Page 12 of Stay With Me
“It’s not like that outside The Family, Jess. Women are allowed to do what they want without someone else’s permissiononce they are above the age of eighteen. Neither of us is going to get in trouble for this. I promise,” she tells her, and Jess nods.
I stand and take Luna’s hand in mine and offer my other to Jess. She looks down at my upturned palm, then up at me, unsure if she should take it. Not wanting to force it, I drop my hand by my side and say, “Alright, ladies, it’s late. Let’s go give Melissa a tour of my house and get us all settled for the night. It’s been a long day.”
As we start to walk, Jess slips her hand into mine, and I look down at her and smile.
Together, we walk out of the conference room to the start of what I’m hoping is my future. I just have to convince Luna to give me a chance to navigate this new life with her.
SIX
Luna
WhenwegettoNoah’s truck, he opens Jess’s door first and helps her in. I reach for my handle, but he settles his hand over mine as he shuts the back door.
“Do you want to swing by your place to get anything?” he asks me softly.
“No, I don’t want to keep Melissa waiting long if that’s okay with you. I can get whatever I need tomorrow,” I tell him as I climb into the truck.
“Of course it’s okay. I have extra stuff for you both to use for tonight. We’ll figure it out together. I promise.” He leans in, and my eyes flutter closed because I think he’s going to kiss me.
I snap my eyes open when I hear the click of the seat belt.
Noah smirks at me and says softly, “Our first kiss won’t be in the truck with your sister as we wait to go to my house for the first time, my Lunabella, but it will be soon.”
My cheeks flame with embarrassment that he knew exactly what I was thinking.
He kisses my cheek, his warm lips lingering for a beat before he leans out of the cab and shuts the door. He walks around to the driver’s side and gets in.
Starting up the truck, he looks from me to Jess and says, “Let’s get out of here, shall we?”
I nod, and he backs out of the spot and turns onto Main Street. As he drives, I realize we’re going in the opposite direction from the farm.
Turning in my seat, I say, “You don’t live anywhere near me, do you?”
I knew this, the girls told me, but I don’t know why I need him to tell me himself.
Flipping on his blinker, he says, “No, I live on the other side of town.”
“Why did you tell me it was on your way that night?”
“Because I knew you wouldn’t want to put me out of my way, so I told you that. But it wasn’t a total fib. My mom does live close to Ann and Joe, and since she’s been in the cruise era of her life, I stayed there and did the lawn work and other things I’d put off for too long.”
I shake my head at him and smile. The connection I feel toward him is different from anyone I’ve ever met. He’s one of the reasons I’ve found it harder and harder to leave. Ever since the night he dropped me off at home after girls’ night several months ago.
Guilt creeps up on me again as I think about how he asked me out that night, but I knew that creating a deeper connection than I already had with him wasn’t something I could risk. So I continued to make excuses as to why I couldn’t go out with him.
When I first left The Family, I stayed away from everyone outside of actual working hours. Finding odd jobs and working to have enough money to have a roof over my head and eat while stashing money away for the next move.
Depending on how safe I felt, I would stay about three to six months. The first two years, I didn’t feel safe at all, and it took me a long time to be able to talk to a man and look them in the eye.
I knew Matthew would be mad I left. He was counting down the days until we were married, when he was thirteen and I was sixteen. If he had it his way, we would have been married as soon as Father announced we were the chosen couple, but the marriage rule for a woman’s age was firm in The Family.
After a couple of years on the run, I felt like maybe I didn’t have to look over my shoulder as much. That he had found a new obsession. Someone inside The Family who wanted to be there.
When I found the ad for the bed-and-breakfast in Griffin’s Den, it was the farthest south I could find at the time. After the phone interview, I hopped on the next bus heading south.
Joe and Ann took me in and didn’t ask questions.
They became the parents I wish I had.
