Page 43 of After the Vows

This isn’t real. This isn’t my family. But I’m going to enjoy it while I can. Starting with getting Natalia her cereal.

I open the door but before I can step outside, Lucas snags my keys out of my hand. “I’ll go. You don’t have any shoes on.”

I roll my eyes. “We live on an island. Shoes are optional.”

He squeezes my shoulder. “Go make yourself a coffee. I’ll be back in a sec.”

“The cereal’s in the pantry off of the dining area,” I holler after him.

“Do you need a lunch for today?” I ask Natalia when I return to the kitchen.

“Oh no. I forgot.”

“It’s okay. I got this. What do you want?” I open the refrigerator and survey its contents. “Ham and cheese or peanut butter and jelly.”

“Ham and cheese with mayonnaise.”

I pull out the ingredients and set them on the counter.

Lucas returns with an armful of cereal. “Did you bring the entire pantry?”

He shrugs. “You’re not living there anymore. It’ll go to waste.”

I frown. It wouldn’t go to waste. I’ll be back in my house as soon as Holly realizes she doesn’t have a chance to steal custody of Natalia. How long do custody battles last anyway? I should probably ask someone.

Natalia grabs a box from Lucas. “Thanks, Dad.”

Lucas notices me preparing Natalia’s lunch and hands me a reusable lunch bag to use. I stuff the sandwich in there along with an apple and a mini chocolate bar.

Once Natalia’s lunch is ready, I fix myself a coffee. I’ve barely had a chance to swallow my first sip when Lucas’s phone rings.

As he listens to the conversation, he stands. “We need to go now, kiddo,” he says as he places his bowl in the sink. “I have to be at work early.”

“But I’m not finished eating,” Natalia whines.

“Sorry, cupcake. Duty calls.”

“I can drive her to camp,” I offer.

“You can drive?” Lucas asks.

“Of course, I can drive. It’s awful hard to get all those speeding tickets without driving. I’m fast on my bike but I’m not that fast.”

“Smart alec. I’ve never seen you drive before. You’re always on your bike.”

I shrug. “What’s the sense in driving when I can bike to everywhere in Smuggler’s Rest in less than five minutes?”

“You have a car?”

Does he not remember my car wash performance? So much for getting his attention.

I roll my eyes. “No, I was planning on putting Natalia in the basket on my bike.” He opens his mouth to protest but I giggle. “Yes, I have a car. I wouldn’t have offered to drive her if I didn’t have a car.”

“You need to leave in five minutes to drop her off in time.”

I salute him. “Aye, aye, captain.”

“You haven’t had your breakfast yet.”

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