black. The other phone un-paused and Austin’s face appeared.
“The other phone is for the kids to call you if they need to. You’ll have a phone. They’ll have a phone. They’ll see your face. You’ll see theirs.”
The tenderest smile crossed his beautiful face, forcing his eyes to squint. Panicked with feeling myself tumble out of control, head over feet, I disconnected the call, somehow rationalizing that ending the call would halt what was happening. By hitting the end button—it would end us. Stupid. Cruel. Survival mode at its finest. Me at my weakest.
My heart was never going to survive Austin Falsone.
_______________
Outside of a few texts, our contact was brief over the next few days and tomorrow was the day. Departure day. The day that I couldn’t run from him any longer. Hiding wasn’t an option anymore. I would be stuck in a prison cell with him. His smile. His smell. His laughter. I shook him out of my head.
Hannah and I had gone over things a dozen times. Appointments. Get up time, go to bed time, nap times, snack options, meal prep, etc. Confidence oozed from her. Me, not so much. But I trusted they were in good hands. They liked her more than me, I laughed in my head.
The ding on my phone shot my heartrate skyrocketing. Pulling the curtains back, I saw the Tesla pull up. The trunk popped open, and I nodded at Hannah.
“Sure, you don’t want to wake them?” she asked.
Wringing my hands, I nodded. “Yes. Let them sleep. I’ll facetime them later.”
After a solid smile, a tight hug and a final goodbye, I wheeled the two suitcases out. The hot, muggy air sucked the breath from my lungs, but when dazzling Austin stepped out to greet me, I couldn’t breathe at all.
“Jesus,” I whispered as I smiled, seeing again the most beautiful face I’d ever seen.
“Hello, employee.”
“Oh, Lord. Here we go.” I nudged him, already feeling jittery inside with just his words. Truth was, I liked hearing him speak. No one in my world had ever spoken to me like him. Austin’s words challenged me. His wit dared me to step up my game.
“I don’t have hotel reservations. We are just gonna head northwest.”
“I brought some really fun games for the car,” I teased.
Austin’s eyes shot up to mine to measure if I was serious.
“I’m calling the Texas license plate,” I added.
Rolling his eyes, he slid into the refreshing car. The scent I’d missed filled the car, engulfing me and turning the jittery into the dizzy. After buckling, he turned in his seat, paralyzing me with the full force of his russet eyes.
“You ready for this?” he asked, his words soaked with anticipation.
A swallow tried to go down my throat but failed as I weakly nodded, feeling like those four words yielded so many meanings.
AUSTIN
For five days, I’d hoped that having no contact with Phoebe would lessen what I felt when I was around her. That distance would somehow lessen how much I wanted to see her or talk to her. It didn’t. Three seconds is about what it took for me. Watching her carry her old suitcases out, wanting to help her and knowing that she wanted to be independent and self-reliant was undeniably the hardest thing, but I counted to ten and popped the trunk.
“You ready for this?” I asked once she got in.
When all of this first started, she admittedly reminded me a bit of Emma, but Phoebe was different from Emma in so many ways. As I sat staring into her green eyes, she exhibited a strength I’d never known. Strength that had been tested time and time again. Yet, there she sat with her green eyes gazing into mine as she was about to trek cross country for me and for those kids she loved.
She nodded and glanced away. The money was complete motivation for her to fulfill this obligatory trip. The thing was, I’d never been an obligation to anyone. There was something about being considered an obligation that I didn’t like.
“Have your phone?”
Holding it up, her polished nails looked perfect.
“Your nails look nice.”
“They are fake as can be,” she softly laughed. “I’ve never done them before. Hannah has spent a lot of time with us, obviously, and it was her treat to me. Got my toes done too.”
Her sweet, Texas accent rocked my world way more than it should have.
“Yeah, I got mine painted too.”
I knew when I saw the eye roll that the punch was coming. There