Page 2 of Christmas Wish
Savannah leaned over and pretended she was one of the monsters in the books he loved. Timmy roared in laughter as she bestowed kisses on his face, his neck, both arms, and his chest like she was eating him up. He threw his arms around her neck and kissed her cheek. “You’re funny, Mommy.”
“You’re pretty goofy too,” she replied as she pulled down the covers. “Climb in.”
Timmy slid between the sheets and she wrapped the comforter snugly around him. “So you want me to finish the monster story from last night?”
“Uh-huh.” Timmy stared at her with big brown eyes.
Savannah opened up one of the cupboards and took out the book, then she switched off all the lights except for the one over the bed. She had no idea how long the snowstorm would last, so using the lights sparingly helped to conserve energy. She was glad that she’d refilled the water tank at the last dump station. From the way the wind howled, it sounded like a strong storm was brewing.
Timmy fell asleep by the end of the fifth page, so Savannah quietly put the book away and then leaned down to kiss the top of his head. She went over to the small refrigerator and took out a cup of coffee, which she heated up in the microwave. She padded over to a short stool by the window and sat down, the mug of coffee nestled between her hands. Pushing up the blinds a bit, she stared out the window: The shrieking wind piled up snow in drifts, blinding the night with white ice-like dust. Clumps of large flakes hugged the trees as they loomed before her then vanished as the swirling snow swallowed them.
We should be in town instead of hidden on someone’s property.Savannah took a sip of coffee, the dark liquid warming her as it slid down her throat.Maybe the car wasn’t following us. I probably just overreacted, but I wouldn’t put anything past Bret or Corinne—especially Corinne.Her mother-in-law was a piece of work. Corinne never accepted Savannah as part of the family, and she never thought Savannah was good enough for her son.
Savannah lightly massaged her right temple and pushed back all thoughts of Bret and Corinne. Her first goal was to settle somewhere far—maybe Alaska. She glanced over at Timmy and her heart swelled. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for her precious son. Her eyes darted around the small trailer, and as she shook her head, blonde wisps of hair fell across her face. It was unbelievable; they’d gone from a 7000-square-foot house to a nineteen-square-foot trailer.How am I ever going to get us through this?She took another gulp of coffee.You will. You’re a survivor. You just need to take it day by day and forget about all the what ifs.
Timmy moaned softly as he stirred in his sleep. Savannah closed the blinds and turned toward the bed. For a long time, she watched her sweet son sleep, knowing in her heart that she was doing the right thing. She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill and walked over to the sink and set down her empty cup. Then she slipped between the sheets and burrowed under the comforter, letting all tension seep out of her as her eyelids fluttered closed.
