The highway stretched ahead of her in a long, gray ribbon.
For several miles, the only sounds inside the car were the steady hum of the engine, the tires moving over the pavement, and the quiet music playing from the speakers.
Rylee glanced into the rearview mirror.
Koda was still asleep.
His blond head had fallen slightly to one side, his cheek pressed against the side of his car seat. One small hand rested against his chest, his fingers curled loosely against the fabric of his shirt.
She smiled.
He hadn’t stirred since he’d fallen asleep.
She looked back at the road.
The farther they drove, the more the tension in her shoulders began to ease.
She wasn’t relaxed. Not completely.
She didn’t know if she ever would be again.
But Florida was behind them.
Whatever had happened at the restaurant was behind them.
And if the man who had been asking questions really had been looking for her, he was behind them too.
At least for now.
Rylee reached over and turned the music down.
She didn’t want anything waking Koda.
The afternoon light moved across the dashboard as the miles disappeared beneath the tires. Every now and then, she glanced at the clock.
There was still a long way to go.
She knew that.
The drive to Huntington wasn’t a short one, and she had no intention of pushing herself until she couldn’t keep her eyes open. She’d spent too many nights on the road over the past two years to make that mistake.
She knew when to stop.
She had to.
Koda depended on her.
Rylee looked at him again.
For just a moment, she let herself imagine what it might feel like to stay somewhere.
Not hide.
Not run.
Just stay.
She didn’t let herself get too far with the thought.
Hope could be dangerous when you were used to losing things.
She kept driving.
A little while later, Koda stirred.
His head lifted.
He blinked several times.
“Mommy?”
Rylee smiled.
“Hey, sleepyhead.”
He rubbed his eyes with both fists.
“Where are we?”
“Still driving.”
“To Tennessee?”
“Yep.”
He looked around.
“Are we almost there?”
“Not yet.”
Koda sighed dramatically and sank back into his seat.
Rylee laughed.
“You’ve been asleep for a while.”
“I wasn’t asleep.”
“Oh?”
“I was resting my eyes.”
“Of course you were.”
Koda smiled.
Rylee glanced at him through the mirror.
“How are you feeling?”
“Good.”
“Need anything?”
“No.”
A few seconds passed.
“Mommy?”
“Yeah?”
“Does my house have a yard?”
Rylee smiled.
“Your house?”
“Our house.”
“That’s better.”
Koda grinned.
“Our house has a yard.”
“Yes.”
“Can I run in it?”
“You can.”
His smile grew.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Can I play outside whenever I want?”
“Not whenever you want.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re three.”
Koda thought about that.
“I can play when you say.”
“Exactly.”
He seemed satisfied with that answer.
“Tell me about my room.”
Rylee smiled.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
She laughed softly.
“Everything?”
“Yep.”
“Okay.”
She began telling him about the little house she’d rented.
Two bedrooms.
A small kitchen.
A living room.
And a fenced-in yard.
“Is it big?”
“It’s not huge.”
“Is it bigger than our apartment?”
“Yeah.”
Koda’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Can I have my own room?”
Rylee glanced at him through the mirror.
“You can.”
His face lit up.
“With my dinosaurs?”
“Definitely dinosaurs.”
“Everywhere?”
“Maybe not everywhere.”
“Lots?”
“Lots.”
Koda smiled.
“Can I put my big dinosaur by my bed?”
“Of course.”
“And the little ones?”
“They can go wherever you want.”
He leaned back, already imagining it.
“What color is my room?”
Rylee smiled.
“I haven’t decided.”
“Blue.”
“Blue?”
“Like the sky.”
“I think we can do that.”
“And dinosaurs.”
“Definitely dinosaurs.”
Koda nodded approvingly.
Rylee watched him in the mirror.
She didn’t know how long the house would be theirs.
She didn’t know if Huntington would be another stop on a journey that seemed to have no end.
But she could give Koda something to look forward to.
She could make the little house feel like his.
Even if she wasn’t sure how long they would stay.
She had signed the lease remotely and paid the first month’s rent before leaving Florida. It was month-to-month, which gave her the flexibility she needed.
The house wasn’t extravagant.
That was exactly the point.
She had money. More than enough to live comfortably.
But comfort had never been the goal these past two years.
Being difficult to find had been.
Living below her means had become another layer of protection.
