Epilogue
May
A smile takes over my face as I look around The Bar and see most of the town here for Luna’s birthday.
While there are some pains about living in a small town as a big-city girl, the one thing that doesn’t bother me is the fact that everyone shows up for even the smallest celebration. The whole town also showed up for Christmas, and everyone decorated their houses and businesses, and we threw the biggest Christmas party this town has ever seen.
I look around the table and smile as everyone talks about what’s happening around town. I scan the room because I haven’t seen Luna since she excused herself to the bathroom.
Looping his arm around me to pull me closer, Luke leans down and asks, “You okay, sweetness?”
I shiver when he nuzzles against my ear, and I turn to look at him. “Yeah, I’m just looking for Luna. I feel like she’s been gone for longer than she should be.”
Across from us, Sam is talking to Noah.
I lean over to Pam and whisper, “Do you think Noah will take the leap and ask Luna out? I swear this is the longest he’d has gone without being right next to her since we got here.”
“I’ll kick him in the balls if he doesn’t. I know he’s going slow because she’s so inexperienced, but by the time he gets the nerve to do it, we’ll be at least eighty.”
“I know, it’s killing me not to tell Luke, but I get why she doesn’t want me to because he would tell Noah, and she needs to be the one to do that.”
“Who needs to tell who what?” Sam asks from across the table as Noah walks away with his phone to his ear.
Weird .
“You need to tell us what the fuck you did to piss Abby off, and why she gives you the death stare whenever you’re around,” Pam crosses her arms and leans back in her chair.
“Nothing. Maybe she can’t handle that I’m so good looking, and she’s mad that she wants me so bad.”
A laugh escapes me when I see that he is serious. “The answer is no, asshole. Or you know what’ll happen—laxative in the cookies, and you won’t know when it happens.”
“She’s right. It might be tomorrow, or it might be a month from now. Anyway, I’m going to get another round from Sarah. Does anyone want anything?” Pam asks.
Sarah, the owner of The Bar, has been a saint, letting us throw all these parties here for Luna. It’s been the perfect place to have them along with our girls’ nights.
I look at Luke to see if he wants anything. “Nah, I’m good. I’m driving us home.” He pulls me closer, tucking me under his arm, and kisses the top of my head.
“I’ll take a Coke,” I say.
“You guys are so in love it’s gross. I don’t want to see this with my sister,” Sam says.
He finishes off the rest of his beer and walks away toward the only group of women I don’t recognize to find his flavor of the night.
My heart rate picks up when Noah walks back toward us, scanning the room, his eyebrows drawn low, concern evident on his features.
He walks up to the table and asks, “Has anyone seen Luna?”
“No, she went to the bathroom a few minutes ago, but she hasn’t come back yet. I just told Luke I was worried and was going to go look for her,” I tell him.
“I’ll find her. I’ll keep you guys posted.”
Luna
Gravel crunches under my shoes as I pace back and forth behind The Bar. I hear the muted sounds of the music and laughter as I try to get the courage to go back inside. When I told the girls I had never celebrated my birthday, I never expected a birthday party to actually happen.
I cannot put into words what I felt when we walked into The Bar for what I thought was girls’ night but was actually a surprise birthday party.
Which makes the thought of leaving so much harder.
I shiver as the temperature drops now that the sun has started to set.
Maybe I’ll go somewhere that is warm all year.
Just the thought has the ache in my chest growing.
This little town has become my family, but I know it’s almost time. I’ve already stayed so much longer than I normally do, but I’ve never felt so settled in a place as I do here.
I allowed myself to consider a future here, maybe figure out how I can go to college . . . anything.
Then there’s Noah.
Just the thought of him brings a smile to my face. He makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. Back at home, women just did what they were told, and that included who you marry.
I didn’t know it wasn’t normal to find out at eight who you were going to marry, and even more, find out it was chosen when you were under a year old. I was always told I was so lucky that I would be with the Lord’s son, that I was born to produce the next great heir.
At sixteen, the night before my wedding, I ran away because I knew I couldn’t go through with it.
“Why are you hiding at your own party, Lunabella?” I hear the one person I know will try the hardest to talk me out of leaving if he knew.
Lunabella? That’s new.
“It’s . . . a lot. I’m so thankful they did this for me, but I needed to step away,” I say as I put my hands in my pockets so I don’t reach out and touch him because that would be weird, right?
I don’t even know why I want to touch him all the time. I was raised with minimal human contact even though there were over a hundred people in our “family.”
“I know, but they mean well. It’s okay to get fresh air if you’re overwhelmed.” He pauses as he looks at me, and I start to fiddle with my shirt. “I got a call from the sheriff, and he said someone showed up at the station for you. A young girl, maybe about ten. I’m going to take you there so you can see if you know this girl. She has a birth certificate and says she took the bus here.”
I freeze.
What . . . How . . .
“What does she look like? We need to go right now!” I push past him, fighting to get air into my lungs as I walk toward the parking lot.
Why does my chest hurt?
There’s no way.
The only person who knows where I am is Aspen. I pay for a PO box so I can update her on where I am because my goal is to get her out of there along with the baby sister I left behind.
I look behind me when I don’t see Noah next to me. He’s on his phone.
“Noah! We have to go. Why are you walking so slowly?”
He looks up at me and says, “I’m just telling everyone we are heading out so they don’t worry.”
I should have thought of that.
“Thanks.”
“Anything for you, you know that, right?” he asks, unlocking his truck when he’s next to me so he can open my door.
I just look down at my hands. I do know that, but I just don’t know what to do with it. He puts his hands on my waist and kisses the top of my head.
“I’ll help you figure this out, Luna. I promise.”
Tears sting my eyes as he shuts the door. With shaking hands, I reach around to grab the seat belt. The click fills the silence of the cab.
Whoever is at the police station will change my life.
After he climbs in on his side, he drives us to the station.
I climb out before he turns the car off and rush to the door. Pulling it open, I see a girl with blond hair that matches mine, and the air is knocked out of me when she turns around.
“Jess?” I say and drop to my knees.
“You are Luna?” she says.
All I can do is nod.
Noah walks up behind me and says, “Let’s take this to the back room, yeah? We can figure it all out together.”