Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Sayla gave me a small nod and reached for her coat. “All right, let’s go pack a bag. But fair warning, I don’t travel light.”
I smiled. “Don’t I know it. Don’t worry, you’ve still got your closet space there from before.”
And with that, we stepped out into the dark, leaving the warmth of home behind for a few minutes, with every intention of keeping it protected when we returned.
Chapter 21
Sayla
Being at Roque’s felt better than I wanted to admit.
It was surprisingly easy to fall back into the rhythm we’d built during the snowstorm like no time had passed. Only this time, we had two sleepy-eyed kids to fold into the mix—two tiny humans who needed help brushing their teeth and choosing socks that didn’t match but absolutely had to be worn.
That morning, I’d dealt with Kaida—woken her up with a whisper and a kiss on the cheek, then helped her into her clothes while she clung to her stuffed dog like it was the only thing tethering her to the waking world. Roque had handled Kairo in the next room, and I could hear the muffled giggles and the sound of his toothbrush scraping against his tiny teeth through the wall. It was domestic and warm and was mine for the time being.
While the kids stood at the back door laughing at the dogs chasing each other around the yard, I whipped up some French toast and cut it into star and heart shapes, dusting it with cinnamon and enough syrup to make their eyes go wide. Roque came up behind me in the middle of it and snuck a kiss to my neck when the kids weren’t looking, then gave me a quick pat on the ass that made me shoot him a playful glare. He just grinned and grabbed the plates.
Everything about it was easy and natural, except for the fear I was trying to ignore.
The truth was, I’d barely slept last night. Not because of the mattress or the dogs barking at God knows what at two in the morning. But because every time I closed my eyes, I thought about my window that’d been shattered while I was in my bed, vulnerable.
I’d even heard it happen and had assumed it was just a cat knocking over something in the street. That terrified me. What if they had come in? Why didn’t they? Why break the glass and not follow through?
Roque said his security system was solid, and I believed him, but it was hard to shake the feeling of knowing that someone had been right outside, staring inside my home, my safe space.
Now, sitting in my salon chair, comb in hand, fingers moving on autopilot as I painted highlights into a customer’s hair, the exhaustion was catching up to me. Two nights of lousy sleep and not even my strongest coffee could keep my brain from fogging.
The bell chimed at the front of the salon, and I looked up to see Tabitha—DB’s wife—breeze in, her smile wide and familiar.
“Hey, babe,” she called, waving like she owned the place, which, honestly, with her energy, she kind of did.
“I’ve got you in the book,” I said, returning her smile. “You ready to go bright again?”
“You know it,” she said, flipping her hair. “These roots are an embarrassment to my brand.”
She plopped down in my second chair as I finished the foils on my first client, and I pulled the bright pink dye from the cabinet without even needing to ask. It was her signature color, and honestly, it looked gorgeous on her. Not everyone could pull off pink like she did—bold, unapologetic, and completely her.
As I sectioned her hair, she talked about her youngest kids being in the daycare—the same one Kairo and Kaida were in. My chest warmed at that. I loved that they were making friends, laughing, and having people around them who were helping make this their new home. Especially with Kairo’s birthday coming up in a month, I wanted it to be special. I wanted him to feel wrapped up in joy, sugar, balloons, and love. He deserved that. They both did.
I just had to keep holding it together until then and try not to let the fear swallow the good parts.
As I finished painting the last section of foil into my client’s hair, I glanced down at my phone and smiled. Roque had texted me earlier that morning, telling me he wanted to throw a party for Kairo’s birthday and was thinking of asking Heidi to make the cake. What he didn’t know was that I’d already texted her the night before, and we’d locked it all in—theme, date, even flavor. I just needed to find out his favorite flavor, but I already knew he’d want race car decorations because Kairo had been on a Lightning McQueen kick for weeks.