Nobody expected a woman with her education, experience, and financial resources to choose a small rental in a quiet Tennessee town.
That was exactly why she had.
Koda began humming to himself.
Rylee listened for a moment.
Then she joined in.
He immediately started laughing.
“Mommy, you’re doing it wrong.”
“I am not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I think you’re the one doing it wrong.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Rylee laughed.
The sound surprised her.
She couldn’t remember the last time laughing had come so easily.
For several miles, they sang together.
Sometimes they knew the words.
Sometimes they didn’t.
Sometimes Koda simply made them up.
For a little while, there was nothing else.
No Tyson.
No fear.
No questions.
Just the two of them and the road.
By the time they stopped for the first time, the sun was dropping toward the horizon.
Rylee glanced at the clock.
5:41 p.m.
She pulled into a rest area and parked.
“Come on, buddy.”
Koda climbed out after she unbuckled him.
He stretched his arms above his head.
“My legs hurt.”
“That’s because you’ve been sitting for hours.”
“Cars make my legs sleepy.”
Rylee smiled.
They walked toward the restrooms.
The air was cooler than it had been in Florida, and Rylee pulled her jacket tighter around herself.
When they came back outside, Koda stopped.
“Mommy.”
Rylee looked down.
He was staring toward one of the trash cans.
“What?”
“Doggie.”
Rylee followed his gaze.
At first, she didn’t see anything.
Then she saw movement.
A small red dachshund was standing beside the trash can.
He was painfully thin.
His ribs showed beneath his dirty coat, and his legs looked too delicate for his body. He dug desperately around the base of the trash can, searching for anything he could eat.
Koda’s expression changed.
“Mommy…”
Rylee crouched beside him.
“What?”
“That doggie looks sad.”
She looked at the dog.
He did.
More than sad.
Scared.
Hungry.
Exhausted.
Rylee’s heart tightened.
“Yeah, baby.”
“He’s hungry.”
“I think he is.”
“Can we help him?”
Rylee looked toward the car.
She had food.
She always kept snacks with her when they traveled.
“Stay right here.”
She walked back to the car, grabbed something she could give the dog, and returned.
The dachshund immediately noticed her.
He froze.
Rylee stopped several feet away.
“It’s okay.”
The dog backed away.
She lowered herself slowly.
She placed the food on the ground.
Then she waited.
The dog stared at it.
Then at her.
Then at Koda.
Koda sat down.
“Hi, doggie.”
The dog’s ears twitched.
He took one step.
Stopped.
Then another.
Finally, he reached the food.
He swallowed it so quickly that Rylee put more down.
“Easy, buddy.”
The dog ate again.
Koda watched with wide eyes.
“He’s really hungry.”
“I know.”
Rylee noticed the scar beneath his right eye.
She also noticed the way he reacted every time she moved.
He flinched.
Not the way a normal stray might.
This was different.
He was afraid of people.
Very afraid.
Koda slowly held out his hand.
The dog stopped eating.
Rylee almost told him to pull it back.
Instead, she waited.
The dachshund approached.
He sniffed Koda’s fingers.
Koda smiled.
“Hi.”
The dog licked his hand.
Koda giggled.
“He likes me.”
“I think he does.”
The little dog’s tail moved once.
Koda reached up and gently stroked his head.
The dog didn’t pull away.
Rylee watched them.
Something about the way the dog stayed close to Koda made her chest ache.
He trusted her son.
Not her.
Not yet.
But Koda.
That was enough.
“Mommy?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s his name?”
Rylee smiled.
“I don’t know.”
Koda studied the dog.
His little brow furrowed with concentration.
“Pickle.”
Rylee blinked.
“Pickle?”
“His name is Pickle.”
“Why?”
Koda shrugged.
“Because he’s Pickle.”
Rylee laughed.
She looked at the dachshund.
“Okay. Pickle it is.”
Koda smiled.
“He’s my dog.”
Rylee sighed.
“We don’t know that yet.”
“Yes, we do.”
She laughed again.
“Come on.”
She knew she couldn’t leave him there.
Not after seeing him.
Not after watching Koda fall in love with him in less than five minutes.
Rylee carefully picked up the trembling dog.
He stiffened in her arms.
“Easy.”
He looked at her with frightened eyes.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
He didn’t understand the words.
But somehow, he seemed to understand her voice.
She carried him to the car.
Koda was already waiting.
