The Last Woman (All That Remains #1) (12 page)

“I don’t know why you’re even
discussing it with me when you’ve evidently made up your minds!” I can’t look
at them anymore. I’m on the verge of tears and royally pissed off. As the
screen door slams shut behind me, I hear Joseph’s advice to Airen.

“Give her a few minutes to
cool off.”

The bastards teamed up on me.
I sit by the unlit fire pit and brood. I’m aware they’re trying to do the right
thing, but I can’t let them go. What if they never come back, and we never even
know what happened to them? It’s been so wonderful being with Airen, more than
I ever dared to hope for. A beautiful dream come true and now so fragile, like
the reflection on a soap bubble one pop away from vanishing forever. I can’t
lose him now. I can’t lose either of them.

So what’s the answer? Never
let them out of my sight? It’s impossible. Maybe this is just a part of
surviving in this post plague world. It’s the lack of being able to communicate
that terrifies me the most. They can’t just call and tell me they’re fine or
they’re in trouble. Maybe I’m over reacting. It’s just one night. I wipe my
eyes and move to sit on the step. The stars are coming out, and it’s a gorgeous
night, but I can’t enjoy it.

They come and sit, one on
either side of me. Airen regards me with caution, as if I might hit him or
start screaming.

“When are you going?” I ask.

“At dawn tomorrow.”

“Do the kids know?”

“Not yet.”

“You just better fucking come
back. Both of you.”

“We will, sweetheart.”

I lay my head on his shoulder.
“Go talk to Carson and Jayla. Don’t make a big deal of it. Just tell them
you’ll bring them something back,” I suggest. He nods and kisses my forehead
before going inside. “You’re the one I should be pissed at, Mr. I-Have-An-Idea,”
I scold Joseph.

His eyes are full of sympathy
when they gaze into mine. “You aren’t mad. You’re scared. You and Airen always
mask your emotions with anger.”

“Quit psychoanalyzing me. You
aren’t qualified.”

Scooting closer, he slides his
arm around my shoulders. “It’s okay to be afraid. I promise I won’t tell
anyone,” he whispers with a grin.

I want to come back with some
stinging retort, but my tears spill over, and the hitch in my breathing gives
me away. Great, I’m going to start bawling in front of Joseph. My day just
keeps getting better.

“I have to go,” I blurt, trying
to stand, but Joseph tightens his grip on me, his hand squeezing my shoulder.

“No, you just don’t want me to
see you cry,” he accuses softly. There’s little point in denying it. He pulls
me closer until I’m crying on his shoulder. “Abby, honey,” he croons. “We’ll be
fine. It’s just one night, and we’ll be back, I swear. Do you think I’d leave
my five year old son if I didn’t have every intention of coming back?”

“The road to hell is paved
with good intentions,” I reply, getting control of myself.

“You don’t even believe in hell.”

“The next few days are going
to be pretty close. Please be careful,” I beg, hugging him.

The kids don’t seem to be
overly concerned. They’re easily distracted by my promise of a movie night and
brownies. I’ll have to keep myself occupied or the wait and worry will drive me
crazy. We go to bed early, and Airen makes love to me, slow and sweet.

“I wish you wouldn’t worry so
much,” he whispers as we lie together.

I’m curled up against him, my
head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “I can’t help it.”

“I’ll be back, Abby.” His
fingers trail up and down my back.

“I don’t want to talk about it
anymore. You need your sleep tonight.”

He falls asleep quickly, but I
know there will be no rest for me tonight. I just want to be close to him. I
lie there for hours, running my fingers through his chest hair and listening to
him breathe. Just before dawn, I slip my hand into his and doze off for a few
merciful minutes.

It’s barely light when they
leave, and I manage to restrain my tears as I sit on the step and watch their
tail lights fade. Now all I can do is wait. Hours pass before the kids wake up.
I’ve made them a huge breakfast of biscuits and gravy, eggs, and hash browns.
The boys are thrilled, but Jayla is as perceptive as ever.

