Page 35 of Stepping Into Tomorrow

“I’m fine.” She shot daggers at Nash with her eyes.

“Nash says you aren’t feeling good and so did you. You should stay in bed, Mom. The article said that morning sickness is common in the first trimester. You need crackers and ginger ale and sometimes sour candies work. I’ll go get you some.” Eli darted out of the room.

Bella sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. It was the first time Nash had noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the exhaustion in her expression. “Thanks for that.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice.

“I’m not wrong. You shouldn’t push yourself.”

“You know, I’m getting really fucking sick of you telling me what I should or shouldn’t be doing. Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I’ve turned into a child overnight with an inability to make choices for myself.”

“That’s not—”

“Just go. Leave before Eli gets back and you make this worse.” She grabbed a pile of clothes from the dresser and rushed past him back to the hall and to the bathroom once more before shutting herself inside.

Nash raked his fingers through his hair, tugged on the curls, and let out a frustrated sigh. He’d come here to clear things up, but it seemed he might have made them worse.

17

ISABELLA

Isabella leaned over Eli’s bed to kiss his cheek. She pulled his weighted blanket a little higher and shut off the constellation nightlight he still liked to fall asleep to. Quietly, she crept out of the room and shut the door behind her before making her way downstairs to the kitchen. Nova sat on the back deck around a flickering gas fireplace.

Isabella grabbed a bottle of water and walked onto the back porch, shutting the glass door behind her. Nova sat on a couch, a lit joint in her hand. The cherry on the end glowing red as she inhaled and a puff of smoke left her lips a few moments later, followed by the herbal scent of weed.

“I’d offer you a puff but I have a feeling you’d say no, with you being pregnant and all,” Nova said, pinching the end and setting it on the ashtray in front of her. The flames danced in the center of the table, encased in glass on four sides.

Isabella took a seat next to her friend, unscrewed the bottle, and took a drink. “I’m good.”

“I make edible cookies once a week for some of my clients. I’ll be sure to keep them away from Eli. I can make a regular batch for him to enjoy,” Nova offered.

“That’s sweet of you. I can let him know which ones are off-limits.”

“As soon as they’re cool, I’ll package them up and move them out of the house,” Nova added.

“Thanks. How did you get into farming cannabis?”

Nova tipped her head back, staring up at the sky. “I had some major anxiety. Trouble sleeping. And my mind wouldn’t ever just shut the fuck up, you know? Thanks, ADHD.” She laughed. “I smoked in high school but it was shitty stuff for recreation. Later on in life, when . . . well, everything hit the fan, I was spiraling.” Nova blinked slowly. “Prescriptions made me numb or worse off. I tried some of a friend’s home-grown and it worked immediately. I was sleeping better, functioning better. So, I looked into farming it. Now I can help people with a wealth of issues. Epilepsy, autism, chronic pain, PTSD, autoimmune disease, insomnia, anxiety, cancer—you fucking name it.”

“So you wanted to help people find relief like you did?”

“You make me sound so saintly.” Nova giggled. “A few years ago, I’d still be considered a drug dealer—or at least a supplier.”

“Yeah, well, thankfully, times are changing.” They sat in silence for a moment. The sound of crickets and a few bats chirping somewhere off into the distance.

Isabella wiped sweat from her forehead. “It’s a little warm for a fire.”

“Yeah, but it’s pretty.”

Isabella took another gulp of the cold water as she stood. She capped it and set it on the table. “I’m gonna take a little walk.”

“Holler if you get lost,” Nova said motioning to the darkness.

Isabella stepped off the porch and headed down a worn footpath that led up a hill. She walked for several minutes, her focus on the dim path in front of her, only lit by the nearly full moon. A bench sat perched on top of the hill. She climbed the incline and sat, overlooking a giant field. The glow of the moon turned the long grass below a mixture of gold and blue. Little bursts of green flashed as fireflies danced in the breeze. Tipping her head up, she took in the giant sky above her. Millions of stars splattered across the heavens. It was beautiful. The image blurred.

Hot tears dripped down her cheeks. She wiped at her eyes but more came. She sniffed and tried to blink them away, but it was no use. At least she could have some privacy here.

“What the fuck am I doing?”

Nash probably hated her for the unfortunate coincidence that had occurred. She knew his sister and now lived with her temporarily. Had he come over to tell her to leave? Then why apologize? I wish I could get a better read on that man. He’s so hot and cold. If only I could ask Nova. It wouldn’t be fair to put her friend in that position.

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