Page 115 of Surrender

A thrill runs down my spine. Just as quickly, the single-story dwelling disappears as we crawl past the property.

“The For Rent sign is gone.”

“Yep.”

“You passed it.”

“Yep.”

I can’t hold back an eye roll. “What else could we be doing here if we’re not seeing that house?”

He follows the bend in the road to the left and stops at the curb of a dead end.

“We’re seeing a different house on Third Avenue.”

Something awful pinches my lungs. “You’re bringing me to see a rental?”

I lick my lips, my gaze freezing on the house before us.

Over the past three months, the topic of moving hasn’t come up. As far as Jack has let on, the four of us moved in together the day of the blizzard and made it official the night my kids came home safe and sound.

Jack kills the engine and glances at me, but my eyes are hidden by my sunglasses. He tips his head toward his door. “Come on and see.”

I fight against a jolt of panic and force myself to sit through a deep breath.

Someone once told me that excitement and anxiety are the same emotion. Our reaction depends on whether the brain interprets the situation as a positive or a negative.

Right now, I’m having a hard time deciding which one I should feel.

I lift Bennett out of his seat while Jack releases Lucy. She immediately raises her arms, and he hoists her high onto his hip. She clings tight around his neck, and she lays her head on his shoulder, thumb popping into her mouth.

Ever since the night of the kidnapping, Jack has become her favorite person. She does this every time we go somewhere new.

And even if I’m uncertain he should encourage her, I can’t deny the sight of them doesn’t fill me with a feeling of contentment and warmth. She has complete and total trust in him, much like I do.

Usually. This might be the exception.

I follow him to the sidewalk and stop dead.

A sign declaring the property for rent blows gently in the wind. The log cabin-style house sits near a row of towering snow-topped pines like an image from a Hallmark movie. The melting snow sends glittering drips of water running off the gutters. Huge windows, dark against the shining sun, cover the front right half of the house while a wide porch wraps around the left to the back.

Jack doesn’t give me much time to gawk at the house. His long legs stride up the steps, and I run to catch up to them. He holds the door open by the time I reach the landing.

“After you, pretty girl.” He swoops down to kiss my cheek as I pass. Lucy giggles as she hangs onto his neck.

“Did you know your momma is beautiful, Luce?” he murmurs to her behind me.

“Uh-huh,” she says.

“Just like you. Prettiest girls I’ve ever met.”

My heart enters a free fall.

I step into the large foyer of a rustic open-plan home. Huge windows let in natural light from all sides. A staircase sits straight ahead between a living room and the kitchen area, leading to the second floor. Everything is exposed beams and rustic wood. A large fireplace to my right reminds me of the nights with Jack on the floor beneath an orange glow.

“What are we doing here?”

He slips his warm hand in mine and tugs me up the stairs to the second floor.

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