One Simple Step (Journey #3)

My mouth dropped open when I realized she meant just her and my daughter would be going to California. No way in hell I was going to let that happen. No. Way. In. Hell. If I had to get along with Kara to make her stay, I would. I needed to figure out how to do that, quickly.

“No, Kara, that’s not happening. We can make things work, I promise.” I forced a smile onto my face, and that seemed to satisfy her as she sat back in the chair and nodded her head at me. “How ‘bout I make you something for breakfast before I leave, and then I’ll grab you some movies or something to keep you occupied?”

She smiled as I leaned down to cover her legs with a throw blanket, and I froze when she kissed me on the cheek. “Thanks, Nick. I love having you to take care of me. It was so hard on my own.” She pouted her lips, and I tried to keep my eyes from not rolling as I headed into the kitchen. This was going to be difficult, but I had to do it.

I couldn’t imagine not having my daughter in my life all of the time. I didn’t want to deal with all of that visitation mess, especially if Kara was really telling the truth about considering the move to California. That was all the way across the damn country. Not going to happen.

So, I fixed Kara some eggs and orange juice, made a little conversation with her as I got ready for work, and smiled at her when I left. It was exhausting, but it had to be done. And that had just been the start of my day. I couldn’t imagine it getting any better. Is this what I had to look forward to for the rest of my life?





Chapter 25


Ally



It had been over a month since Nick left me alone in the parking lot. Granted, I told him to leave after he stomped all over my heart, but a part of me had wanted him to wrap me up in his arms anyway, and forget all about that bitch Kara.

A million unanswered questions raced through my head for at least a week after he broke things off. Had he cheated on me just like Teddy? What was so wrong with me that the men in my life felt like they needed to do that? Would I ever find someone like Nick again?

I allowed myself to grieve for two weeks and that was it. I wasn’t going to wallow around in self-pity and let myself get all depressed over a guy. A guy that I could’ve seen myself with for the rest of my life. Nope, I wasn’t going to go there anymore. Maybe I would just be done with guys forever. All they caused was heartache and I certainly didn’t need any more of that.

“How you doing today, Al?” Remy asked as I stepped out of my room and grabbed my purse off the counter. She walked on eggshells whenever she was near me, and I hated that she didn’t think she could just act normal around me.

“I’m fine really, Rem. You don’t need to keep asking me that. Really, I’m fine,” I said again, and I’m not sure who exactly I was trying to reassure, her or me. “I’m especially excited because Ben gets here today.”

Her face lit up at the mention of Ben’s name, and I was glad that I had thought to change the subject. “I know, I can’t wait to see him. I’m picking him up from the airport in about an hour. Do you want to ride over with me?”

“I would love to,” I replied, slipping my purse strap over my head. “But I need to run to the craft store for some supplies.” Remy’s eyes widened, probably surprised by the fact that I was actually leaving the apartment.

I didn’t want to chance running into Nick or anyone until I knew that I would be able to handle myself and not have an emotional breakdown in public. While this was a beach town, and there were lots of tourists, there were very few actual year round residents.

“Give Ben a hug for me when you see him, and maybe we can all go out for dinner or something. If you two don’t mind. I’m sure you’ll be plenty busy.” I poked her in the side with my elbow, and she turned a bright shade of red, looking down at the ground to avoid my eyes.

“Jeez, Al, he is your brother and all. Talking to you about that kind of stuff is just a little awkward.”

“Oh please, Rem,” I called over my shoulder before shutting the door. “You can still talk to me, I swear. Just don’t give me too many details.”

I drove into town, and picked up a basket as I walked into the craft store. I had been getting a lot of custom orders lately, and they started to get backed up because I couldn’t really concentrate. I wish I could turn my brain off for at least an hour each day, just to give myself a little break from Nick. He was all I could think about.

I picked up some tulle, in a whole rainbow of colors, and added it to my basket. I just started making tutus along with my bows, and I seriously couldn’t get enough of the things. Several of my repeat clients had just started to send me pictures of their little ones in the tutus, and I about peed myself when I saw how adorable they looked. With the clients’ permission, I had added the pictures to my website, and the orders started to really flow in.

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