Page 4 of Yours

He glanced at the small moving truck that his son was backing into the driveway. “Is that everything?”

“Yeah. It’s mostly just clothes, toys, and a few small appliances. I’m having furniture delivered tomorrow.”

“All right. Let’s get you moved in, then.”

“What?” I tilted my head. “You’re helping me move in?”

“Figured an extra set of hands would be helpful.”

“It would. Thank you.” He’d already helped me so much, but I wasn’t going to turn down his offer.

After a quick trip to my car, I walked into my new home with a box of photos tucked under my arm. I’d done a quick walk-through of the place when Thomas had agreed to let me rent from him, but now there was new carpet, and the smell of fresh paint lingered in the air.

If I was being honest with myself, the idea of being on my own terrified me, but there was something about the place that filled me with hope, and for the first time in the last year, I thought things might turn out okay.

“Knock, knock,” my mom’s voice called from my front door.

“Hi, Mom,” I greeted and walked over to give her a hug.

Over her shoulder, I watched my father walk in and smile at me. My parents, along with Tessa and Nick, had been the best support system I could have ever asked for during my divorce. No matter what I needed, they were offering help in any way they could.

“This place is much bigger than it looks from the outside. I think you and the kids will have plenty of space,” my mom said as she looked around the first floor and I appreciated her optimism.

“Yeah, I think it will work fine.”

After giving my parents a quick tour of the house, we all got to work emptying the moving truck.

After bringing in a few boxes, I noticed my father was moving a bit slower than normal. “Dad, are you feeling okay?”

He wiped his forehead with his forearm. “I’m fine, baby girl. Just haven’t done this much work since I retired.” He chuckled.

“Okay. There’re some bottles of water in the fridge if you need one.” I squeezed his shoulder and got back to work.

It only took a few hours to get all the boxes moved into the house and the essentials unpacked. My mom insisted on making everyone dinner after a hard day’s work. It was nice sitting around and enjoying a meal with my family in my new home. As much as I hated to admit it, over the last eight years, my focus had been on Shawn and the kids, and I didn’t spend as much time with my parents and sister as I would have liked. Shawn had always preferred to go out to fancy dinners and take trips, while I enjoyed family game nights and meals at home. Spending more time with my family was just one of the many things I was looking forward to since I was living in my hometown.

After we ate, everyone took off, and I was on my own for the first time in eight years. The silence throughout the duplex was unnerving, and I was second-guessing my decision to leave Beau at the old house. With two young children and an overactive dog, I wasn’t used to the quiet.

I checked the time on my phone and decided to FaceTime Shawn so I could say goodnight to the kids before they went to bed. Once I pressed the call button, it only took a few seconds before his face filled the screen.

“Hey, wasn’t expecting you to call tonight.”

While we tried to keep things civil in front of the kids, I wouldn’t call our split amicable. There was so much hurt and anger, at least on my side, that I couldn’t picture us ever being on friendly terms. Once Mya announced her pregnancy, he’d been all in with her and had no problem moving forward with the divorce. It had left me wondering why he even tried to save our relationship in the first place.

“I thought I would call and say goodnight to the kids. Are they still up?”

“Yeah, they’re eating dessert with Mya on the deck. Let me take the phone out there.” I bristled at the mention ofherwith my children. I knew I needed to accept that Mya was going to be a part of their lives, especially since she was pregnant with their sibling, but I still struggled to accept it. “Kids, your mom is on the phone.”

“Mama! We’re eating ice cream,” Josh said as Shawn flipped the camera around so I could see them.

“That looks yummy.” I laughed, watching the melted treat run down his chin. “Have you guys had fun today?”

“Yes,” my son responded while his sister just smiled. Ivy still wasn’t talking much at twenty months, but we were working on it. “Dad took us to the park, then we went swimming with Mya. It was the best day ever.”

“That sounds like fun, buddy.” I tried to keep my voice upbeat even though his words cut my heart like a knife. “I can’t wait to see you both tomorrow.”

“Me too, Mama.”

“I love you.” I blew them a kiss.