Credence

All the times she—not my mother or father—called me at school to see
if I needed anything. All the presents under the tree I know she—not them
—bought for me and the birthday cards she signed for them. All the R-rated
movies she got me into that I couldn’t otherwise, and all the travel books
she’d leave in my bag, because she knew they were my favorite things to
read.
The first pair of dangling earrings I ever owned were a gift from her.
And I fucking nod through the phone, because that’s all I do.
“Breathe, okay?” she adds.
“Bye.”
I hang up, needles pricking my throat, and continue to stare at the
beautiful view, my hair blowing in the soft breeze and the wild smell of the
air so much like a drug. Heady.
A woodpecker hollows out a tree in the distance, and the wind sweeps
through the aspens and pines, the forest floor growing darker the deeper the
woods go until I can’t see anything anymore.
Do they hike? Jake, Noah, and Kaleb? Do they ever venture farther into
the forest? Take time to explore?
A chainsaw cuts through the silence, loud and buzzing, and I blink, the
spell broken. Turning around, I drop my phone on the bed and walk for one
of my suitcases, digging out my toiletry bag. Walking for the door, I
squeeze the handle, slowly twisting it.
It squeaks, and I flinch. My parents didn’t like noise in the morning.
Stepping softly into the dim hallway, the dark wood floors and paneling
lit only by the glow of the two wall sconces and a rustic chandelier, I tiptoe
past the room Jake told me was his last night and head for the next door,
reaching for the handle.
But before I can grasp it, the door swings open, light spills into the
hallway, and a young woman stands there, damn near naked. Her mussed
auburn hair hugs her face and hangs just above her bare breasts.
Jesus… I turn my head away. What the hell? Is she my uncle’s wife? He
didn’t mention being married, but he didn’t say he wasn’t, either.
I cast another quick glance at her, seeing her smile and fold her arms
over her chest. “Excuse me,” she says.
Taut, flat stomach, smooth skin, no ring on her finger—she wasn’t his
wife. And definitely not the boys’ mother. I have no idea how old Kaleb is,