Chapter 48

It felt like I was living in a moment from over a year ago. I was in a room six stories up, with windows overlooking the city, and I was wearing some of my best clothes. Perched on the end of my hotel bed, I was scrolling through the unlimited TV guide on the screen. I've been obsessed with it all day; I forgot how much I missed having unlimited channels and a TV guide.

Last night, after reaching this random city, we each checked into our own rooms. We agreed to just relax the following day, so that's what I did. I woke up, lazed in bed, got room service for breakfast, and watched TV. God, it's been so long since I've had room service! Felt like years ago. It was crazy to think how much has changed in my life in so little time.

Blake and I texted a few times through the morning and afternoon. We were both content just relaxing in our rooms; it was so nice just to do nothing! Especially because we were staying another night. After hours in a relaxing paradise, Blake texted me about going out to dinner. And since I had breakfast around 10:00, I was getting hungry and agreed to go with him. He planned on swinging by my room around 5:30. Which sucked because apparently at 6:00, Happy Gilmore was going to start. Fucking loved that movie.

After our talk yesterday (and relieving our pent up desires), things were ironically the opposite of awkward. When he knocked on my door and I opened it, a light-hearted casual smile reached his lips. He stepping inside, wearing a nice black tee shirt and jeans. "Hey, you about ready to go?"

"Yeah, just about," I said, grabbing my purse before heading towards the door.

"You're lucky I didn't change my mind or wait to eat. Happy Gilmore starts soon and it's one of my favorite movies."

No way. His words made me smile in surprise up to him. "I saw that on the TV guide and was bummed out too! It's been years since I've seen it."

"Years? Now that's a crime," he said, opening the door and following me out.

"Trust me, I know. You're stupid restaurant your taking us to better be worth it. I will say this: there is no way it can beat the room service here."

"There is room service here?"

"Mhmm."

As we were walking down the hotel hallway, he paused beside me. Stopping with him, I arched a brow. "What?"

He was clearly debating something with himself. Catching my questioning eyes, he sighed. "It's probably not a good idea...."

***

He was right. Logically, it wasn't a good idea. It was only last night that we agreed to wait to be together. But... we both really wanted to watch Happy Gilmore. Then, when Blake revealed he never had room service before, I practically dragged him back to my room.

So, we were now sitting on my super comfy king-sized bed, watching the movie, and chowing down the filet mignon dinners we ordered. The steak came with steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes. Oh my lord; so damn good. Blake even admitted it might be the best steak he's ever had before. Hearing that made me smug, so automatically, I milked the shit out of his claim.

During one of the commercials, I brought it up again as we continued eating from the plates in our laps. "I can't remember. Did you say this was the best steak you've ever had? Or was that my imagination?"

He half rolled his eyes in amusement. "It was not your imagination."

"Wow. So you like something privileged spoiled city-people like...."

"Yes, it was very nice, but not something I would do for every meal like you," he teased, taking the last bite of his steak.

"I was hungry this morning. What was I suppose to do?"

"Take advantage of the free complimentary breakfast like I did."

"Hell no, I haven't had room service in ages," I scoffed, taking a bite of broccoli.

"Yet, you are broke as shit."

I elbowed the wise-ass next to me. "Hey, today was about returning to a past lifestyle, so I had to go all out. And since I'm broke as shit, you're paying for dinner." Smirking, I grabbed the bill on the bedside table next to me and set it on the bed between us.

When his eyes reached the slip on paper, they widened. "140 dollars?!"

"It was good food."

"That is still insane."

"These are my standards, which you can expect when we start dating."

Despite his outrage at the bill, he couldn't help but smile at my bold joke. "You really think I'm going to take you to high end places all the time? Lady, you better start accepting that the nicest place I am taking you... is McDonald's if you're lucky."

"Oh yeah?" I laughed. "That's where you would charm all your past girlfriends?"

"Yeah, and you know why? Because I didn't want to drop 140 bucks on d—"

"Shhh! The movie is back on," I belted out, trying to hide my humorous smirk.

