Page 49 of Filthy Secret

I’ve almost forgotten that he’s here. Shifting my attention over to him, I watch as he leans back in the small dining room chair. He gives me a grin and a wink. I can’t believe it, but just looking at him, I don’t know how he looks better than he did six years ago.

I’m not sure how it’s possible.

“I’m semiretired, or at least I was. Living by the beach and being semiretired does something to a man. Maybe it’s the salt water,” he states.

Pressing my lips together, I roll them a few times. I can’t believe I said that out loud. “Although it’s probably all the sex.”

He winks, and I roll my eyes to the ceiling as I make my way over to him. Sinking down in the chair across from his, I let out a heavy sigh. Nash is unaffected by my worries. He’s clearly living his best life with zero of his own concerns.

“Trust me, it will all work out,” he states.

Will it, though?

I can’t believe that.

I’ve seen things not work out more than once, more than a dozen times. My parent, my sister, and her stupid pimp proved that point—driving it home. It doesn’t always work out.

“What am I supposed to do now?” I ask.

“Start your life again.”

Nodding once, I clear my throat and lean over the table slightly. I haven’t had the chance to really take in the furniture, and I notice that the table is scarred but still really solid and pretty.

At first glance, I think I could spruce it up and make it look brand new. I think I could do that with everything here, then add in pieces from the secondhand store and make it a home.

But that’s not what I should be focused on right now. I have a child to take care of and a pimp to hide from. Because it’s clear to me that he knows where I am. As much as I want to believe that my sister is smart enough to find me on her own, she’s so strung out I doubt she even knows what year it is.

“I want to,” I whisper. “But I want to go back to the past.”

He jerks his chin, his eyes focused on mine. “You can’t go backward, babe. You gotta move forward, and if that means taking a piece of your past with you, namely one being that man, then you do that. But you can’t go backward, and you got more than just yourself to worry about on this occasion.”

I do.

I have my main priority.

My son.

Adam.

He’s always been my priority. But I have to admit, the past couple of days, I’ve been not only lost inside of my own head with everything that’s been going on but also lost in Grover. I need to get back to my son.

“You’re right,” I whisper. “My son and I need to move forward, however that looks. You busy?”

Nash arches a brow, his eyes searching mine for a moment. I’ve decided that it was really stupid of me to go out yesterday with just me and Adam. I should have waited for someone or gone to the clubhouse and demanded a guard. It’s not like I don’t know exactly where it is and that there are always men loitering around there with nothing to do between jobs.

“Depends on what you want from me,” he mutters.

I almost laugh, but he’s hot, so it does not surprise me that women throw themselves at him. I’m sure they do, and often. My lips curve up into a smile before I speak.

“I need to get Adam enrolled in kindergarten here. I also need to get some toiletries for both of us. We kind of just packed what we could throw in the back of my car and hauled ass out of town.”

“You puttin’ him in school before this fucker is caught?” Nash asks.

Pressing my lips together, I think about his words. I want to keep Adam with me always. Screw school. If I could keep him by my side forever and ever, I would. I love him so much, and I just want to be around him. But the reality is that I am no teacher, and he loves school.

“I can’t sit around and wait for something bad to happen. He’s probably safer locked up in that school than he is here in this house with just me.”

Nash dips his chin in a single nod. “Then let’s do it. Toss me your keys. I’ll drive.”