Page 112 of Escape

One day, I’d have to address it with him, but today wasn’t that day.

“I’ll let you know as soon as I’m on my way,” I promised.

He gave me one more kiss, dropped his hands away from my face, and said, “Have a good day at work and a fun time with your friends tonight.”

Normal.

God, this was so normal.

And until I had it from him, I never knew what it felt like. “Thanks, Huck.”

“You’re welcome, honey. I’ll see you tonight.”

“I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

With that, I walked away toward the diner, and I did it with a smile on my face. It was difficult not to be happy these days, especially over the last week since Huck and I had taken that next step in our relationship.

We’d confessed our feelings to one another and had finally scratched that itch that had been there for the both of us for such a long time. And with each day that had passed with Huck in my life, I was feeling great and finding myself to be more and more relaxed about where I’d come from and confident in where I was headed. While I was sure therapy was helping a lot with that, I believed Huck was a big part of it, too.

I made it to the entrance of the diner, looked out into the parking lot, and saw Huck still standing there beside his truck. His arms were crossed over his chest, his ankles the same, and he was smiling proudly at me.

My heart swelled in my chest at the sight of him standing there, particularly with the way he was looking at me. This had become a thing for me to look back and see him watching me as I made my way into work each day that he dropped me off. He refused to get back inside his truck to drive away until after I made it safely inside, and I couldn’t have loved him more for it if I tried.

I shifted both bags into one of my hands, beamed at him, and blew him a kiss before I waved. Even from the distance, I couldn’t miss the way his laughter lit up his face and shook his body. He caught my kiss in the air, shoved it into his pocket, and waved back just before I pulled the door open and walked inside.

As much as I would have been content to have an easy day at work that would have allowed my thoughts to drift to Huck and how much my life had improved since he came into it, things didn’t work out that way.

It seemed that no sooner had I gotten my things set down in the back and tied my apron around my waist, the day got out of control. I had assumed it was simply par for the course for a Friday, especially now that it seemed word was spreading about the new diner in town.

On the bright side, the hectic day was great for tips and getting me closer to my financial goals.

I just wished I would have known the craziness at work wasn’t merely what I’d assumed it to be. I wished I had known it was a warning, an indication, of what was in store for me.

TWENTY-NINE

Josie

“This was so wonderful for all of you to do for me.”

I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.

When I’d made the decision to attend this party for Jessica with the rest of the female coworkers from the diner, I hadn’t realized the level of satisfaction and happiness I’d feel once I got here.

It was as though I’d just taken another giant step toward recovery and was finally building the life I’d wanted all along.

Sure, it still felt scary at times, and I knew I had a long road ahead of me to get to where I ultimately wanted to be, but this felt good. It was just one more way in which I believed I was coming into that independence Huck and I had been talking about for weeks now.

I was legitimately in the best place I’d been in my whole life. I was happy in a romantic relationship with a man who loved and respected me, I was working and earning my own money, and I was forging friendships with my coworkers.

The very best thing about this moment, though, was that I was here celebrating a joyous occasion, and I wasn’t worried about what would happen when I left. I knew that returning to Huck’s place would be a safe place for me to go, that he’d likely even ask about how the celebration went and whether I had a good time. He’d be interested to hear the details, and he’d be happy for me.

That’s how I knew he was the guy for me. He was precisely what a man in a romantic relationship should be—loving, supportive, and protective.

Knowing I had that, I was able to focus fully on what was happening around me, and right now, that meant taking part in reassuring Jessica that she deserved to have this.

“Oh, Jess, we’re so happy for you,” Lori told her. “I’m just glad we were all able to make it today.”