Series: Sean Moriarty
Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 113805 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113805 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
I could watch TV, but I don’t even know how to turn the damn thing on.
Stalking over to the patio door, I pull back one of the long vertical blinds. Sure enough there’s a man in the backyard, walking the perimeter.
Sighing, I drop the blind and let it swing back into place.
Hanging out back there and getting some sun is completely out of the question.
I couldn’t relax with a stranger staring at me.
Walking back to the playpen, I watch Abel play for a few minutes. Watch him shove toys into his mouth then discard them on the floor.
But as much as I love my child, it grows boring after a while.
Pacing again, I try to fight the urge to run. To escape before Jude comes home and I have to face him.
Face my lie.
But it itches under my skin.
Growing stronger the longer I try to ignore it.
“Fuck it,” I mutter under my breath.
With nothing else to do, I start poking around the house. Pulling open drawers and opening cabinets, I try to get a feel for Jude.
But most of the drawers and cabinets are empty. There’s no trace anything was ever in them.
The only things I stumble across are a couple of folded up extra blankets and remotes that go with the TV.
How long has Jude lived here? I wonder. Did he just move in?
The whole situation becoming weirder by the second, I open the door to the broom closet and hit the jackpot.
“Hallelujah!” I nearly shout.
I should have guessed Jude would have a stroller stashed somewhere. He has everything else.
Grabbing the handle, I carefully wheel the folded-up stroller out of the closet.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” I ask Abel.
He bangs the two blocks he’s holding together and blows spit bubbles.
I smile at him. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
The stroller is so big and bulky, I have to lean it against the wall to open the front door.
Once I have the door swung open wide, I carefully maneuver the stroller down the front stoop.
Then I spend a couple of minutes trying to figure out how to unfold the damn thing.
Finding two hooks near the handle, I undo them and the stroller pops open.
The men in the SUV tense, watching me through the windshield.
Pressing down the brake on the back wheels, I give them a little wave and go back inside to grab Abel.
I can only guess what they’re thinking.
Jude said nothing about me not being able to walk around the neighborhood.
Picking Abel up, I use the bottom of my jacket to wipe the drool off his mouth and carry him outside.
Setting him down in the seat, I work on figuring out the harness situation.
This stroller is a thousand times nicer than the little umbrella stroller I’m used to and it’s never been used. I have to pull the little straps through the holes in the padding and adjust them, all while Abel happily grabs at me.
Completely focused on getting the harness secure, I’m carefully adjusting the straps that go over Abel’s shoulders when I hear a woman say, “See, I told you the blue goes perfectly with her hair and complexion.”
I pop my head up and peer around.
Two women I don’t recognize stand on the sidewalk at the end of the driveway, watching me.
Each woman has a stroller but that’s where their similarities end.
The woman on the right is shorter than the woman on the left, with red hair and a pleasant expression on her face. When she notices me looking in her direction, she lifts her hand, smiles, and waves at me.
The woman on the left is taller, thinner, and blonde. With the way she’s carrying herself and the way she’s dressed, I immediately get the impression she’s high class and most likely high maintenance.
She doesn’t wave at me, she just tips her head in curiosity. Her lips pursing a little as she watches me fiddle with the straps.
“Hi!” the red-haired woman calls out when I drop my head back down, set on ignoring them.
Buckling the last buckle of the harness, I let out a sigh before I plaster a fake smile on my face.
Lifting my head, I throw a smile at the women, hoping the whole interaction ends here. “Hi.”
I’m really not in the mood for company. I just want to do some walking alone so I can clear my head.
“I’m Beth,” the red-haired woman says before she tips her head towards the blonde woman. “And this is Meredith.”
Fuck. I guess we’re doing this.
Unlocking the brake on the back wheels, I grab the handle with both hands and push the stroller down the driveway, stopping behind the SUV.
“I’m Eden,” I say and squint at the two women.
The morning sun is so bright it’s blinding me a bit.
Beth giggles. “We know. You’re with Jude, right?”
I tense and slowly nod my head.