Page 50 of Cold as (N)ice

For the first time in longer than she could remember, she had something good, something real. Everything with Barrett still felt so new, so tentative, but it was honest. It was something she hadn’t even dared to hope for. She wasn’t forcing it, wasn’t pretending to be someone she wasn’t just to be wanted.

She was herself.

And—heaven help her—Barrett likedher.

She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling like the walls of the house were pressing in on her, trapping her. She wasn’tsafe here. Not with Eric lurking in the shadows of her past, threatening to drag her back.

Her fingers flew as she gestured to Stephen nearby.

Let’s meet Barrett for dinner somewhere. I need to get out of the house.

She didn’t explain. Didn’t have to.

Okay!

No hesitation. No questions. Just absolute trust from her son. Without giving herself time to second-guess, she opened a new text message to Barrett.

Hey, change of plans. We’ll meet you at the rink and grab dinner out. My phone isn’t working, so I’m turning it off.

See you soon.

The lie tasted bitter, but she couldn’t bear the thought of Eric’s name popping up again, couldn’t stand the idea of Barrett seeing the fear in her eyes if she stayed. She needed to breathe. Needed to get away.

Before she could change her mind, she powered down her phone, shoving it deep into her purse as if that alone could keep the past from reaching her.

She turned toward the living room where Stephen sat, putting on his shoes, completely unaware of the storm brewing around them. For him, she had to keep it that way.

Come on, sweetheart,she said, forcing her expression to stay light, steady.Let’s go see Barrett.

Stephen grinned, scrambling to his feet, his excitement easing the tightness in her chest, if only for a moment. His shoes weren’t even tied yet, but then again, he could tie them in the car. She needed air – fast.

She gathered her purse, keys, and coat, ushering Stephen toward the garage. The moment she saw the sleek, new minivan sitting there, something inside her cracked.

Barrett had given her that. Not because she asked. Not because she expected it. But because he saw her and understood her in ways no one else ever had. Some women longed for diamonds, for grand gestures, for whispered promises wrapped in velvet and lace. But not her.

She wanted safety.

And Barrett had given it to her.

The van meant she could leave—whenever she needed to. That she wouldn’t be trapped again, wouldn’t have to wait for a car that wouldn’t start, wouldn’t be stranded with no way out.

Her throat tightened as she buckled in and Stephen hopped into his seat. This was her life now. A good life. Abetterlife.

She wasn’t about to let Eric take it from her – no matter how scared and threatened she felt right now. She wasn’t going back to Texas where he could rattle her like a person shaking a snow globe whenever he felt like it. No, her home was here. She just needed to figure out how to keep things from falling apart.

And she had twenty-four hours to come up with an ironclad plan.

Arriving at the rink, Irene sat in the van for several minutes, unsure what to say, think, or do. She wasn’t sure what time Barrett got off of work and didn’t want to interrupt him, but pregnancy was forcing her hand distinctly in another direction.

She had to go to the bathroom.

Sighing, she picked up her purse off the floorboard and signed to Stephen.

Let’s find a potty, and maybe we can watch Barrett practice from the stands or something. I’m not sure if we’ll see him or if he’s in the locker room.

I should have worn my new shirt.

Me too, buddy, me too, she frowned in awareness, getting out of the car. As they walked up to the building, a security guard was waiting at the door and said something in French to her.

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