By the end of February, the house no longer felt like a place they were staying.
It felt like theirs.
Nearly a month had passed since Rylee had driven into Huntington with Koda and Pickle, and somewhere along the way, the days had stopped feeling temporary.
There hadn’t been much to unpack when they arrived. Most of what they owned had fit into the things they’d brought with them, but the house had still needed everything else.
So they had gone shopping.
More than once.
They’d bought dishes and glasses, towels and blankets, things for the kitchen, things for Koda’s room, and the little everyday things that made a house function.
Rylee had slowly filled the empty spaces.
Pictures hung on the walls now.
There were extra blankets folded over the back of the couch and pillows on the beds. The kitchen cabinets were full, the refrigerator stayed stocked, and Koda’s room looked more like a little boy’s room every day.
His dinosaurs had claimed the dresser.
A few had migrated to the bookshelf.
One seemed to end up on the floor no matter how many times Rylee put it back.
Pickle had a bed in the living room, another small bed beside Rylee’s desk at the veterinary clinic, and a mat in the kitchen with his food and water bowls.
The house wasn’t perfect.
It wasn’t supposed to be.
It was lived in.
And Rylee had begun to realize that was what she wanted.
She had also started working regularly at Dr. Ronaldo’s veterinary clinic.
The job had settled into something she hadn’t expected.
She liked the work.
She liked the people.
And, more than anything, she liked the feeling of being useful.
Dr. Ronaldo had never pushed her for answers she wasn’t ready to give. He seemed to understand that there were things she didn’t talk about.
He noticed things.
The way she checked the parking lot before locking the front door.
The way she sometimes looked toward the windows when an unfamiliar vehicle pulled into the lot.
The way she never gave out more information than necessary.
He didn’t ask.
At least, not yet.
Instead, he treated her with the same quiet respect he gave everyone who walked through the clinic doors.
There was something about him that made Rylee feel safer than she expected to feel around anyone.
Maybe it was the calm way he carried himself.
Maybe it was the fact that he seemed to understand that people sometimes needed someone to simply be there without demanding an explanation.
Whatever it was, she had begun to trust him.
Pickle had become a regular fixture there too.
Rylee had bought him a small bed that fit beneath the desk in the back office, and most days he spent his time sleeping there while she worked.
He had gotten comfortable enough to explore the clinic, but he always seemed to know where Rylee was.
If she moved to another room, Pickle usually followed.
If she sat down, he found a place nearby.
He still loved Koda.
That hadn’t changed.
Koda was still the first person Pickle had trusted.
But something different had developed between Pickle and Rylee.
It was quieter.
More cautious.
Almost as if they understood something about each other that neither of them needed to explain.
Neither had learned to trust easily.
Neither had forgotten what fear felt like.
And somehow, without Rylee ever deciding it was happening, Pickle had begun to trust her completely.
She had started to trust him too.
That morning, Rylee dropped Koda off at the small in-home daycare a few minutes before heading to work.
The daycare was run by an older woman named Mrs. Whitaker and her two grown daughters. The house had been converted into a comfortable space for the town’s younger children, with a fenced backyard, shelves filled with toys and books, and enough room for the children to move around without feeling crowded.
Koda had adjusted surprisingly well.
At first, Rylee had expected him to cling to her.
Instead, after the first few days, he had started asking when he could go back.
There were other children there.
Children close to his age.
Children who didn’t know anything about his past.
To them, he was simply Koda.
That mattered to Rylee more than she could explain.
She wanted him to have that.
A childhood that belonged to him.
Something normal.
Something that wasn’t built around fear.
That morning, Koda had barely waited for Rylee to unbuckle his seat belt before announcing that he needed to show Mrs. Whitaker something.
“What did you bring?”
“My dinosaur.”
“Which one?”
“The big one.”
Rylee smiled.
“You’ve got about twelve big ones.”
Koda looked at her seriously.
“Not twelve.”
She laughed.
“Okay. Eleven.”
He shook his head.
“Mommy.”
“What?”
“It’s the biggest one.”
“Of course it is.”
Koda climbed out of the car. Rylee watched him walk toward the house, where Mrs. Whitaker was already standing at the front door waiting for him.
“Good morning, Koda,” she called.
“Morning!”
Koda hurried up the walkway, holding his dinosaur tightly in both hands.
Mrs. Whitaker smiled and held the door open for him.
“Come on in. I want to see this big dinosaur.”
Koda stepped inside.
“It’s the biggest one.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
Koda disappeared inside with Mrs. Whitaker, already explaining which dinosaur he’d brought.
Rylee watched them for a moment before turning back toward Pickle.
“Come on, buddy.”
Pickle was already waiting patiently.
By the time they reached the clinic, the morning had already begun.
The waiting room was quiet when they walked in.
Stephanie Moretti was behind the front desk, talking to a client while Pickle trotted beside Rylee.
Stephanie glanced down.
“There he is.”
Pickle’s tail moved once.
Stephanie smiled.
“He looks like he’s ready for another long day of doing absolutely nothing.”
Rylee laughed.
“He’s very busy.”
“Oh, I’m sure.”
Stephanie had been working for Dr. Ronaldo for nearly ten years.
She had grown up in Huntington after moving there with her family when she was a child, and it seemed like she knew almost everyone in town.