“Trying to keep busy?”

“It’s going to be a long day.”
It certainly is. I clean the house as if royalty were coming for a visit and
spend hours hauling water and gas we really don’t need yet. I find plenty of
small unnecessary chores to defeat the clock that never seems to change, and by
the time I settle down with the kids for our movie night, I’m exhausted. Walker
falls asleep on the love seat, and I decide to leave him there. I have no
intention of sleeping in my bed alone.

“Are you sleeping on the
couch?” Jayla asks. I nod. “Can I sleep in here, too?”

“Of course.” I hug her. She’s
worried too, but she’s coping better than I am. Carson isn’t going to be left
out. We all end up camping in the living room. Carson is snoring almost
immediately, and I can’t help but giggle. That boy could sleep through a
tornado.

“Showoff,” grumps Jayla. “How
early do you think they’ll be back?”

“I wish I knew, honey.
Hopefully, it’ll be before dark.”

“Are you mad at them for
going?”

“No, they’re trying to take
care of us. It’s just hard not having a way to keep in touch with them. You
should try to sleep.”

“Okay.” A few minutes later
she’s breathing softly, and I’m the only one awake for the second night in a
row. I’m sure I won’t fall asleep, but after staying awake for so long and
working so hard, the exhaustion takes over. The next thing I know Walker is
shaking me, asking for breakfast.

The day inches by as we watch
for them to return. I’m slightly sunburned from staying outside all day. We’ve
all found reasons to be outdoors. The kids throw the Frisbee, play tag, and
race each other across the field while I cook out on the grill and make way too
much, wrapping the barbecued meat up for Airen and Joseph’s dinner.

“When is Daddy coming home?”
Walker asks.

It’s evening, and I’m really
trying not to worry, but I expected them back by now. “It might be after you’re
asleep tonight,” I tell him, ruffling his hair. He needs a haircut.

“Can I sleep in the living
room again tonight?”

They all sleep in the living
room. Jayla sleeps on the couch this time and Walker on the love seat, while
Carson wraps up in a sleeping bag on the floor. There’s no way I’m going to
bed. Something is wrong. It has to be. They knew how worried I was, so what’s
taking them so long? All the worst case scenarios run through my head, they’re
hurt, they’re trapped, they’re dead.

I sit on the porch and watch
the road, my eyes drifting closed a few times to show me my worst nightmares
come true before snapping open to watch for headlights. It’s getting light, and
I don’t know what I’m going to tell the kids when they wake. Is that a motor? I
sit up and listen. I see headlights!

Two big pickup trucks pull
into the driveway. I dive on Airen before he can close his door. He picks me
up, hugging me, and I’m so relieved. My arms are around his neck so tight I’m
not sure he can breathe.

“I’m so sorry it took us so
long, but...”

“You scared the shit out of
me!” I yell, smacking his chest with each word before I grab him in another
crushing hug.

Joseph laughs as he climbs out
of the passenger seat. “She doesn’t know whether to kiss you or kill you.”

“We’re fine, sweetheart, calm
down,” Airen murmurs.

I suddenly realize Joseph
wasn’t driving the second truck. “Who?” I begin, glancing behind them, confused.

“That’s what we need to
explain. That’s what held us up. We met some...uh...people, and they wanted to
come back with us.”

My mouth falls open when a
woman steps down from the second truck. She’s thin and blond, wearing tight
jeans and a blouse that shows off her large breasts. She smiles and waves at us
as she says something to the young girl climbing out of the passenger seat.

“We met them outside of
Evansville. They were traveling, and when they learned about our plan for the
solar panels they asked if I could do the same for them,” Joseph explains. “I
couldn’t say no.”

Red hot jealousy shoots
through me. That’s what kept them. That’s what they were doing while I was
here, worrying over them. They spent the night with this woman. I’m too
exhausted to argue. “The kids are asleep in the living room. Why don’t we all go
into the kitchen?”

“Sure,” Airen agrees, eyeing
me. He knows I’m not happy.

