Page 125 of Home With You

"I've been looking for something else. I can't stay there. I hate every minute I'm there."

"I think we should stay where we're at for now. I'm not ready to leave Gladys."

"We could still get out of downtown. It's a constant reminder of your old life. You might feel better being somewhere else."

"I'm okay living there for now." I look over at him. "Why are we even talking about this? I thought our living arrangement was just temporary."

"Are you saying you want to move out?"

"No, but I still don't like living at a place that's only yours. It's too much like Rob and me, where he owned everything and I had nothing. I know you wouldn't take off like he did but—"

"I'll add your name to the lease."

"You would?"

"Absolutely. What else do you need to feel better about being there?"

"I want to pay part of the rent, but it'll have to be after I get a job."

"Okay. What else?"

"That's it," I say as he pulls into his parking spot.

"That was easy." He leans over and kisses me. "I have one condition before I agree to this."

"What?"

"That you stop calling it my place. It's our place now. It's your home."

Home. I have a home. Not a tent. Not a sleeping bag. A real home, with walls and lights and heat and food in the fridge. But even better than all that, I have Miles.

27

Six Months Later

"Is it ever going to stop snowing?" I ask, looking out at the giant flakes swirling in the wind.

"I hope not," Miles says, pulling me against his chest.

"Aren't you tired of it? It's spring. It's not supposed to be snowing anymore."

"Yeah, but when it snows like this, we get to spend the day snuggling in front of the fire and watching movies."

"I DO like that." I turn toward him and kiss him, sliding my leg over his on the couch. It's Saturday and we've been lying here for hours while the snow piles up outside.

We moved to a new apartment in January. Miles was right. I didn't like being downtown, constantly reminded of my life on the streets. I was trying to move on and living there was making that hard to do. So we moved to the suburbs. It's an older apartment so it looks a little dated but it feels cozier than our previous place that was so open and had all those windows. This one has separate rooms and a living room with a gas fireplace, which we use all the time.

Miles quit his job at the law firm and has a new one working for a non-profit. It doesn't pay much but he likes it much better than his old job. He said he'll stay there for maybe a year, then find something else. He's still figuring out what he wants to do.

I found a job at a nursing home working in the kitchen. At first I did dishes but now I do prep work and serve. I like working there. All the old ladies remind me of Gladys. They're really sweet and they're always making me stuff, like knitted scarves or potholders.

Gladys is doing well. Since moving in with Zoe, Gladys hasn't been sick once. While Zoe's at work, Gladys takes the bus to the senior center and plays cards with her new friends. In the afternoon, she takes care of Zoe's girls when they get home from school. It's the kind of life Gladys always wanted and I'm so happy she finally got it.

As for Rob, he's in jail now, awaiting a trial. I thought for sure he'd get out on bail but he didn't have the money. He was broke. All that time I thought he was rich, he was using borrowed money. He was about to declare bankruptcy when they arrested him.

He was arrested on multiple charges. I can't remember them all. He had so much going on, things I never knew about, like his scheme to target high school athletes who'd been injured. He wouldn't offer them the pain pills directly but would have one of his workers do it, but only after he'd make sure they were a good candidate, meaning they had money to pay for their addiction.

And the girl who died? Tests showed Rob was the father of her unborn baby, just like the police thought. They found text messages between the two of them that prove he was not only in a relationship with the girl but was also giving her pills. It's hard to believe he was that sloppy, but as his ego grew, he wasn't as careful. He thought he could get away with stuff, like shoving pills down my throat to make it look I overdosed in his attempt to get rid of me.

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