Page 116 of Finish Line

The tears stop in an instant. “Share.”

Crisis averted.

When I pass my nephew back, Lea cradles him in her arms. “I don’t have a car seat for Carter.”

Uncomfortable driving home without having him in a proper car seat, I ask, “Are there any stores nearby where we can buy one?”

She thinks for a moment. “Yes.”

She and Carter climb in the back of the Mustang, sitting him in the middle seat. I almost laugh when she puts the middle seatbelt on under Carter’s butt before she grabs the right rear passenger belt, pulls it across Carter’s chest, and clips it into the left rear passenger buckler, repeating the process with the belt from the other side. Smart.

I pull the car out of its spot, and Carter waves bye to the apartment building.

We stop at the store, and I go crazy with some toys. I buy a car seat and a crib. I call Mom and tell her to expect us in about two hours, and Lea has a surprise for her.

Two hours later, we pull into the neighborhood. From the rearview mirror, I can see Lea looking around.

“It hasn’t changed much,” she says. “Where do you live, Shelby?”

“With Nick Tate,” Shelby says.

Her head tilts to the side in question.

“Her mom married Peter,” I explain.

“I bet Hannah loved that,” Lea snarks.

Shelby chuckles. “Not even a little.”

“Is she still lusting over you, Luke?” Lea teases.

I explain what happened and where she is now.

“A farm… Hannah Tate. On a freaking farm. In Iowa.” She busts out laughing.

“Yeah, Shelby has a picture of her milking a cow.” I laugh with her.

She’s still cracking up when we pull into our driveway, but quiets once the car comes to a stop. She takes a deep breath before she releases it.

She wakes Carter up, who stares around groggily. “Home, Mommy?”

“Yes, baby, this is mommy’s home. You’re going to meet your grandma and grandpa.” Lea unhooks him from his car seat before lifting him out.

I slide out and grab the bulk of their bags. Shelby takes the remaining so Lea can carry Carter.

We walk up the path to the front door, Lea trailing behind with Carter in her arms.

When I open the door, Mom and Dad are waiting in the living room.

“Shelby, it’s so good to see you,” Dad says. “Thank you for going with Luke.”

“It was my pleasure.” Shelby smiles.

“Where is she?” Mom looks behind us.

I turn around, to find Lea still outside.

“She’s a bit nervous, Mom. I’ll bring her inside.” I walk back out the door, where I find Lea hovering on the front step.

---