Say It's Forever (Redemption Hills 2)

I angled farther to the side so I could watch the tail end of his truck disappear down the road.

“Look any closer, and you’re gonna break your neck.”

A squeak peeled out of me, and I whirled around to find Mimi smirking at me from the end of the hall, wearing her favorite muumuu and slippers.

“Mimi, you scared the crap out of me.” Heavy breaths heaved from my lungs.

She waved me off as she lumbered toward the kitchen. “Figured you’d be sneaking in right about now.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “I’m not sneaking. I just didn’t want to wake anyone up.”

She eyed me up and down. “And it looks to me like my girl never went to sleep.”

“Mimi,” I chastised, gaze darting through the empty living room, just in case anyone else could hear.

“Salem,” she shot right back as she edged the rest of the way into the kitchen. She flipped on the light and moved directly for the coffee maker.

“Where are the kids?” I asked as I followed behind.

“They built a fort in my bedroom. Felt like I’d better keep an eye on those two before they ended up packing their bags and trying to walk to the moon. Cute as pie, but woo wee, those imaginations are running wild. Could barely keep up with the two of them.”

Love pressed full at my chest. “She’s a dreamer.”

“Mmhmm…” Mimi mused as she filled the carafe with water then poured it into the machine. “Just like her mother used to be.”

A huff of air left my nose as I sat on the stool at the tiny bar on the opposite side of the counter. “I used to be, didn’t I?”

I’d almost forgotten what that was like.

“You sure did, but you lost those dreams along the way.” She paused, glancing over at me. “More like someone snuffed them out.”

She reached over the counter and tipped up my chin so she could study my face. “But there they are…the spark of something new lighting in those beautiful eyes.”

A frown curled my brow, and I pulled my chin from her fingers and looked down. “I’m not sure I can go there, Mimi.”

“And why’s that, my girl? Why can’t you live? Didn’t Darius say it was time? Isn’t that why we’re here?”

Hope fluttered my heart.

Wings that lapped.

I needed to clip them before they took flight.

“And if I can’t stay? What if I love him, and I have to leave?” The true fear flooded out.

What it always came down to.

I didn’t exist.

I didn’t have a home.

As Mimi stared over at me, belief filled her expression. “And what if you don’t take this chance and you miss out on the most wonderful things in this life, Salem?”

Moisture filled my eyes, and she moved to the fridge and started taking ingredients out to make breakfast. Eggs and bacon. Milk and butter.

I got up, rounded the counter, and moved to the pantry to grab the pancake mix from the top shelf, already in tune with her, knowing that’s what she’d be after next.

She eyed me as I went, and when I hiked up onto my tiptoes to reach it, she mumbled from behind, “Well, at least he knows how to take care of my girl right. Looks like you can barely walk this mornin’.”

On a gasp, I whirled around. “Mimi.”

She cracked a smile, though there was something soft about it, too. “What? Don’t look so shocked. Every woman should be loved up right. I’m just relieved your looker knows what to do.”

“You don’t even know what he looks like,” I pointed out, like it was going to throw her off course.

“Don’t need to. Already can see it in your eyes, right there with those dreams that are flarin’ up. Clear as day, sweet girl.”

Right. Okay.

She could see right through me.

A second later, a commotion clattered from the hall. “Wakey, wakey! I smells the coffee, so you know whats that means, my mimi is gonna be making the bestest breakfast we ever ate.”

Footsteps pounded on the old floors, and a second later, Juni and Gage busted through the archway.

All grins.

Pure sweetness.

Life and beauty and hope.

My chest squeezed.

“Good mornin’, Miss Mimi and Miss Salem. Thank you so very much for letting me spend the night.” Gage took a seat at the little round table off to the side of the bar. “I am starvin’ marvin’. I like my eggs scrambled, please.”

The words spilled from his mouth, manners galore.

The smile he created nearly broke my face.

Juni ran my way and threw her arms around my legs. My precious girl beamed up at me. “I hads the bestest time ever in evers, Mommy. I wants to stay livin’ next door to my best friend forever and ever. No more adventures, unless we comes right back. Is it a deal?”

She bounced when she begged it.