Page 3 of Reed

“It’s on the small side, but it will do. Home is where the heart is, not where we lay our heads.”

“Damn right, it is. Now, do you have everything you need?” Her light brown eyes narrow as if she can see the lie I’m about to tell, but I don’t let it faze me.

“Yes. Thank you for continuing to watch them. I promise I will start paying you as soon as I can.”

Mrs. Vance waves me off. “Nonsense. I don’t want your money or your thanks. It’s a pleasure to get to watch my grandbabies.”

I roll my eyes but don’t tell her that I will deposit some money in her bank account without her knowing. I’ve been doing it for almost two years now. It might not have been much, but I felt better knowing I paid her something. “I love you,” I say, fighting the tears that are quickly filling my eyes.

“Are you excited for your first college class?” She asks, heading into her kitchen. I ruffle the boys’ hair when I follow her. I find her at the small counter working on something, but I quickly turn my attention back to the boys making sure they are fine.

“Yes, but I’m also nervous. I wasn’t the best student in school, but if I want to find a stable job, I need to get a degree,” I admit. I don’t have many friends but telling her the truth release a little of the weight sitting on my shoulders.

“You will do amazing. Now your classes end at one, right?”

“Yeah. I will pick the boys up right after. Hailey asked me last night if I could cover the first half of her shift at the bar tonight, which is from five to ten. So we will be back around four-thirty.” The thought of being away from the boys causes guilt to eat at my soul, but classes are only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The sacrifice of spending less time with them will all be worth it in the end. Hopefully.

“Nonsense. After class, head home to rest or study. Whatever you need. We will be fine. Also I will keep them tonight. That way, you don’t have to drive back here. Plus, don’t you have a shift at the diner tomorrow morning?” She asks, turning around and holding out a brown paper sack toward me.

“Are you sure, Mrs. Vance? I don’t mind coming back to get them.” I take the bag and narrow my eyes. “What’s this?”

“Knock off the Mrs. Vance shit. It’s been two years. Surely, we have moved on to Grandmama or Celeste. And that, dear, is your lunch. A turkey, tomato, lettuce, pickles, cheese, and mustard sandwich. A bag of salt-n-vinegar chips. Along with a homemade peanut butter cookie.”

My eyes get misty at her gesture. “Thank you… Grandmama.” I swallow the lump in my throat.

“Girl, don’t you cry. It’s just a sandwich. Now get, you have a class to get to, and I have some babies to spoil.” She rounds the counter and plants a kiss on my cheek before guiding me tothe door. I stop in the living room, giving the boys kisses and promising to see them in the morning.

Once inside my Jeep, I let a couple of tears fall before pulling out and starting the twenty-minute drive to the small college I got into. The radio doesn’t work, so I have nothing to distract myself from my thoughts. My life is nothing like I thought it would be when I was little. That’s for damn sure. I’m only twenty and a single mother of twin boys. I thought I would have children, but I figured I would be in my thirties, married to the love of my life, and have a beautiful home. Instead, I’m on the verge of losing everything, living in a small, run-down apartment, and have sworn off men.

When I found out I was pregnant as a senior in high school, I was terrified for more than one reason. I hid it from everyone, fearing what would happen if they found out. When it got to the point where I couldn’t hide it anymore, I was six months along. I ran away from my foster home. Hopped a bus and went as far as my money would allow me. Thankfully, it was after I graduated from high school. I worried that my foster family would try to find me, but after a couple of months with no threat from them, I started to relax.

I found a job at the theater, rented a hotel room—one that thankfully didn’t ask for id since I was still seventeen—and saved every last cent. After the boys were born a local church offered to help me get on my feet. They got me an apartment in Grandmama’s complex and paid the rent for the first few months. Being a mom and trying to keep our heads above water has always been hard but I had to do it. I’m not sure where I found the strength to do it, but I did. Until I was told one night that the theater was closing and that we would all be out of work. Two months later, the day the boys turned two, and I turned twenty–yes, we share the same birthday–we were evicted.

I struggled to find another job but found one at the bar in town for the weekend and another at the diner. We lived in the Jeep for almost a month until I had enough to rent a new apartment. I got the lights turned on, but that was it. I saw an ad in the local newspaper for classes at a new college that opened up over the summer. I took a chance and went to speak with them. The lovely lady in the administration office helped me fill out all the forms and told me about financial aid. I was worried I wouldn’t qualify, but I got the letter last week. The state would pay for everything, including my books, all because I was a ward of the state.

Some people are lucky enough to have a little money left over, which they receive after the school takes theirs. I’m going to stop by after my classes and see if I’m one of the lucky ones, but I’m not getting my hopes up. I don’t count my pennies before I have them in my hand.

I chose a generic degree in business administration. It seemed like the best bet. I can get my degree in a year and a half if I attend school in the summer, which I plan on doing. Adding classes to working full time and being a mom is a lot, but I have no other option. I have to. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. My first class of the day is College Writing with Professor Black.

Finding a parking spot is tricky, but once I see an open place, I hop out, grab my bag, and give myself a pep talk. I’ve got this. I’m going to do this. I have to because I will be damned if I let my family down any more than I already have. I pull open the door to the building my class is supposed to be in and set off down the hall. I’m not looking where I’m going. Instead, my eyes are glued to the map the school gave me. Therefore, I don’t see the person standing in the hallway, so I run straight into him.

“Fuck,” a deep, southern voice exclaims as arms wrap around my back, keeping me from falling on my ass.

“Shit, I’m so sorry,” I say quickly. When I pull my eyes from the map, I’m met with the deepest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. Holy shit.

Chapter Two

Reed

A life in the darkness wasn’t one that I chose but rather something I was forced into. Whether it is my choice or not, it doesn’t matter anymore because, in the darkness, I found purpose. I found the truth. I found myself. The people I hunted never touched me here. Never this town. My hometown. My safe place. Until I regained and lost the most important person to me. Now, I’m on the hunt for the people who thought they could take what wasn’t theirs and touch someone who didn’t belong to them but belonged to me.

My plan was formed.

With one single phone call.

One single sentence.

They attend Sunny Creek University.

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