“Pickle!”
Rylee settled the dog beside him.
Koda immediately reached over.
“It’s okay.”
Rylee closed the door.
She walked around to the driver’s side.
Before starting the car, she looked through the rearview mirror.
Koda had both arms around the little dachshund.
Pickle had curled himself against him.
Rylee smiled.
Then she noticed the scar again.
And something about it pulled an old memory from her.
A memory of another time.
Another life.
She and Tyson had been sitting on their couch.
Rylee had been looking through pictures on her phone.
“Look at this one.”
Tyson glanced over.
“A puppy?”
“Yes.”
“You want a dog?”
“I do.”
He smiled faintly.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why?”
He looked away.
“I’m scared of dogs.”
Rylee laughed.
“You’re serious?”
“Yeah.”
“You?”
“Me.”
She stared at him.
“Tyson, you’re not scared of dogs.”
“I am.”
“You’ve never even told me that.”
“I don’t like talking about it.”
Her expression softened.
“What happened?”
He was quiet for a moment.
“Something happened when I was younger.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
She reached for his hand.
“Okay.”
He squeezed her fingers.
“I just don’t feel comfortable around them.”
Rylee looked back at the picture.
“I would just really love to have one.”
“I know.”
“Just one.”
He kissed her forehead.
“Maybe someday.”
She smiled.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
At the time, she’d believed him.
She’d believed there would always be another day.
Another year.
Another chance.
She hadn’t understood that sometimes a promise was just another way to make someone stop asking questions.
Rylee blinked and looked at the road.
The memory was gone.
She picked up her phone.
Now that Pickle was with them, she needed a veterinarian.
She searched for veterinary clinics in Huntington.
One name caught her attention.
Dr. Ronaldo.
She saved the address.
Tomorrow.
She would take Pickle there first thing.
The road had become darker while she’d been thinking.
By six o’clock, the last traces of daylight had nearly disappeared.
Headlights stretched ahead of her.
The landscape beyond the windshield was mostly darkness now.
Rylee turned the headlights on.
Koda had fallen asleep again.
Pickle was curled beside him.
Rylee glanced at the clock.
She had been driving for hours.
They still had miles to go.
She could keep going.
But she didn’t need to.
Not tonight.
She found a dog-friendly hotel along the route and pulled off the highway.
The room was simple.
Clean.
Nothing more.
Rylee carried their things inside while Koda sleepily followed.
Pickle stayed close to her legs.
Once they were settled, Rylee helped Koda change into his pajamas.
He crawled onto the bed.
“Pickle sleeps with me?”
Rylee smiled.
“Pickle needs his own place tonight.”
Koda frowned.
“Why?”
“Because he’s had a long day.”
Koda looked at Pickle.
Pickle looked back.
“He can sleep by me.”
Rylee couldn’t help smiling.
“How about we put his blanket right beside your bed?”
Koda nodded.
“Okay.”
Rylee found a towel and made a little bed on the floor.
Pickle sniffed it.
Then carefully curled into a ball.
Koda watched him.
“Mommy?”
“Yeah?”
“Pickle likes me.”
“I think he does.”
“He’s my dog.”
Rylee sat beside him.
“You really like him, don’t you?”
Koda nodded.
“He’s sad.”
Rylee brushed his blond hair away from his forehead.
“Yeah.”
“He’s not sad now.”
Rylee looked at Pickle.
The little dog had lifted his head.
His eyes were still cautious.
But his body was relaxed.
“No,” she whispered.
“I don’t think he is.”
Koda yawned.
Rylee pulled the blanket over him.
Within minutes, he was asleep.
Rylee sat quietly beside him.
The room was dark except for the small lamp near the bed.
She looked at her son.
Then at Pickle.
Then at the few bags she’d brought with them.
This wasn’t the life she’d planned.
Not even close.
But for tonight, they were together.
And they were safe.
Rylee leaned back against the headboard.
Tomorrow they’d finish the drive.
Tomorrow she’d see the little house she’d chosen without ever stepping inside it.
Tomorrow she’d take Pickle to Dr. Ronaldo.
Tomorrow, she’d figure out what came next.
She didn’t know if the little house in Huntington would become a place where they could finally stay.
She didn’t know if she would love it.
She didn’t know what waited for them there.
For tonight, she only knew they had somewhere to go.
And sometimes, somewhere to go was enough.