We set our plates aside and got more comfortable. I laid on my stomach towards the end of the bed; Blake propped himself back against a few pillows. And as the movie continued, we still easily were able to keep things PG between us. Laughing at the ridiculousness of the movie, talking over the commercials... it was just nice and relaxing.

By the time the movie ended, I shifted up the king bed and flopped onto my back. I figured Blake would be leaving soon now that the movie was over. Instead though, Blake grabbed the remote and pulled up the TV guide. Propping an arm behind me, I looked over the channels he started scrolling through, all the while trying not to smile. I guess he was planning on staying longer....

When he scrolled down to the few HBO channels, I saw some familiar movies. Seeing a few from the horror genre, Blake stopped scrolling. I wasn't surprised; the man loved horror. "Have you seen Friday the 13th movies? This one just started."

"All 95? No, I can't say I have," I chuckled. "I think I saw the first one and that's it."

We shared a humorous glance, but his eyes lingered in mine with a questioning glint. As if he was looking for confirmation that it was okay for him to stay longer for another movie. Which was unnecessary; I couldn't express just how okay I was with him sticking around. Seeing my approval in my expression, it allowed him to comfortably focus back on the TV.

Blake pressed the info button, showing the full movie title was Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. He immediately smirked. "We're cookin' now! You're going to love this."

"Oh god. That sounds just stupid," I chuckled.

"It is. You down to watch it?"

"Hell yeah."

***

Sure enough, the movie had us cracking up at how stupid it was; it was so bad that it was good. By the time it ended, we had the bedside lamp on since it was dark now. Along with the sound of cars, there was a nice breeze sifting in from my open window. It was an inviting feeling, especially since I was itching to move around and craving a cigarette. Voicing that he wanted to stretch his legs too, Blake and I headed down and outside to the refreshing night air.

Crossing through the parking lot, we started aimlessly walking along the sidewalk between the hotel and the busy road. The cars, streetlights, and neon business signs to our left illuminated our path. With the cigarette between my index and middle finger, I raised it to my lips and inhaled it.

"Something you said made me curious," he said from next to me, breaking our comfortable silence. "Earlier, you said this was kind of like a typical day for you in your past? Just lazing around?"

I turned to let the smoke out away from him. "Not exactly. Today just reminded me of my old life. The condo I lived in was on the top floor of our building, and it overlooked the city. It even had a restaurant inside, so I did get room service often." Memories of what 'normal' once was flashed through my mind. "We had over 200 channels and a TV guide. Internet was great like it is here. Just that kind of stuff. I only worked part time before too, so I got to sleep in and do nothing fairly often like today."

"I'll admit, not having spotty internet for once is nice," he admitted, hooking his thumbs on his belt loops as we walked. "Do you miss it? All these fancy perks?"

It was a weird question. One that took a moment to answer. Ever since I moved to the country, I had a hard time adjusting to a new life. I missed the energy on the city, the convenience, the money, and my comfortable home. And while I first hated what replaced it – nature, bugs, hard-labor – those 'perks' were something I stopped longing for. Yes, Blake was a huge part in making life more bearable in the country, but even now... the city just didn't have the same appeal.

"Sure, I miss it all. That's how I am, you know? High maintenance and from the comfortable city. Just because I miss it though doesn't mean I crave my old life. Weirdly, I've been pretty content living without those things. Didn't think I would ever be okay in the country, but a lot of this nice stuff – like 200 channels and room service – I realized is unnecessary once I went without. Well, except for the signal and internet. That is still a struggle to get over."

He paused in our mindless pace and turned to me, breeze ruffling his hair. The blue in his eyes illuminated from the city caressed me admirably. "You really have come quite far. I will say though, you still haven't shaken your expensive taste in clothes."

"And I never will," I smirked.

"You also still overreact when it comes to bugs."

"Those things are never going to change. Like I said, even though I've changed, I know I'm still fairly high maintenance. It's a mystery why you would even want someone like that."

"Believe it or not, I love that you're a prissy city girl."

I honestly couldn't believe my ears. "Really?"

"Yeah. I can surprise you, excite you, frustrate you. You're so different and that is just... refreshing. And by the way, you're not that high maintenance. If you were, you wouldn't be able to put up with me."

