Page 88 of Rescued
“It doesn’t feel real. It’s real, right? I might need you to pinch me. God, if I wake up again and they aren’t here, I might actually fucking lose it.”
My eyebrows draw together. “Baby boy…” I pull back far enough to hook my fingers under his chin and force his gaze to mine. “They’re here. We’re taking them home. You’ll never be away from them again.”
He frowns. “No, I know. It’s just…” He stops, blowing out a breath.
“It’s a lot, I know.”
Sliding my hand from his chin to his face, I cradle it in my palm, rubbing my thumb along his cheekbone.
“Did you see their luggage?” he asks, his voice cracking. “I can’t believe they really have to do that. Whole life in a plastic bag.”
“When we leave here, I’ll take them to get suitcases.”
Shaking his head, Arlo sighs. “No need to do that. It just sucks.”
“It does.” I rub his cheek again. “But I want to, okay? I had the same thought.” His brows scrunch. “That they shouldn’t be leaving with a trash bag,” I clarify. “They deserve better than that. All kids do.”
Arlo doesn’t get a chance to answer before both kids come barreling back into the room. “We’re ready,” Nora says, a huge smile on her face.
“Me too,” Arlo says, breaking free of my hold and reaching for her to pull her into another hug.
“Alright, guys. Time to go, then.”
I pick up both their bags, slinging them over my shoulder as I push open the door and hold it.
Arlo slips his hand into Nora’s, leading her out of the building and into the cool fall air. Salem hangs back for a second, so I shift to face him. “You okay?”
Dragging his eyes away from the door, he finds my gaze. “Yeah, I think so. Doesn’t seem real. Seems like some bullshit is about to happen again.”
My lips quirk up. “No bullshit this time.”
He nods. “Yeah, I know. I already know you’re not a bullshitter.”
I can’t help but laugh. “No, I’m a lot of things, but I’m not a bullshitter.”
Glancing into the parking lot, I make eye contact with Arlo. He cocks his head, an eyebrow raising, so I nod to let him know we’re okay before closing the door and turning my full attention to Salem.
“He’s really okay, right?” he whispers, voice low and shaky. “He’s not gonna, like, die in his sleep or anything, right?”
“The scarring is kind of scary, huh?”
Salem doesn’t drag his eyes from the window. “Yeah,” he whispers.
“I know it looks scary,” I say, stepping closer. “But I promise he’s okay. And I’m not a bullshitter, remember?”
Salem smiles. “I remember.” He holds his hand up in the air, with his pinky out. “Pinky promise?”
A long-forgotten memory of Sarah doing the same thing to me when we were kids flashes through my mind, and a bolt of agony hits me so hard that I nearly double over.
“Pinky promise,” I breathe, hooking my pinky through his. “Are you ready?”
Nodding, Salem blows out a breath. “I’m ready.”
We walk out the door together, and after I put their bags in the back of the truck, I climb into the driver’s seat. Arlo is turned around in his seat, staring at the two of them like he can’t quite believe they actually exist. To be fair, I’m feeling the same way. Unreal to think that just a month ago, I didn’t even know these kids existed. And now, I can’t quite imagine a world without them.
“Everyone ready to hit the road? We’ve got a long way to go. I figured we could stop at the gas station and get some snacks and then swing by the store and pick up some suitcases.”
Salem eyes me. “Isn’t that expensive?”
