ever being this tired. Working a double shift after a tense, sleepless night left her shaky and drained. It was a wonder she found the strength to unpack the baby’s diaper bag and rinse out the bottles Mrs. Pak managed to get Ari to drink.
Ari’s sharp wail of annoyance made Summer’s boobs throb and leak. She’d pumped during a break at work, but her breasts were uncomfortably full.
Finally able to slow down, she nested on the couch, and gazed lovingly at her daughter. Ari’s greedy suckling unleashed waves of oxytocin into her system. The love hormone filled her with emotion, but it wasn’t enough to override her exhaustion.
With each passing minute, it became more and more likely she’d be napping on the couch as soon as the baby finished and went down for her post-dinner snooze. Catching a few z’s was essential since she had every intention of standing guard again overnight.
Weary and unsure if her thoughts were straight, Ari’s tugging suckle helped soothe the unruly parade of musings and emotions trampling around inside her.
Downshifting, Summer sighed heavily and released the tension causing her back to ache. As calm spread throughout her body, she began picking up subtle flashes of energy in the physical world around her.
Scrutinizing every square inch of her surroundings, she noticed a pad of paper and a pencil in the middle of a table and paused.
What the …? Oh, wait. She remembered now. Lynda and the contractor guys from next door had been in her apartment. This must account for the vibes she felt.
Ari grunted. She was satisfied for now and relaxed her mouth’s hold on Summer’s nipple. The baby’s contentment made her smile.
Lifting her daughter onto her shoulder, she patted her back and waited for a burp. As she did, her eyes drifted across the coffee table and stopped. Her shadow box glimmered. From the inside.
No, really. She wasn’t kidding.
Ba-boom, ba-boom, her heart thudded. Why in the world would a shadow box glow?
Staring at the wood box with the hinged glass top, Summer had a hard time keeping her shit together. Something was definitely emanating from the inside.
Oh my god, oh my god. Oh. My. God.
As quickly as time allowed, she hurried through changing Ari and placed her in the playpen for a nap. Then she ran to the coffee table, knelt before it, and carefully lifted the shadow box lid.
The feather quivered as a wave of energy rose from the treasured memories. The wave enveloped her and made time stand still.
Even though it was implausible, there was no mistaking what she was feeling. The only person beside her who touched the cherished objects was Arnie. His life force was hard to miss, so unless the universe was messing with her, what she sensed had everything to do with him.
How was it possible after all this time for Arnie’s essence to be present and so strong? She glanced at Arianne and then at the box of memories. There was every possibility the child she and Arnie made was already growing inside her when they hiked up the mountain and left with a handful of natural objects.
What the hell was going on? One minute, she was stressed, anxious, and fearful about their safety, and the next, a warm psychic embrace from someone she hadn’t laid eyes on in a year made her feel secure.
Was she losing it? Was this how it went for girls with fanciful imaginations? Had she finally fantasized herself into a ditch?
Leaving the lid open, she rose and looked around. She might very well be losing it, but she wasn’t imagining the swirling energy from floor to ceiling.
Her phone chimed, alerting her to a text. She picked it up from the kitchen counter, saw a message from Reed, and opened it.
A giggle shot out of her mouth. She tried to stifle it with her hand so she didn’t wake the baby.
Status Update: gave in to a blind date fix-up.
Name? Virtue. No, it’s not a joke.
Date night at Red Lobster. Cute, right?
It was her first seafood encounter, and it did not end well.
It was time to intervene in her brother’s lackluster romantic life. Reed had an uncanny knack for dating the wrong girls. What he needed was a w-o-m-a-n. Someone with a life who wouldn’t fall for his military-alpha bullshit.
Virtue? Wow, bro.
How did you find this one?
It took a minute or two for an answer. She shook her head when the full picture came into view.