The Atonement (The Arrangement, #3)(16)

“Yes. Why?” I moved toward the door.

He winced, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. “You’ve got a flat tire.”

“What?” My heart thudded in my chest. “How?”

“I was getting ready to leave when I noticed it. It looks like you hit a nail.” He stepped back, clearing a path for me to see for myself. I peered out the door and into the driveway. Sure enough, my front tire was flat and resting on the rim. “I can fix it if you want. Do you have a spare?”

“In the trunk. I…” I tried to think back. Had I hit something on the way over? I was in such a rush it was entirely possible.

“Do you have the keys to pop your trunk? I’m happy to change it for you.”

“That’s okay. I can call a mechanic.”

He waved me off. “A mechanic will charge you way too much. I can have it fixed in just a few minutes. It’s no trouble.”

I hesitated.

“For goodness’ sake, Ainsley, just give him the keys. I don’t know where her manners are. It’s very kind of you to offer, Matt.” Mom beamed from beside me.

“It’s very kind,” I agreed. “But I’m sure you have better things to do with your day.”

“It’s not a problem, honestly. It’ll just take a few minutes. Do you have a tire iron and jack?”

“I’m…not sure. I think so.” I heard the kids moving overhead, reminding me that we should be leaving any minute. Peter could come back. What if he did and we were stuck here with no car? I grabbed the keys from the table next to the door. “Thank you. Really. I appreciate it.”

“Sure thing. I’m happy to help.” He smiled at me, his eyes lighting up, and held out his hand. When I passed the keys to him, his touch lingered on my skin for a moment too long. My breathing hitched, the stress of the moment melting away for only a second.

I pulled back. “Thank you, ” I repeated, tucking my hand in my pocket as if concealing evidence.

“Sure thing. I’ll, uh… I’ll get to work, then.”

I nodded. “I’ll be right out.”

With that, he turned away, and I watched him approaching the car and popping the trunk. I walked toward the stairs. “Maise, will you bring my stuff down when you come?” I didn’t want to leave Matt with our car unattended for long, but there was no time to waste. Every second we stayed there was a second he might return.

“Coming!” she called down.

“So, you’re still leaving?” Mom asked, her arms folded across her chest.

“We don’t have a choice, Mom.” I moved back to the window, watching Matt as he worked to get the tire from its rim.

“Of course you do. I kept him away, didn’t I? I did what you asked. You may not agree with my decisions or the way I do things, but you’re safe here. The kids are safe here. I just think you’re making a huge mistake—”

I spun around, cutting her off. “I have made several mistakes, Mother. But this is the first time in my life that I’m not making any. I’m trying to fix the mistakes I did make. Please, just…just let us get our things, let Matt finish with the tire, and then we’ll be out of your hair.”

I slipped past her again as the children came into view and, this time, she let me go.

There was nothing left to be said. Nothing left to be done.

I needed to get my children and run before my husband came back. It was only a matter of time.





CHAPTER TWELVE





PETER





With my bag packed, I loaded up the rental car and headed out. Driving down the long, wooded driveway always made me think of the early days of picking out our land.

I’d been hell-bent on getting acreage for…obvious…reasons, but Ainsley had thought living closer to the city would be easier on us all, especially when life started to get busier with the kids’ extracurriculars and our jobs. When I’d found the listing for this plot of land, I’d fallen in love with it. It was our own little oasis. All the privacy we could ever need and still just a few minutes from everything.

Of course, now that I was alone out here, what had once felt like an oasis now felt like the prison walls were closing in.

You could go crazy out there in the woods alone.

I was beginning to understand that.

I wasn’t built to be alone.

Know your strengths and all that…

I needed my wife back. I needed my kids back.

I needed the chaos and craziness that came with them being home.

It hurt that the kids weren’t answering my calls or texts, even just to say hello or that they missed me as much as I missed them. I’d never gone so long without talking to them, which meant there had to be a reason. I could only imagine what horrible lies she’d fed them about me, but soon enough, I’d let them know the truth.

As I drove down the long driveway, I glanced out my window, seeing the trees zipping past and remembering the way the boys used to meet me at the end of the driveway when I’d arrive home and race the car with their bikes.

I remembered how excited they’d get when we’d see a deer in the woods. And how we’d take hikes on particularly nice days in the summer.

So much had changed over the course of the years, and I’d never really stopped to examine the why of it all, but now, I was beginning to understand it.