Page 29 of Somewhere We Belong

I grabbed the receipt that had Marv’s roofing company logo on it with a deposit of one thousand dollars that was date stamped almost two months ago.

What the fuck?

“He said?—”

“I’m sure he also said that I turned down a date from him around that time too, and not that I have proof, but this asshole has been stringing me along since then,” she snapped. “Did he also mention he repaired the roof last year? I’m already having problems and I can’t just go somewhere else because he is holding my fucking thousand dollars hostage.”

I looked up at her, speechless. This motherfucker lied to me.

“Get the fuck out of my house, Colt. Take your roofing shit and go fuck yourself,” she said, pointing at the door.

“Nova.” I said her name, hoping something else would follow, but my brain was blank.

“Fuck you, Colt,” she clipped. “Just leave and leave me and my daughter alone.”

I scowled, opening my mouth to say something when she continued.

“Save us from your judgmental ways and go back to the ranch.” Her lip quivered slightly. “I don’t need you, Theo or Atlas.”

Guilt hit me when she said their names.

“Nova, look, you shouldn’t be driving?—”

“Nope, I don’t give a shit what you have to say, leave!” she yelled, flinching, looking away from me.

“Nova, you need to be resting?—

“I left to go see my loan officer asking for help with the house payment because I won’t be able to pay this month's mortgage,” she said, as a tear slid down her cheek. “I had to go because hesaid he wouldn’t have another opportunity to see me, and I’m terrified of getting this house taken from us. So, excuse me if I saw this as an emergency.”

Shame wasn’t an emotion I had dealt with often, but today, Nova had given me a heavy dose of it.

“So, excuse me for trying to survive and excuse me for trying to take care of my daughter,” she said softly. “And before you say I should ask for help, I don’t want it. Every time I have asked for help, nothing good comes from it. Especially Sol’s father. I’m the only one who I can depend on, and it will continue to be that way because of men like my ex, you and Marv. Men who think they are owed everything. So go fuck yourself, Colt, I don’t want or need your goddamn help.”

She walked past me, and I pulled her back around her waist. The sound was loud before the sting from her slap registered.

“No,” she whispered, another tear falling down her cheek.

She walked out of the cabin and I watched her leave. Shame and guilt simmered in my gut. My chest ached as I thought about what I had said to her and how she had compared me to Sol’s father, which sounded like he had abandoned them. I had really fucked up. I don’t know why I had gotten so mad, but a new sense of purpose hit me. I would finish her roof and talk to Marv. Then possibly apologize before she did something irrational like leave us before she was fully healed.

10

nova

My head throbbedwhen I arrived at their cabin. Crying as I speed-walked, a horrible idea, and driving was an even worse idea. Colt was right about driving, but fuck him for everything else.

The plan was to pack up all of our shit and head back home, drive to get Sol, forget this ever happened, and create a lot of distance from them. I felt a little guilty about pushing Theo and Atlas away when they had been nothing but nice to me, but being around them meant being around Colt. I rubbed my head as I made a list of shit to do, and the thought of driving made me queasy. Exhaustion hit me like a freight train. I just needed to close my eyes for a moment and then I could do what I needed to do.

Just a few minutes…

The sound of a door closing woke me up, exhaustion pulled me back to sleep and not even the door opening to the room pulled me from sleep.

“Momma?”

I opened my eyes to see my beautiful daughter looking concerned.

“Are you ok, momma?”

“Yeah, baby girl, mommy’s just tired,” I said, my eyelids getting heavier, but I fought it, I didn’t want her to worry.

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