Page 25 of Somewhere We Belong

“Hey, Sunflower,” I said, putting the truck in drive as Colt climbed into the cabin.

“How was your day?” Colt asked Sol.

She talked animatedly about her day, talked about her project, the race they had and the flag day they would have at the end of camp. I was about to take a right off the fork in the road when Colt said to go to their house.

“They are going to need clothes and their things,” Colt said softly, as Sol kept talking.

I nodded, grateful he had thought about that. The blue tarp came into view just as it started raining.

“Alright, Sol, I’m going to need your help to pack a bag for your mama,” Colt said, turning to look at her. “You guys will be staying with us so Atlas can watch her.”

“Oh no, what is wrong with Mama?” her lip quivered.

“She hit her head pretty badly so she needs someone to keep an eye on her, but you know what that means?” Colt glanced at me worried.

“It means you get to help us take care of the animals,” I said smiling. “You also haven’t gotten to see the baby cows yet.”

Sol’s face lit up.

“And after dinner, you can help us with our chores if it’s not raining too bad,” Colt said relieved.

“Ok!” She unbuckled herself, opening the door as Colt got out and helped her out of the truck.

Colt pulled a key out of his pocket, opening the door for us and they got to work packing a bag. I checked her fridge to see if she had any food that might go bad. I grabbed a bag, putting snacks and things that looked like they were for Sol. There were a few dishes in the sink that I washed, and I quickly tidied up the place a bit so she wouldn’t come home to a dirty kitchen.

I grabbed a few of Sol’s cups with straws and the water bottle I always saw Nova drinking out of at the salon. Colt and Sol came back with a few bags, and we locked up the house, heading to the cabin just as the rain came down harder.

Thunder boomed as we all ran into the house, getting a little wet. Sable ran into the house with us along with Howard, our duckling. They kept Sol entertained as we brought in the groceries and the rest of the bags. Colt started the fire as I put away the groceries and I made burgers and fries just as Atlas was pulling up.

“Mommy!” Sol squealed, making me flinch from the pitch.

Colt went outside to help them, picking Nova up just as the rain came down harder. Atlas walked in first and Colt was right behind him.. Nova’s head rested against his shoulder, looking exhausted.

“Mommy!” Sol yelled again.

Nova and I flinched.

“Hey, sweetie,” Nova said, smiling down at Sol. “Mommy has a really bad headache, can we keep the loud noises down a little?”

Colt put her down in a dining room chair as Sol came up to Nova. She pulled her in for a side hug since one of her arms was in a sling. They spoke in soft voices as the guys took off their shoes and got settled in.

Colt and Atlas came into the kitchen to give the girls a moment.

“I’m sorry, I should have asked if it was ok for her to stay here,” Atlas said, hugging Colt. “She was being stubborn and staying in a hospital is expensive. I just wanted her and Sol to be safe with us.”

Colt pursed his lips as his demeanor changed. He might not like Nova, but Sol had us all wrapped around her small little fingers. I would do anything for them, and it seemed Colt would do anything for Sol.

The night went as smoothly as I could have hoped for. Taking care of Sol was easy until Nova had to help her take a bath and get her ready for bed. As much as I wanted to help, I knew it was wildly inappropriate until I had been tasked with blow-drying Sol’s hair.

Atlas grinned at me as I dried her hair until she told me I was doing it wrong and instructed me how to “do it right”. I tucked the girls into bed after the fifth book Sol wanted to read. Atlas put his foot down after the fifth one because I would have kept reading to her. Nova smiled sleepily as I kissed her forehead. I closed the door to the room, feeling a sense of rightness like they belonged here with us. That is until I turned around and noticed Colt staring at me as I felt a smile form on my face. Guilt hit me again as he turned around and walked away from me. Atlas frowned and followed Colt as he left the house.

How could something so right feel so wrong?

9

colt

It had beenthree days since Nova had fallen off the roof. Three days of dealing with her, catering to her and helping her with Sol. While I would probably do anything for Sol, Nova was a whole other story. I was in a shitty mood, not even fixing a bike made me lose this bitterness that was consuming me and it didn’t help that the weather matched my mood.

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