Page 43 of The Awakening
“Why are you doing this?” I whispered.
“Sleep, Ellie.” He was done talking, apparently.
I rested my head on the window behind me. But I longed to be sitting beside Gavin on our couch. He always knew when I was tired and made sure his shoulder was available to rest on.
Sleep came easy, but kicks from my little football player woke me up. I groaned, and John shot a concerned look at me.
“Just a kick. I’ve been sitting too long, and this little one isn’t really happy. He likes to be moving.”
“He?” John’s brows raised, and I could have sworn there was a smile, but with only the moon and the glowing dash to illuminate the cab of the truck, I couldn’t be sure.
“I don’t actually know, but I have a feeling it’s a boy.” I looked down at my stomach and sent up a prayer for the safety of this baby. I prayed that no matter what happened to me, Gavin would find him and raise him.
We made it Montana in just over a day, and all I heard was grumbling because I made them stop more than Ray wanted. What could I do about it? I was a very pregnant woman stuck in a vehicle for hours at a time.
“Hank, were back,” Ray called from outside my parents’ home.
The house hadn’t changed much, although it looked more dilapidated than I remembered. I slid across the bench seat and set both feet on the ground.
“This is what you had to go do?” my father asked when he saw me. His expression turned angry as he turned to Ray.
“I got her back. We can be married, and I can be back in good standing.” Ray was almost pleading with my father.
“You think we have concerns about you because Elyse left and married another man?” My father was shouting now. He walked off the porch toward Ray. “You’ve lost standing because somehow you managed to pull the wool over our eyes. There are four children running around this community who share your DNA and you’re doing nothing to help any of them. Apparently now five, given the size of my daughter. Elyse, get in the house.”
I walked past John, who held his head in shame, and walked by my father, who never even gave me a second glance. Would my mother be happy to see me, or would I get the same silent treatment from her also?
“Hi mamma,” I said as I walked through the door.
She turned, and a smile crossed her face. “Oh, my girl, I was worried I would never see you again.” Tears filled her eyes as she walked over to me. It was then she noticed my expanded waistline. “Hmm, Gavin’s?” she asked. Her voice was hopeful and fearful at the same time.
All I could do was shake my head.
“Well, he’ll raise it as his, but you have to get out of here.” She scanned the room, her gaze landing on the key hook beside the door. Rushing to it, she rifled through the multitude of keys until she found the one she wanted. “Here, take my car. It has a full tank of gas and it’s right by the road.”
The keys felt cold in my hand as I looked at them. “Mamma, I love you.”
“Shh, child. I know. As sad as I was to find out you were gone from me, I was relieved that you had escaped. Life here wasn’t meant for you. I didn’t know how to get you out then, but I know how to now.”
We froze when we heard footsteps on the porch stairs. “Put the keys in your pocket,” she whispered.
I did as I was told, and we waited.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Gavin
The hours ticked by. There was no sign of Ellie anywhere. Night had fallen hours before, but I couldn’t rest. Couldn’t turn off the worry and the regret. I wandered to the barnyard and looked up at the sky. I argued with the man upstairs, pleaded with Him, made deals hoping it would be enough for her to call me.
I promised to be the best father in the world, to love Ellie until my last breath and beyond. We would go to church every Sunday. But the phone never rang.
I watched the sun peek over the horizon from the porch steps.
My father came walking out of the house. “Have you slept?” He asked.
I shook my head and stood.
“Son, you need to rest.”
