Page 97 of Longing for Liberty
A soft but firm feather fluttered its way up my body, swirling with possibility, awakening me.
“I’ve always wanted to go to Italy,” I whispered.
His slow grin came. “Which part? Rome? Venice?”
“Florence,” I said. “Tuscany.”
My heart was pumping blood through my body so quickly that I felt dizzy, even lying back.
“Then we go to Florence.”
I let out a joyful sound and couldn’t hold back a smile. More tears sprang.
Amos took my face, giving me a desperate look that might have knocked the wind out of another woman. “I love you, Liberty.” I’d never heard his voice like this, so filled with emotion and longing.
I reached up, touching the uncharacteristically scruffy cheek of Amos Fitzhugh, and I told the biggest lie of my life. “I love you too, Amos.”
But this lie was for my babies.
FORTY-FIVE
Over six years ago…
We took two cars to the Baltimore airport: Jeremy’s truck and his brother Aidan’s SUV. It was an absolute madhouse trying to get to the departures area, a wall of vehicles three rows deep, everyone honking.
“We’re not going to be able to get up there,” Jeremy muttered, trying to peer around the stopped vehicles in front of us. “It’ll take forever.”
Asher fussed from his car seat in the middle, arching his back and squirming.
“Mommy, I think Ashy’s hungwy.” Rainey patted his belly, which made him yell louder.
“He’s tired, honey. It’s past his naptime.” I felt sorry for my mom, who was about to take all three of them on an airplane.
“What if people don’t like us?” Summer asked, continuing her line of questions she’d been asking for the past twenty-four hours. “Because we don’t speak Italian?”
“You’ll learn it quickly,” Jeremy assured her. “You’re all smart cookies.”
I smiled at her reassuringly, and she gave me one of her forced smiles back. I felt the worry radiating off her and was trying so hard to send positive energy back.
“We’ll be there a week after you,” I promised. “We just have to take care of a few more things here.”
She gave me a small nod as Jeremy’s phone rang and he answered it. Aidan’s voice came out of the overhead speakers.
“This is fucking crazy, bro?—”
“You’re on speaker,” Jeremy reminded him.
“Ooh!” Rainey squealed. “Dat’s a bad word, Uncy!”
“Sorry,” Aidan said. “But seriously, we’re going to miss our flight if we wait on this.”
“Do you want to get out here and walk the rest of the way?” Jeremy asked.
“I think we should.”
The sidewalk started about fifty yards ahead, so they could easily make it.
“Let’s do it,” I said.