I smiled; It was wonderful to hear that. Before, I often felt like I needed to prove that I wasn't a city girl to him. Not that Blake would judge, but he always got a kick out of my prissy-like ways. I had no idea he actually liked that about me. Taking another puff, I rolled my wrist to indict my cigarette. "Okay, what about this? Me smoking?"

He sighed. "I mean... I don't like it, but the smell doesn't bother me. It's also not my place to tell you what to do – not until we're like two years in when I have a right to bug you about quitting," he joked.

"It helps with stress, but I do hope to quit one day."

My phone started to vibrate in my pocket, interrupting us. Putting out my cigarette, I pulled it out. It was dad. My heart skipped a beat; maybe he had news about August. Maybe he would be willing to talk. Or maybe he was still out for revenge. God, I hated thinking about the whole thing.

Offering Blake a sympathetic glance, I walked a few feet down the sidewalk for a little privacy. Facing the busy street, I answered and pressed the phone to my ear. "Hey dad."

"Hi honey. How's it been?"

"Not bad. Not sure what city we are in now though."

"I thought you were staying at his parent's place?"

"Yeah, it was just... a little crowded there." Crowded with drama.

"Well, hang in there. Still nothing from August quite yet. He won't answer any of my calls. Like I said though, we just need to give it time for him to calm down. When he does, I'm sure he will be willing to talk. I could use the evidence Sid got for you against him for stalking."

"You can? You are able to use that?" I smirked.

"Yeah, I looked over what you gave me, and it's non-refutable evidence of stalking. I mean there are just so many pictures, so when I lay that on him, he'll cooperate."

I sure hoped so. I wasn't shocked he refused to talk to my lawyer father. I mean it was shockingly only a hand-full of days ago that I planted drugs in his house and got him evicted. I just had to hope he would cave – and soon.

"What if he doesn't? I can't stay out of state forever. Plus, my court date is coming up." We were meeting in court for my divorce on the 12th of this month. That alone was scary. Add on the fear of simply returning to town... no thanks. "I'm not going to feel comfortable heading home if he still is planning on framing me."

"Don't worry about that, I'll get ahold of him by then. But I did want to talk to you about court. This will focus on the divorce, but that does involve custody. You are going to have to make the case that you deserve joint custody and you will need a witness."

Um... what? My dad's matter-of-fact tone did not keep a spike of panic from hitting my nerves. "You didn't say anything about making an argument in court before."

"Before, Matt wasn't gunning for full-custody – and was more cooperative than now. Things are going to be more complicated.

"Apparently. What do you mean I need a witness?"

"A witness is someone to back you and defend how a joint-custody ruling would be best."

"Someone to vouch for me and that I'm a good mother?"

"Exactly. Since the court will know of your past indiscretions, I think a wise choice would be your landlord. He could confirm your improved behavior and how you worked for him, so I would ask him if he would be willing to come to court with you."

That wasn't a bad idea. Blake is a charismatic and honest guy, something that was clear to everyone. Plus, he has seen me progress as a person and has seen me with the kids. I'm sure he would be happy to do it. Glancing back the few yards between us down the sidewalk, he was mindlessly eyeing the road and rocking on his heels. Catching my eyes, he smiled.

Smiling back, I couldn't help but feel guilty (as usual). "He's already done so much for me though."

"It's up to you. You could always ask your sister too. But if it's coming from someone who isn't family, that goes a long way. Did you tell him everything yet?"

Biting my lip, I looked down to the sidewalk. "I'm working on it."

"Ruth, you better get to it soon."

If only it was that simple. Telling him the low shit I've done (including recent stuff) could destroy everything with Blake. A sick trickle ran through my gut at the thought. "It's not that easy dad, but don't worry, I will."

"Good. Hang in there. I will call you as soon as I have more news."

Jesus. Nothing could ever be easy. The call left me more anxious than anything. Shoving my phone back in my jeans pocket, I walked back to Blake. "Sorry about that, it was just my dad."

"It's okay. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. August hasn't framed me for anything yet, so that's good."

