ever again.
Endless doubt flooded my weak mind the further I drove. My confident and determined grip on the steering wheel slowly faltered until my hands slipped to the bottom, and only the tips of my fingers remained in contact with the wheel.
I mean, what if I didn't drug him enough? If he woke up sooner than expected, then I would have even less time to escape the state. On the other hand, what if I had overdosed him? Even though his vitals were stable when I left, what if the faint and steady pulse was my imagination? What if his chest really wasn't rising and falling as it should?
No. Stop it! Stop.
Mulling over what-ifs would do nothing but stress me out.
This was all for the greater good. I had to remember that.
For me… And for Asher.
Chapter 1
Eliza
~1 year later~
I don't know what gave me more of a heart attack, my blaring alarm, or my toddler whacking me in the face with his sippy cup while babbling nonsense at me.
"Mama mum mum!" Asher demanded while continuing to beat me with the empty cup.
Even if the dull aches got annoying, I couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as I marveled at my 15-month-old. It was still so bizarre to me how much he'd grown in a year. Well, and the fact it's been a year since we ran and started new lives.
Having a fresh start was a godsend, and not a day went by where I didn't thank whoever was up in the sky for this new life.The part I was most thankful for was how my ex-husband hadn't found us yet.
I still kept in touch with Eve on a near-daily basis, and she kept me updated with anything regarding my ex if it pertained to me. Unfortunately, he hadn't thrown in the towel, even after a whole year.
It was probably too much for me to hope James would give up on me. To be fair, it was a good fifty-fifty shot in my perspective. We were together for a long time, and forgetting someone overnight after ten years wasn't easy. Even though I despised and resented him, I still couldn't get him out of my system completely. I was trying to be fair to myself and not push to get over it faster than I could.
A part of me held out hope for him to finally change so we could be one happy family like we planned. Of course, the larger and more practical side of me knew better and fought endlessly to keep my naïve self from packing it all up and going back to Idaho.
