Page 6

Leah

Leah’s back was to Quinton, and she was still cradled in his embrace when her eyes opened too early for a Saturday morning. She pushed her body closer to him, which caused him to stir. He groaned and planted soft kisses on her neck and shoulder.

“Good morning, Mrs. Boudreaux,” his husky voice whispered in her ear.

Leah’s body tensed. After three years, you’d think she’d be used to hearing him call her by his last name.

As his wife, she was Mrs. Boudreaux, but on paper, she was Leah Lefleur.

When she told Quinton she wanted to keep her maiden name, he was totally against it.

Quinton wasn’t old fashioned, per se, but there were some traditions that he felt strongly about, and the wife taking the husband’s last name was one of them.

It wasn’t until Leah explained her reasoning that he conceded.

She could still see the name written in a notebook in big pink and purple bubble letters.

They were in high school, but even back then, all Nova wanted was to one day become Mrs. Boudreaux.

After Nova disappeared, the last thing Leah expected was to fall in love with Quinton.

Leah couldn’t help what her heart wanted, and as hard as she tried to fight it, it was no use.

Her heart was more powerful than her mind.

She allowed herself to love Quinton, but she couldn’t allow herself to use the name.

Nova loved that name too much. That was what Leah told herself, even though she knew it was the man behind the name who Nova loved.

“Hey.” Quinton propped himself up on his elbows. “What’s going on with you?”

Leah turned on her back and looked at him. “I’m sorry. My mind’s just ... I can’t stop thinking about Nova,” she admitted.

Quinton collapsed on his back and stared at the ceiling. His blank stare told her that mentioning Nova’s name had extinguished whatever sexual desire he had. She expected him to be upset, but he wasn’t.

“I’ve been thinking about her a lot too. Last week made fifteen years,” he said, never breaking his gaze from above.

“I know.” Leah laid her head on Quinton’s chest as sorrow settled over them. The quiet in the room amplified the heaviness in her heart. “It’s like a wound that never fully heals,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

Talking about Nova to Quinton never offered the comfort Leah wished it would.

The truth was that her grief was always escorted by guilt.

She’d hoped after all this time that those feelings would’ve subsided, but they were still there, which was something she could never admit to Quinton.

Her words could come across as regret, but that wasn’t the case.

She would marry Quinton a thousand times if she could, but she wished the man of her dreams hadn’t been the man of her sister’s dreams first.

“I’d better get dressed before Mom makes her way up here to pull me out of bed,” Leah said, lifting herself off Quinton.

“I can drive her home if you want to rest a while longer,” Quinton offered.

“No, it’s fine. I think I’ll surprise her and take her to the café for breakfast. It’s been a while since we’ve done that.”

The idea just came to Leah, and she loved it already. Her mom complained that they didn’t spend enough time together, and Leah agreed. Besides, if Leah was feeling heaviness over the anniversary of Nova’s disappearance, then she couldn’t begin to imagine what her mom must’ve been feeling.

Leah showered and dressed, then pulled her hair back in a ponytail before going downstairs, where her mom and Skye were in the kitchen cooking.

Leah looked at her phone and then at Skye. “Are you feeling okay?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Skye furrowed her brows. “Why?”

“Because it’s Saturday, and it’s not past noon, and you’re awake.

And dressed,” Leah pointed out while taking in Skye’s ripped jeans and sweatshirt.

Her hair, like Leah’s, was pulled back, except Skye had braids, which was how she usually kept her hair.

Being an athlete came with constant workouts, and Skye’s long, thick mane was too hard to wash daily.

So, protective styles like braids were perfect for her.

“This is why I keep telling you that you should come stay more often,” Leah said, leaning over and kissing Martha’s cheek. “You know how much we love waking up to your famous pancakes, and you’re the only person on earth who can get Skye out of bed this early.”

“Not true,” Skye said, cracking an egg over a glass bowl.

Leah refilled the Keurig with water, then opened the cabinet to grab her favorite autumn mug that was shaped like a pumpkin with a green leaf for the handle.

Martha stared at Leah’s mug and shook her head. “I’ll never understand your obsession with those things.”

“They’re cute, and I like cute things,” Leah said, pushing her mug underneath the Keurig and pressing the silver button, causing the machine to roar to life.

