Jailbird (31 page)

And then, just like that, it was over. The
monster was put in a cage. I was released from mine. We headed home
just in time for the girls’ birthdays, a life worth living sprawled
bright and promising in front of us.

Epilogue

If my stomach got any larger, I was pretty
sure it would pop like a balloon. Sweat beaded on my forehead and
no matter how much I tried to keep my hair up, it seemed to
perpetually stick to my neck. July in Arkansas was feeling
particularly brutal.

I wished I’d looked more like a human and
less like a whale when I met my in-laws, but was grateful they
seemed to like me regardless. I’d been so scared to meet them.
Knowing how much they meant to Charlie and to the Torres family had
built them up in my mind as fairly intimidating people.

In reality they were humble and kind—a lot
like their son. And they were thrilled to see Charlie so happy. I
think that went a long way towards their liking me. It was good to
see Charlie happy; I had to agree on that. The dark circles were
gone from his eyes. He seemed at ease in his own skin again. Every
night, he would lay his head and his hands on my stomach and talk
to the baby, smiling like a schoolboy whenever his son would kick
him in response.

The baby was due in six days, but in my
current state I was quite convinced the kiddo had cooked long
enough. Anytime he wanted to make an appearance was okay by me. I
was really holding out hope for this evening—we were hosting a
cook-out and going to the Fourth of July festival and fireworks
after. That sounded like a perfect recipe for inducing labor to
me.

“Hey,” Conrad slipped up behind me, planting
a kiss on the top of my head. “I need to talk to you but I don’t
want you to make this a bigger deal than it really is.”

“Some intro,” I stopped chunking watermelon
and turned to face him. “What’s up?”

“I’m moving.”

“To Hampton?” hope laced my voice.

“To New Jersey,” he said almost guiltily.

“Oh,” I processed that for a second. “Isn’t
New Jersey close to New York?”

“Alright brain child, I’m glad you know basic
geography.”

“Who do we know that lives in New York?” I
tapped my finger to my chin thoughtfully. “If only we knew someone
there so you wouldn’t be all alone.”

“I’m going because I got a great job offer,
not because of her.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Shut up.”

“Well, if you happen to bump into a really
important journalist while you’re up that way, tell her we miss
her.”

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes. “So, you’re
not mad at me?”

“Absolutely not. I’ll miss you, but I’m glad
you’re living your life for a change. Have you told Gabrielle
yet?”

“I was hoping you’d help me there. I never
know what to say to that kid anymore. She cries if you say
boo.”

“Welcome to the tween years, my brother. I
don’t think it gets much better until they go off to college.”

“She’s welcome to stay with me if she wants
to go to college out east.”

“Very funny. I was thinking more along the
lines of a few weeks over summer break.”

“That would be nice,” he nodded. I think I
might have even seen a glint of a tear in his eye.

“What are you two so serious about in here?”
Charlie interrupted the conversation.

“My big brother is leaving us,” I sighed and
went back to the watermelon. “Good thing Mary’s coming to stay for
a while or I’d be lonely. Manny keeps Anjelita so busy with their
business; she hardly has time to catch a breath lately.”

“Oh, they are going to the festival with us
tonight,” Charlie remembered, giving me a peck on the cheek as he
stole a piece of watermelon.

“Good; they need a break.”

“Manny says he doesn’t want to miss a chance
to see the Doo-Wop Boys in their neon-pink shorts.”

“Do I want to know what that means?”

“The band. It’s been the same band since I
was a kid. They were infinitely cooler thirty years ago.”

“Ah,” I smiled at that mental picture.
Typical small-town life, I guess. But it was nice—there was a
certain continuity to things.

Beau came charging through the kitchen,
sopping wet and smelly from a swim in the pond. Three young girls
were hot on his heels, shouting his name and giggling. I stared at
the muddy paw prints on my floor and sighed.

“Come on,” Charlie pulled the burgers out of
the refrigerator and motioned for Conrad to join him. “You can help
me cook these while you explain why you’re leaving us.”

“For a girl,” I made a face at him.

“For a job,” he made a face back.

I turned back to the watermelon with a smile.
Gator holes and fences and monsters seemed like nothing more than a
distant nightmare on a day like today.

As I gathered the watermelon rind to take it
out to the trash, a sharp pain streaked across my abdomen, doubling
me over before I’d even taken my first step towards the door. I
blinked a few times and tried to remember to breathe.

When the pain ebbed to a dull ache, I
straightened and finished taking out the trash before calling
Charlie inside. The inquisitive look on his face changed from one
of concern to excitement as another pain snaked its way from my
back to my belly. Our eyes met across the room. Ready or not, we
were about to embark on a new kind of adventure together.

###

I have always admired Neena’s courage,
strength and tenacity. Despite these characteristics, she needed
someone to be her voice when hers had been silenced by a great
evil. That’s why this book is free; it’s my way of doing what I can
to be a voice for voiceless.

I often encourage my readers to use their
talents to leave their mark on this world—to make a difference.
Once cause I believe very strongly in is the fight against
modern-day slavery. Every day around the world people from all
walks of life are enslaved. Statistics show there are more people
in slavery today than there were during the height of the
transatlantic slave trade. Women and children are especially at
risk.

It’s an atrocity on all our heads if we hold
silent. Sometimes with a problem this large, it’s hard to know
where to begin.

Fair Trade is a good place to start. By
ensuring the products you purchase weren’t made by the hands of
slaves, you speak with your consumer dollars. And that voice is
loud. Learn more about Fair Trade at www.wfto.com.

There are also many excellent organizations
out there who dedicate themselves to making a difference. One I
trust and respect is World Vision. Please consider making a
donation to their Hope for Sexually Exploited Girls fund. Every
dollar helps. You can learn more about World Vision at
www.worldvision.org, or by clicking one of the World Vision buttons
on my website.

Heather Huffman lives
in Missouri with her husband and their three sons. In addition to
writing, she enjoys spending time with the family horse and their
pack of rescued dogs. A firm believer that life is more than the
act of taking up air, Heather is always on the lookout for an
adventure that will become fodder the next novel.

Blog:
http://www.heatherhuffman.blogspot.com
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http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/HeatherHuffman

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