I did not want to ask Blake for another favor, but if it means a better chance at having my kids at all, I would do whatever. As he tried to resume walking with me, I pulled him to a stop and pursed my lips. "Listen, I hate to do this... but my dad wanted me to ask you for something and it would actually make a big difference."

His brows scrunched. "What did he want you to ask?"

I sighed. "For you to be my witness in court. You would come in and basically defend me as a person and mother and help propose why I should get some custody of them. I know that is a huge thing to ask of you—"

"No, no, it's completely fine, I'd be happy to do that for you," he said, searching my eyes and trying to convince me it was okay. "Like you said, it would make a huge difference, so of course I would."

I shouldn't have been surprised. He was always so helpful and there for me. He was since the moment I met him. Without him... I don't know where I would be right now in my life. He has helped me enjoy life more, grow, and deal with all my drama. That's just who he was; a sweet and considerate person with a free spirit. And though I knew my love for him was fresh, new, and exciting... I knew deep down he was the one for me. He was the right one for me.

Because let me tell you... Blake would never ever fuck me over... like I learned Matt was trying to do.

After we headed inside for the night and I headed back to my room, I decided to call the kids. I didn't get a chance to talk to them yesterday, and being so far away... it weirdly made me miss them more. So, I called up Matt before their bedtime and took turns talking to them. After I said goodnight to Connor, it was Garrett's turn. And my god... for how sweet and innocent his voice was... his words drained every ounce of blood from my face.

"Hello?"

"Hey, what's up bud?" I asked, looking out my window and over the busy road below.

"Hi mom. You wouldn't believe what we did today! We went on a trip and were gone the whole day!"

Wow, that was a surprise. Matt was always busy (especially lately) and rarely did stuff like that with the kids. So hearing that actually made me happy... for a second. "Really? Oh that's great, sounds fun. Where did you guys go?"

"Who knows. For some reason, it was a stupid secret, but it was a few hours away. It was super fun because the house has a sandbox and a pool."

My brows lowered. They went to some house... hours away... and the destination was a secret. My chest started to swirl uncomfortably, but I kept my tone light. "Oh, that's great sweetie, sounds like fun. Whose house was it?" Immediately, I had to wonder if Matt had a secret girlfriend a few hours away.

Honestly, that would have made me feel better than what this 'secret' actually was.

Garrett was so hyped, he continued excitedly without giving me any context (which I was getting desperate for). "It was fun, mom, so much fun! Wish you could have seen it, it was ginormous! It was better than the other house too."

What other house? What was even going on? Why was Matt taking our kids out of state – and for what?! Trying to stay calm, my jaw tightened and I sat down. "What other house?" I asked as nonchalantly and lightly as I could, all while growing more and more tense.

"The other house from before. That one didn't have a pool. Dad said we could even install a slide for the pool when I'm older, but he said not to get excited because he might find a different or better home, but that seems impossible to get a better one than this."

My heart twisted violently and I shut my eyes just as violently. Matt was looking for a new house... hours away. Hours away. If it wasn't for Garrett's young innocent mind, I never would have known until it was too late. And who the fuck does Matt think he is telling our boys to keep a secret from me?! As if he can just grab our kids and move out of state with them? He did not have full-custody even though that's what he was planning for! I tried to keep my breath calm amid the rough tumbles my heart took.

"Do you think you can you hand the phone to dad? Just for a minute? I forgot to tell him something," I asked, running a hand to my hair and making a fist around it.

"Fine," he sighed, as if the act took a huge physical toll on him.

There was nothing but silence, and I could imagine him leaving his room and finding his dad. Then, that fucking asshole's voice reached me through the speaker. "Not often you want to speak to me more than you have to," he said lightly and jokingly – as if he wasn't hiding that he planned on sweeping my kids hours away from me!

"Who... the fuck do you think you are?! Last I checked, you didn't get full-custody yet. Unless you fucking do, you cannot take our kids and go wherever the fuck you feel like! What—"

Then, he hung up. Just like that. Call ended. And with it ended any amount of calm or cool left in me. Because with my raising panic, emotions, and fear... I continued calling. Numerous times. Matt refused to answer.