“Did I hear someone talking about me?” Quinton joked.

“You sure did.” Leah smiled.

Skye and Martha glanced at each other and rolled their eyes.

“Gross,” Skye mumbled.

“Whatever. One day, you’ll marry a fine, handsome man like mine, and you’ll understand.” Leah winked.

“Now that’s the truth.” Martha pointed at Leah. “I sure married me one, and I couldn’t get enough of that man.” Martha did a little dance, followed by a moan that Leah prayed she’d never have to hear from her mom again.

Leah looked at Skye. “I get it now. And I’m sorry,” she joked.

They all sat at the table, and Leah’s mouth watered in anticipation. Her mom’s pancakes were light, fluffy, and buttery, the way Leah liked them. Martha said grace, and then the only sound in the room was their forks clinking against their plates.

Once they were done, Leah finished her coffee while Skye cleared the table.

Martha wasted no time going into her room and gathering her things.

Leah was shocked she’d stayed long enough to cook and eat.

That was unusual, and Leah enjoyed every moment of her mom’s visit.

She wished she could do or say something to get her mom to stay with them more often.

She worried about Martha being in that big house, all alone.

Martha insisted that she wasn’t lonely as long as she had her phone and television.

Leah didn’t get it because electronics could only hold her attention for so long before she needed human interaction, but she and her mom were different, so she’d stopped pushing the issue long ago.

Quinton was already outside when Leah and Martha came out. He took Martha’s bag from Leah and placed it in the back seat of Leah’s car.

“Hold on,” Martha said, opening her purse. “Let me make sure I have these keys.”

Leah chuckled. “You and these keys.”

Her mom lost her keys at least once a week. Leah bought every device she could think of to help her keep up with them or find them, but nothing worked.

“Just keep living. You better pray keys are all you lose when you’re my age.” Martha kept digging.

Leah watched her mom, and her heart expanded more than she thought it could.

They’d come so far over the past five years.

Their relationship hit a huge bump when Leah and Quinton announced that they were dating.

Because of Nova, she didn’t expect her mom to jump up and down with joy, but she also didn’t expect the backlash she’d received either.

“Thank you, Mom.” Leah reached over and touched her mom’s shoulder.

Martha stopped searching long enough to glance over at Leah. “For what?”

“For being here for Quinton’s celebration. For spending the night. For accepting ...” Leah cleared her throat.

Martha patted Leah’s leg. “You don’t have to thank me. You’re my daughter, and I love you.”

Leah’s vision blurred for the third time, and she was over it.

She had to pull herself together, but October was always her most challenging month.

She’d go from grieving Nova to grieving the children she’d never have.

It was a lot, but Leah would be okay because she understood what she focused on grew.

So, she’d make a conscious effort to focus on her gains instead of her losses.

It would’ve been nice if her gains hadn’t come wrapped in a loss, though.

The hysterectomy saved her life but took away her future children.

Her relationship with Quinton came because of losing Nova.

At some point, Leah would love to experience a win without the loss.

“Got ’em,” Martha said, pulling her bundle of keys from the bottom of her purse.

Leah put her car in reverse just as a police car pulled up behind her. Since she knew almost everyone she cared about was safe, she didn’t immediately think the worst.

Leah and Martha opened their doors and stepped out.

“Carlos ... I mean, Sheriff Jones, what are you doing here?” Martha asked the newly elected sheriff of Bayou, who was also the nephew of her best friend, Ms. Cora. Carlos was more like Leah’s cousin than a family friend.

“Good morning, Ms. Martha.” He looked over. “Morning, Leah. Quinton.” He waved toward the house where Quinton was coming toward them. He turned back to Martha. “I stopped by your house. When I saw you weren’t home, I called my aunt, and she told me you’d be here.”

“Is everything okay?” Martha’s voice was steady, but concern filled her eyes.

Watching as Carlos stood in front of her mom dressed in his sheriff’s uniform pulled Leah back to the last time they were standing like that.

The only difference was it was in the middle of the night, and they were in Bayou at Martha’s house.

Leah was home helping with Skye. The nervousness Leah thought she’d avoided came.

She grabbed her mom’s hand as they waited for Carlos to answer Martha’s question.

The answer came immediately, but it felt like forever.