As I scoop up my keys, there’s a noise by the door and Pongo stands up, growling. I hold my hand out to him, the signal to stay, praying that he’ll listen to me as I hold my breath and stare at the door. Minutes pass and Pongo relaxes as there’s a soft, familiar tap on the door. Mills.
As I rush for the door, I find the envelope and my heart sinks. She’s watching us still. I grab it and run out the door as quietly as I can.
When Mills and I are safely in the car and miles away from Chase, I rip the envelope open. Pictures of me at the film set, of us screaming at each other in the kitchen, and of us in bed. None of it would do much to hurt either of us. It’s meant as a threat. The closer I get to her, the further ahead of us she gets.
Fuck.
CHAPTER38
AIN’T NO SUNSHINE
BILL WITHERS
I’m curledup with Pongo and a pillow that smells like Ren when I wake up. Convincing myself yesterday happened will take a few more minutes and some coffee. My hand feels around for her, but I only find Pongo. When I sit up to survey the damage and see if she’s up here, I spot the remains of our clothes scattered around the loft. The costume guy is going to kill me for wearing that off set. I can’t even return it like this, in pieces. I pick up her shirt from the end of the bed, hold it to my face, and inhale that summertime sunshine that’s all Ren.
My girl. My?—
My eyes shoot open dart around the loft, then back down to Pongo. “Bro, did I… Did I propose to her last night?” I try to replay it in my mind, and flop backward onto the bed, trying to stop my brain from spinning.
There’s a foggy memory of tossing her phone downstairs after telling Mills?—
“Holy shit! Did I unlock a breeding kink last night, and, maybe…you know…?!”
Pongo rolls over to face the other way.
“Holy fucking shit. Wait, where is she?”
I hop off the bed, pulling on boxers as I run around the apartment. I don’t know what the neighbors saw last night, but they don’t need to see me running around naked this morning. Not yet, anyhow.
“Renate?” There’s no answer. I head into the bathroom, smirking at the scratch marks that cover my body. Then I trek downstairs. As soon as I turn the corner, my heart sinks.
I haven’t left. I’m always with you.
I love you, future husband.
-R
CHAPTER39
SOME NIGHTS
FUN.
Mills hadcameras installed in my house not long after I did the disappearing act. At first, the cameras were to keep Mama and Dani safe. When neither of them came back to the house, it became a way to know when I could go home and pick up some essentials. I’ve been back twice, and it’s like a time capsule. But now that Mama’s moved back in, I keep the feed up all day and watch her move around the house. Sometimes she’s dancing around the house making dinner, other times she’s crying on the couch.
The other day, I cried as I watched Chase and Devin come over and have dinner with her, and I wanted to hug the shit out of both of them for it. I love those boys.
Today, I flip on the feed expecting to see my mother, but there’s a box sitting on the kitchen table. Right off the bat, I determine it can’t be a head, since the box isn’t big enough for one. So, that’s a bonus. I switch over to the front porch and scrub the feed backward to get a timestamp for the delivery. I scrub it back to yesterday, and forward again, slower this time..
That’s when I find it. One second, there’s nothing on the porch but the welcome mat. The next, there’s a box.
She’s hacked my fucking feed.
I search the house looking for my mother, but I can’t find her. I can’t find when she left, either. It’s the opposite of the box. One second she’s in the kitchen, the next, she’s gone. I call Mills, but he doesn’t answer, so I leave him a voicemail and grab the keys.
* * *
When I get to the house, I park down the block in an alleyway and go in through Dani’s entrance. I poke my head into Dani’s empty room first. I’m a little jealous of her, but I’m also hopeful about her big move. She’s the only one of us kids who didn’t move out right after high school. Her decision made sense, though, because now she has money in savings, even after dropping out of fashion school and starting a band. Good for her. I just hope this new girlfriend of hers works out, or at least that Xander sticks around for good this time. I don’t think she could stand living alone.
