Page 115 of Finish Line

“This is a cool car, Carter.” I spin the wheels.

“Oool,” Carter repeats.

“Carter.” Lea gets his attention. “This is your uncle, Luke. Can you say, Uncle Luke?”

“Kul Uke!” Carter cheers.

“Close, buddy. We’ll work on it.” I smile at him. “This is Shelby. Can you say, Shelby?”

He looks at Shelby. “Shel.”

“Close.” She tickles Carter, causing him to squeal and wriggle around in my lap before he settles down again. He spins the car’s wheels as I hold it in my hand.

“A younger couple ran the place. They never pressured me for any other identification documents. The place was tricked out. If you didn’t break a rule, you had freedom. I met Trey inside.”

She glances over at a picture sitting on an end table. “He was two years older than me and so kind. I fell in love with him. He made me understand my worth. I started a job as a waitress, and everything was great.”

She lets out a staggered breath. “He walked me home one night after work. We were staying in a rough neighborhood at the Runaway, and we somehow ended up in the middle of a drive-by shooting. We thought a car backfired, but Trey recognized the sound and pushed me down.” She sniffles. “He was shot in the process.”

I hand Carter over to Shelby before I crawl off the couch to sit beside my sister. I hug her tight as tears pour down her cheeks.

“He bled out in my arms. The memories of Trey hurt, so I left. The guy who owned the store where I worked had a small apartment above the store. He let me stay there. A couple of months later, I found out I was pregnant. Once I gave birth, working was hard, so staying above the store wasn’t an option. I saved up as much of my money as possible, and before I had Carter, I received government housing help.”

She rubs her hands down her legs. “I never called Mom and Dad because of my embarrassment over what happened, how I acted, and what I did. If they turned me away…”

“Sis, they wouldn’t do that.” I rub my hand up and down her back.

“Your parents are the kindest people,” Shelby adds.

I look at Shelby, and she nods.

“It’s time to come home, Lea,” I say.

Tears brim in her eyes. “You think they’ll let me come back?”

“Of course, they will. Mom and Dad have missed you every day you were gone. They never stopped worrying about you or wondering where you went. Besides, Roger’s threat toward you makes it unsafe for you to stay here.” I glance around. “Why don’t you pack a bag for you and Carter? We can always come back for the rest.”

I reach down to help Lea up.

She hugs me, then steps back. “I don’t care about the furniture, and it won’t take me long to pack the clothes, since we don’t have much. Can one of you gather Carter’s toys? They can go in the bag in the corner. Whoever is not doing that, please grab the sippy cups and bottles from the kitchen. They’re in the cabinet to the right of the sink.”

“Got it,” I say.

It takes about an hour to pack the car. Lea tells the apartment manager she’s leaving, then she calls her job.

When the last items are loaded, Lea brings Carter down.

When he sees my Mustang, his eyes go wide, and he points. “Mine!”

“Nuh-uh, buddy,” I say. “Mine.”

His little lips tremble, then he bursts into tears.

Oh shit, I made my nephew cry.

Lea consoles the bawling kid.

“Hey, hey, Carter.” I take him out of Lea’s arms. “How about we share?”

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