Page 3 of Where You Belong

After leaving Huxton with my mom this morning, I made the quiet drive across town to our new house and let myself soak in how right this moment had felt.

The first few weeks after we moved out weren’t easy. We stayed with my mom for a couple of months, long enough to get back on my feet. I was eager for a place to call my own, though. With enough to cover our first month’s rent and a little to fall back on, I took the leap.

If I didn’t want to get in over my head, I needed to start looking for a job quickly.

Arbor Creek is a small town in Iowa. It’s not far outside of Everton, which makes it the perfect place for me to raise Huxton, but it also makes it difficult to find a job. Securing employment is next on my list after I get settled.

A handful of boxes are left in the back of my mom’s rusted old pickup truck. Sweat dots my brow from the summer sun blazing overhead. I lift the sleeve of my T-shirt and dab it across my forehead, exhaling a deep breath before hoisting another box into my arms.

My sneakers squeak against the hardwood floor leading down the hallway, and I drop the box on the island in the center of the kitchen. I dust my hands off and swipe the sweat off my face once more as the sound of glass shattering halts my movement.

“Oh no, no, no!” I wince, finding two of the four wineglasses I just bought now broken on the floor. Of course, it happened right after I cleaned off the counters and swept the floor too.

My phone starts ringing as I’m sweeping the last of the broken shards into my dustpan. “Mom” flashes on the screen, and I swipe to answer the call.

“How are things going?”

“It’s going well…” I trail off, resting my hip against the counter while staring at the two remaining glasses. “Or it was until a minute ago, when I accidentally broke some glass on the floor.”

“What happened?” she asks, her voice growing concerned.

“I knocked a few glasses off the counter. It’s not a big deal.”

“Good.” She sighed, causing my brows to furrow in confusion. “They say breaking glass in your new home is a sign of evil leaving your house, and good things are coming your way.”

Something is oddly comforting about hearing those words right now.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to work. When you’re ready for us, let me know. We’ll bring you some lunch.”

We hung up after I told her I only had a few boxes left, and I was going to call it a day once I finished unpacking the kitchen. It wouldn’t take long, considering we didn’t have much. We didn’t need much, though, either.

I knew when we left it wouldn’t go over well with Atlas. He’d show remorse, tell me how sorry he was, and offer me the moon with all his meaningless promises. When that didn’t work, he’d try to prove I was making a mistake and resort to begging.

I couldn’t stand the thought of being stuck in an unhappy marriage for another day. If it took walking away from everything I owned and starting over, it was what I’d do. As long as I have Huxton, I have everything we need.

Everything else will come with time.

After hanging up with my mom, I put in another order at Target for pickup to get a replacement set of wineglasses. I would need those. Then I was back to work.

I hitch my leg up on the tailgate and climbed up into the bed of the truck, pushing the remaining boxes to the edge.

“Hey, neighbor,” a friendly voice calls from behind me as I lift one of the boxes. I turn to see who it is, damn near tripping over my own feet. She jogs across the street toward me as I right myself again.

“Need a hand?” She laughs. She’s taller, with long blond hair and a bright smile. She waves over her shoulder at the man behind her. The way he smiles at her is full of love, and she grins right back at him.

They are both dressed like they just got in a workout.

“I’m Madelyn.” The girl smiles and extends her hand out to me. She points at the guy over her shoulder. “This is my boyfriend, Alex.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, dropping the box on the tailgate. “I’m Haelynn. I’ll be living here with my son, Huxton.”

Her smile softens at the mention of Huxton.

“I saw the ‘For Rent’ sign come down earlier this week and have been keeping an eye out for our new neighbors. It looks like you got most of it handled, but can we help with anything?”

“I would appreciate it.” I smile. It’s only a few more boxes, but the sooner I can wrap this up, the quicker I can finish unpacking the kitchen.

Alex sidesteps her and reaches for one of the boxes. Madelyn and I trail him, and I lead the way into the house. Madelyn follows me into my room with our two boxes while Alex deposits the one in Huxton’s room.

---