Joseph reaches out and hugs me.
“I missed you too, you know,” he mumbles into my neck.

“Sorry, you guys caught me by
surprise.” I kiss him on the cheek and glance at the woman standing behind the
truck. Yeah, these are my boys...my men, bitch, you better remember it.

Airen takes my hand as we walk
inside. “Did anything happen while we were gone?” he asks.

I could ask him the same thing.
“Everything’s the same.”

His eyes narrow and he
scrutinizes me for a moment, but lets my obvious mood go without comment.

As we gather around the
kitchen table, I get a good look at the two women. The younger one introduces
herself as Sara. She’s seventeen years old with red hair, light skin, and
freckles. She’s tall with a large frame and long arms and legs. She’s soft spoken,
and I like her instantly. I think Jayla will too.

The older woman is pretty.
She’s thin and blond with big boobs, everything I’ll never be. She’s also loud,
and she talks so fast it’s hard to understand when one sentence ends and the
next begins.

“I’m Amanda, but y’all can
call me Mandy. I’m so glad to meet so many people. It’s like a miracle! And you
got kids too! How old are they?”

“Jayla is thirteen. Walker
turns six this month, and Carson turns thirteen next month,” I reply.

“I’m thirty-four,” she
announces. “And how old are y’all?” she demands without taking a breath. I give
her a look as my eyebrows climb my forehead. “Oh, I’m sorry! That was rude. I
was just curious.” She flashes a cheesy grin.

“It’s no big secret. I’m
thirty-two.”

“So am I,” Airen says.

“Twenty-eight,” Joseph
responds.

“So you’re the baby,” she
teases Joseph.

“I believe that honor goes to
Walker,” I retort dryly.

She ignores my tone and
exclaims, “I can’t wait to meet them.”

“So, what’s the plan?” I ask,
turning to Airen.

He glances at Joseph who regards
me with trepidation. “I thought we could fix up the house next door for them. I
brought enough hardware to provide power to both houses, and it’s early enough
for them to start a garden and prepare for next winter,” Joseph explains.

“Ain’t they just the nicest
guys?”  Mandy gushes.

“Yeah, I like them,” I answer
absently, before turning back to Joseph.

“In the meantime, I can put
Walker back in with me, and they can have Walker’s room until their house is
habitable.” Airen has been silent throughout this conversation, but he stares
at me wide-eyed, waiting to hear my response.

“Joseph can show you your
room. I need a few hours of sleep before the kids wake up,” I tell Mandy and
escape to my bedroom. My mind is spinning, and I just want to lie down. I know
I’m acting petulant and immature, and I hate that I’m so jealous. I wanted to
meet people, so I should be happy they’re here. It’s my worst fear though, for
some pretty, thin bitch to show up and take it all away.

I told Airen if he wanted
someone else, I’d let him go without any drama, and I have to honor that, even
if the thought makes my chest ache. Things have been wonderful between us, but
I knew it was temporary until someone better came along. I hope she falls for
Joseph, even though I know I’m only delaying the inevitable. It’s only a matter
of time. After all, I’m not the last woman alive.

Airen crawls into bed and
wraps his arms around me. “Do you want to talk?”

I can’t take this out on him.
No matter how I feel, he hasn’t done anything wrong.
That you know of,
anyway
, my inner voice insists, always the optimist.

“No, I’m fine. I’m just tired.
I missed you.” I kiss him and rest my face on his chest, inhaling his scent and
rubbing my cheek across his silky hair.

“Me too, darlin’.”

Surprisingly, I fall asleep.

* * *
*

Jayla and Sara hit it off
right away. They stay up late listening to music and giggling like typical
teenage girls. It’s a joy to see. The house is crowded, however, and when I
encourage Airen and Joseph to install the panels in the other house first, they
agree. I hardly see them during the day because they’re so busy.  I decide to
give Mandy the benefit of the doubt. It isn’t fair to dislike her because she’s
attractive. It’s no different than how I’ve been treated because of my
appearance.