Page 115 of Ruthless Secrets
I still hope it’s for the better, but only time will tell.
Marissa puts her arm around me and Rosa. “Let’s go and get you settled in your rooms.”
She looks to be around the age my mom should have been if she were alive, with dark chestnut hair and eyes to match. She’s tall and extremely graceful, like a dancer, and she radiates a natural maternal warmth that puts me at ease as she leads all of us inside the cabin.
I was nervous about Marco leaving Zoe and me with strangers, but the fact that Marissa and her husband were willing to take us all in at such short notice tells me exactly the sort of people they are.
Alio follows behind us all with the bags.
I thought maybe Jax would be staying here too, but he left after unloading the trunk of his car.
Once inside the cabin, Marissa leads us through the cozy living space.
There’s a fire roaring in the hearth with shelves on either side, fit to bursting with old paperbacks.
If we were here under different circumstances, I would feel overjoyed at the idea of spending all night sitting by the fire, drinking cocoa and reading.
Marissa leads us down the narrow, dimly lit hall just off the living room. “Your rooms are just this way.”
She shows us through the first door on the right.
The room is a little cramped with two twin beds sitting parallel to each other on opposite sides of the room, their simple wooden frames matching the cabin’s rustic aesthetic with a small nightstand nestled between them. Near the foot of each bed, two compact travel cribs stand side by side forthe girls. Through the window on the far wall, dense trees surround the cabin, their dark silhouettes visible against the faint moonlight.
Marissa looks at me and Lila. “We thought you might want to keep the babies together. But you’re welcome to use the other rooms too. We’ve put Rosa right next door.”
Lila smiles at her. “This is perfect, thank you.”
“Would you like anything to eat? Or maybe some hot cocoa?”
Lila shakes her head. “Please don’t trouble yourself. I think we’ll just get the girls back down and head to bed ourselves.”
“Well, I’m right down the hall if you need anything.”
Once Marissa closes the door, I feel close to tears.
I clutch Zoe tighter, trying to remember that the room is temporary, a place to keep the girls safe until the danger passes.
If it ever does.
I’m about to get ready to feed Zoe when Rosa grips my hand.
“Can I stay with you?”
“Of course.” I squeeze her hand. “You can bunk with us.”
I’m trying my best to stay strong, not just for myself, but for Rosa and Lila, who, now that it’s just us in our room, seems to barely be holding it together.
Every time I glance at Lila, I see the exhaustion in her eyes. Her shoulders are slumped, her worry weighing her down.
I can tell she’s doing her best to hide it from Rosa, but she’s not fooling me.
She’s scared, and so am I.
I give Zoe a quick feed and settle her down to sleep in the cot at the end of my bed without too much of an issue.
Lila, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be having much luck with Holly.
“Shh…” She rocks her daughter.
