Rugged Daddy

I nodded as I gasped for air, wiping the sweat from my brow.

“Got another hour in you?” he asked.

I turned around and saw him picking up two large tree branches. I smiled as he tossed me one, then he came a

t me ready to strike. I blocked all of his movements, grunting and panting as he swung his stick at me. I broke mine into two once I had his shattered, then began to swing them around and kick at him until I backed him into a tree.

I pinned his neck to the bark of the trunk with one of the branches pressed against his carotid, watching as it pulsed in my vision.

“You’ve been practicing,” Brad said.

“What the hell else am I going to do with my time?” I asked.

“Your pregnant woman answers that question for me.”

I snickered and shook my head as I released him from the tree. He hopped onto my back and took me to my knees, the branches falling from my hands. We went back to grappling on the ground until I finally got his arms and legs wrapped up in my muscles. Then, I pulled until he called out for mercy.

“You’ve got this,” Brad said as he wiped his forehead off. “Stay the course and keep what’s important at the front of your mind.”

I walked away from that session feeling more confident than I had in a while, and the guilt that kept ebbing and flowing in my veins abated.

For the moment.

CHAPTER 24

HEATHER

“Heather! You have no idea how relieved I am to see your name pop up on my cell phone. How are you doing? Please tell me you’re back at your apartment,” Nikki said.

“I’m not,” I said. “I’m still with Andrew.”

“Heather, I don’t like the fact that you’re still with him, not after what I witnessed Wednesday.”

“I need to ask you a favor and I need you to not ask questions, okay?” I asked.

“Anything. Tell me what you need.”

“We need some things at Andrew’s place, but he’s busy and I feel like crap. If I sent you a list of things as well as his address, would you run by a store and get them for me?”

“Of course, I will. I’ll be glad to see you. Send me what you need, and I’ll see you soon,” she said.

“Okay. I’ll get it sent to you as soon as I can,” I said.

“Heather?”

“Yeah, Nikki?”

“You know I only want what’s best for you, right?”

It seemed as if that was everyone’s excuse.

“I know,” I said. “I do. I’ll see you soon. I’m shooting the list over now.”

I hung up the phone and pulled up a text message. I sent her Cameron’s address as well as some of the things we needed. Audrey was out of apples and bananas, and I had a desperate craving for red peppers. I had no idea why, but I wasn’t going to pass up actual food my body seemed to want. Cameron wanted a few things to cook us a nice dinner one night, and we also needed matches for the fire. Newspaper. Things we could use for kindling and such.

I sent the list to Nikki, knowing I could trust her to come by the cabin.

Cameron wasn’t ecstatic about the idea, but we had no choice. My body ached with every step I took, and he wasn’t sleeping well enough to be behind the wheel of a car. Nikki was our best shot at getting things we needed. I sat down on the couch while Audrey colored at the kitchen table, and then Cameron came in from outside and put her down for a nap. The two of us weren’t talking much. I didn’t feel like talking, honestly. All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around my best friend and be in her presence. Anything to get my mind off the situation spiraling into darkness around me.