Page 18 of Fire in Cabin 27
Guess I’ll be making another trip to the hardware store for plastic, tarps, and bungee cords. Ah, the things we do for love.
How in the world was this man of mine going to survive away from the bright, busy world he was used to?
I’ll save that worry for another day.
We packed, we ate, then we packed some more, but come midnight Juni was dragging. “Darlin’, I think we’ve done all we can for tonight. Come on, let’s shower and get to bed.”
Where many use humor to mask pain, I’d learned today Juni’s snark did that for him. I just scrubbed him down while he worked through whatever troubled him. Was he second guessing leaving?
“Thank you,” he whispered into the dark after we settled into bed.
“For what, sweetheart?”
“For being there for me today. For not asking a million questions. For showing me just how lost I was before you came along. And most of all, for loving me.”
Simple words with deep meanings. My poor Juni hurt for a long time, but I knew my family would love him unconditionally, and would show him what it’s like to be a part of a real family.
“I’ll always be here for you, and I’ll always love you.”
I’d spend the rest of our lives showing him that and so much more. I wasn’t foolish enough to believe it would be all sunshine and rainbows, but I knew beyond a shred of doubt that I’d be there to protect him. To love him and introduce him to a whole new world. And if that wasn’t enough, we’d move wherever Juni wished to go. But my heart was saying moving to the compound was what we both needed.
“Goodnight, my love.”
“Goodnight, Kyson.”
Chapter Six
Juni
“Ugh, I should’ve taken the time to go through everything first.” Donating would’ve been the wiser path for some of it, but I was in such a hurry to get away from that damn woman who’d birthed me that my sole focus was too pack and run.
The inside of my SUV was packed to the roof as was the interior and bed of Kyson’s truck. He secured the boxes in the back with a cargo net, then a tarp and then another cargo net and bungee cords. Hopefully nothing will get ruined or stolen.
Kyson jumped down and closed the tailgate, having secured the last strap. “I can’t believe we got it all in. What about the food in the fridge and pantry?”
“There isn’t much, but I texted my housekeeper and let her know I moved out and to take whatever she wanted from the kitchen. My parents will probably rent the condo out furnishedsince I left all the furniture. I’m just happy to be out of there. The further away we get, the easier it’ll be to breathe.”
“Deep breath, sweetheart,” Kyson hugged me. I loved that about him, always touching me, which had such a calming effect. “We’re almost there and the hardest part is over.”
To be honest, I was surprised my mother hadn’t come back with an entourage of suitors to try and break Kyson and me apart. It’s possible she sensed his dragon and backed off. Who knows with her. Maybe my being gone will trigger the motherly instincts she’d always lacked, and she’ll reach out and see how we’re doing.Right, Juni, nice try.She doesn’t have it in her to love anything beyond money and social status.
Goddess, please don’t let me fuck up our children the way my mother has done to me.
I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that leaving Cali would wipe away the years of mental anguish and solve all my problems. Snark was my mask, but with that mask removed, it was time to address the underlying issues. With Kyson by my side, I was no longer alone and looked forward to each new day with a vigor I’d never had before. Soon I’d be strong enough to face my demons, and he’d be right there to pick me up each time I fall. And I will fall. I’m only human, after all.
“Are you ready to roll, Juni?”
“Yeah. Can we just get out of California before we stop anywhere?” I had no clue how long that would take. “I just need to be out of here.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. Call me along the way if you need to stop for food, or the bathroom, or just to stretch. Okay?”
“Okay.” With a quick hug and a kiss, we got into our respective vehicles. I glanced around one last time at the familiar complex I’d lived in since turning eighteen and said a quiet goodbye. Many of my friends envied me having a nice place to live in on my own and a sweet car I didn’t pay for. What they failed torealize was each were given to me when I graduated high school, along with a kick to the curb. Sure, it came with keys, but still…not the same as making the choice to move out for myself.
Music was always my go-to to drown out the voices and negative thoughts. But even today that wasn’t working. Tempted as I was to turn around and give her a piece of my mind, deep down I knew that in the end it was wasted energy. Hopefully I didn’t rub Kyson’s family the wrong way as I had with mine, but this was my second chance at a first start and I wasn’t about to fuck it up by being me. At least not the old version.
Kyson pulled over just past the Welcome to Oregon sign. “Is everything okay?” I asked as we stepped out of our vehicles. There wasn’t a gas station or anything in sight and I worried something was wrong with his truck.
“Yup,” he grinned and took my hand. “Thought this was the perfect spot to take the first selfie of our trip.” We paused in front of the sign, and he wrapped his arm around me. As soon as he pressed his lips to my head I heard the shutter on his phone click. “See, isn’t that a great pic?”
