"Everything," he quietly says, starts the van, and pulls out of the driveway.
I put my hand on his thigh.
He glances over at me.
"I think your family is great. I can't wait to meet your father and brothers."
He picks up my hand and kisses it. "They are going to love you."
"How far is it once we get past the border?"
"Less than a half-hour. My brothers are meeting us, though. We need to ditch this van once we cross."
"Good. I'll get to know all your secrets only your family knows by the time we get to your father's house."
He grunts. "Not much to tell."
"I doubt that. After all, you were a hair pulling boy, so I'm sure there are a lot more stories you haven't told me."
"You're totally jealous of Stacy Snyder, aren't you?"
"Ha!"
He winks. "Put your seat down and get some rest. It's going to be a long day."
I adjust it and turn on my side, facing him. "I think we should play a new game today."
"What is this one called?"
"What If."
"Tell me the rules."
"I say something like, what if you had five seconds to take anything in this car with you. What would you pick?"
"Easy. You and my backpack."
"What if you had to choose?"
"Like that is even a choice. You. Next question."
"What if aliens invaded the planet and you could either join them and live or stay their enemy and die? What would you choose?"
He raises one eyebrow. "Do you believe in extraterrestrial life?"
"Don't you?"
He snorts. "No. Not at all."
"So, you believe we're the only life in the entire universe?"
"Yep."
I rub my stomach. "I'm going to have to teach our child about outer space then."
"Do you think these aliens are green with long antennas that stick up straight in the air?"
"No. I think they would be more like Thor."
He gapes. "Like Thor?"
"Yep."
"You're serious?"
"Hey, it only makes sense they would be hotter than us."
"Watch it now. Thor can't compete with me."
"Well, he does have a hammer."
"I have a gun."
"I don't know if bullets would work in outer space."
He groans. "Next question."
We play all day. When we are a few kilometers from the border, I have to go to the bathroom and can't hold it anymore. We already stopped several times. Each time, I wore a red wig, big sunglasses, and sunhat Silvia got for me. Dirk escorted me, and we didn't have any issues.
"I'm sorry. It's like my bladder got reduced to an eighth of what it used to be."
"It's normal. I read it in Silvia's baby book."
I stroke his cheek. "You're pretty cute, Dirk Zamora."
He licks his lips and grins. "Why is that?"
"You're going to be a great dad."
His face turns serious. "Do you think so?"
"I know so."
Dirk parks outside a rest area, and we get out. He walks me as far as he can, and I go into the women's room, do my business, wash my hands, and come out. We're almost to the car when a woman screams, "Zoe Diego!"
My heart races. Dirk tugs me closer to him, and we walk faster.
People shout my name. Before we can get to the vehicle, a wall of bodies stands in front of us.
Dirk tries to fight them off, but there are too many of them. My limbs get pulled. They rip my t-shirt. The red wig and sunhat get destroyed.
I'm screaming, and Dirk tries to hold onto me, but there are too many people. I lose him in the sea of people who squish into me.
I try to cover my stomach, but it's useless. Several people knock the wind out of me when they bump into it. Dirk is hollering my name, but I can barely hear it through the rest of the mob.
A gunshot rings through the air. Some people freeze. A good portion scatters.
Dirk's arm circles my waist. His other arm holds the gun in the air, and he shouts, "Stay six feet away, or I will shoot you." He quickly leads me to the van, and we both get in and take off.
"Zoe, are you okay?"
I'm still trying to catch my breath. "Yes," I tell him, but pain is shooting through my stomach.
"Why are you wincing?"
"I'll be fine. Just keep going."
"Zoe, tell me what is wrong," he demands.
"They knocked the wind out of me. Give me a minute." I take several long breaths, trying to alleviate the pain