Page 42 of Mountain Daddy

“Chocolate croissant then,” I manage.

Chleo nods. Turns to the display case. Has to stretch on his toes to reach the tongs.

“I can get that,” Rosa offers.

“I've got it.” His voice carries that same stubborn determination I hear in my own.

Fuck.

The door to the pantry opens. Rosa and Chleo both look up, smiling.

“Finally,” Rosa says. “I was starting to think you'd fallen asleep.”

I turn to see who she’s speaking to.

And I freeze.

She’s pale.

She’s five years older. Hair longer. Curves fuller.

But unmistakably, it’s the woman who disappeared from my bed. From my life. From Chicago without a trace.

Lilly.

The woman I've thought about every day since.

Our eyes meet and she stumbles, loses balance as she tries to clutch at the table behind her. A bowl slips. Shatters on the floor. Brown liquid spreads across white tile like spilled blood.

“Mama!” Chleo jumps down from his stool. “You're making a mess! You said we can’t waste things. We have no money!”

Mama.

The word echoes in my skull.

And what does the kid mean that they have no money?

I look at Chleo. Really look. The eyes. The stubborn chin. The way he stands like he's ready for war.

The timeline crashes over me like a freight train, reels into my mind like an itch.

Could it be…?

Five years ago. A few nights together. No protection.

Holy fuck.

Lilly hasn't moved. Hasn't breathed. She's staring at me like I'm a ghost. Like I'm the devil come to collect.

Which, apparently, I am.

“Lilly,” I say. My voice comes out rougher than intended.

Rosa looks between us, confusion written across her face. “You two know each other?”

“We...” Lilly's voice cracks. She clears her throat, tries again, but can’t speak.

Chleo tugs on Lilly's hand. “Mama, you're shaking.”

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