Page 42 of Broken Dreams
“He does.”
I loved that book too. It was one of Elodie’s favorites but now it’s something else. She loves to run in her room, pick a book from her library, and then she sits in the bed, waiting for me to come in.
“I remember some of it, but not all.”
Grady smiles and this time that knot in my stomach tightens for a different reason. Because he’s so damn cute.
“I need to run upstairs for a second, you can wait here or if you want to go out and see Phoebe...”
“Oh! Yeah, of course. I’ll go out and wait for you there.”
He lifts his hand to my cheek, brushes the skin there, and drops his hand. “Okay.”
I remember to breathe and then walk outside. Asher and Rowan are in a very heated debate, and I make my way over to where Phoebe is resting. Her legs are up, hand resting on her belly.
“Do you need anything to drink or eat?” I ask.
“No, no, I’m good. Just expanding by the second.”
I sit beside her, remembering how that was with Elodie. “Well, you look radiant.”
“That’s what I tell her daily!” Asher calls out from the grill.
“Focus on your meat, you both burned the burgers last time!” Phoebe snaps back and then sighs. “I swear, the two of them are competitive in everything they do. Last week they destroyed any chances of eating the ribs because they had to debate for an hour on if they should be in foil or not. This time we gave them burgers, and they decided they needed to give us an authentic taste with charcoal. Do you think either of them have ever cooked on charcoal before? No.”
I snort. “Well, I have plenty of burgers at home if we need more.”
“We won’t because my fiancé knows better than to mess around and not feed me, right, Ash?”
“Of course, my love.”
She reaches out and taps my hand. “How are you? How are things at Run to Me? I miss being able to stop in and help.”
Phoebe volunteered with us once a week, up until about a month ago when she started feeling sick. I miss having her there. She was such a bright light to those who came in for help. She has a very comforting nature that everyone took to.
“It’s been good, we just got another grant so I can do some improvements I was hoping for. Oh, and we’re opening another branch in Florida.”
She smiles wide. “That’s amazing! I know you and Blakely really hoped to have that happen.”
We did. Blakely and I were both struggling after all that happened with the crimes against these runaways, so we formed Run to Me as a way to work through our emotions and help others avoid similar situations.
My husband died because he learned about the trafficking happening to runaways, and this is how I carry his legacy.
“How are you feeling, really?”
She rubs her belly. “Tired of being sick from this baby, that’s for sure.”
“You only have a few months left, right?”
“Yeah, I’m due end of December, but I swear, summer is the worst. I’m so hot and my ankles hate me.”
“Are you excited?” I ask, remembering when I was pregnant with Elodie. I couldn’t wait.
“I am. Asher is a maniac, worrying over every little thing. Olivia is probably more anxious than anyone. She asked to give the baby a middle name, plus she gets to give her a name sign.”
“That’s sweet,” I say, looking toward the barn area where I can just barely hear the kids laughing.
Phoebe looks toward the giggles and sighs. “I wish I could be out there, I’m sure they’re having a ton of fun. However, if I move too much, I puke. It’s super fun being me. But since we’re on the topic of fun...what about you?”