If someone walked through the clinic doors, there was a good chance Stephanie already knew their name, their dog’s name, their mother’s name, and what they had eaten for breakfast.
Rylee had initially wondered how anyone could possibly know that many people.
After a month, she was beginning to understand.
Huntington was small.
People talked.
And, surprisingly, most of what they talked about wasn’t malicious.
They talked about their families.
Their pets.
The weather.
School events.
Church dinners.
Who was sick.
Who had gotten engaged.
Who was opening a new business.
It was different from what Rylee was used to.
There was something comforting about it.
Something she hadn’t realized she had been missing.
Stephanie had also become one of the first people in Huntington Rylee considered a friend.
Not a close friend.
Not yet.
But a friend.
It had started a couple of weeks earlier when the clinic had closed for lunch.
Rylee had been sitting alone in the break room with her lunch when Stephanie had appeared in the doorway.
“Mind if I sit with you?”
Rylee had looked up.
“Of course not.”
Stephanie had pulled out the chair across from her.
That had been it.
No dramatic introduction.
No instant connection.
Just two women eating lunch together.
The next day, Stephanie had sat with her again.
Then the next.
Before long, it had become routine.
They talked about ordinary things.
Their children.
Work.
The town.
Food.
Movies.
Things they liked.
Things they didn’t.
Stephanie talked about her daughter, Sarah, who was five and would be six in a few months.
She had raised Sarah on her own from the beginning.
The child’s father had never stayed.
He had been passing through town when they met, and after learning Stephanie was pregnant, he had disappeared from her life.
Stephanie never spoke about him with bitterness.
She simply spoke about Sarah.
As if the rest wasn’t important.
Rylee understood that more than she wanted to admit.
That morning, Stephanie leaned against the counter.
“Sarah asked about Koda again.”
Rylee smiled.
“Really?”
“She likes him.”
“Koda likes her too.”
Stephanie smiled.
“She told me he’s funny.”
“He is.”
“She also said he talks too much.”
Rylee laughed.
“That sounds about right.”
Stephanie laughed with her.
Pickle wandered past them and disappeared toward the back office.
Rylee watched him go.
“He knows where he’s going now.”
“He absolutely does.”
“He doesn’t even wait for me.”
Stephanie shook her head.
“He owns the place.”
Rylee smiled.
“He thinks he does.”
Stephanie looked at her for a moment.
“You know, he really has changed.”
Rylee’s smile softened.
“He has.”
There had been a time when Pickle had flinched at nearly everything.
A sudden movement.
A raised voice.
A door closing too quickly.
He had been thin and frightened and uncertain of every hand that reached toward him.
Now he walked through the clinic with his head up.
He slept comfortably.
He ate regularly.
He played with Koda.
And he followed Rylee everywhere.
Sometimes she caught him watching her.
Not nervously.
Just watching.
As if he needed to know where she was.
Rylee understood that feeling.
She had spent years doing the same thing.
She turned toward the back hallway.
“I should get started.”
Stephanie nodded.
“I’ll see you at lunch.”
Rylee smiled.
“Of course.”
She headed toward her desk.
Pickle was already curled up in his bed.
He lifted his head when she approached.
“You’re spoiled.”
His tail moved against the bed.
Rylee smiled.
“Yeah. I know.”
She sat down and began working.
For the next few hours, the day moved normally.
Appointments came and went.
Phones rang.
Dogs barked.
Cats complained.
Owners asked questions.
Dr. Ronaldo moved between rooms with the calm efficiency of someone who had spent most of his life doing the same work.
Rylee learned more every day.
She also noticed that Dr. Ronaldo watched out for her.
Not in a way that made her uncomfortable.
He never hovered.
He never asked too many questions.
But if someone she didn’t know lingered too long in the parking lot, he noticed.
If she stayed late, he made sure someone walked out with her.
If she mentioned needing something for Koda or Pickle, he remembered.
He didn’t know her story.
Not really.
But he seemed to know enough to understand that there was one.
And sometimes, Rylee caught something in his expression that reminded her of the kind of concern a father might have for his daughter.
She wasn’t sure what to do with that.
She wasn’t used to it.
By lunchtime, the clinic quieted down again.
Rylee took her food into the break room.
Pickle followed her.
She had packed herself a turkey sandwich, some fruit, and a small bag of chips. Beside her own lunch, she had packed a little container of plain cooked turkey for Pickle.
She set his small bowl down beside his bed and added the turkey.
“Here you go, buddy.”
Pickle walked over and began eating quietly.
Stephanie came in a few minutes later with her lunch.
She looked at Pickle.
“He gets his own lunch?”
Rylee smiled.
“He does.”
“Must be nice.”
“He had a rough start.”
Stephanie’s expression softened.
“I know.”
They sat across from each other.
For a while, they simply ate.
Then Stephanie looked up.
“So…”
Rylee glanced at her.
“So?”
“Koda’s birthday is coming up, right?”
Rylee smiled.
“Yeah.”
“When?”
“March sixteenth.”
Stephanie nodded.
“That’s pretty soon.”
“About three weeks.”
“Are you doing anything?”
Rylee looked down at her food.
“I think he wants a birthday party.”
Stephanie smiled.
“Of course he does.”
“He keeps talking about it.”
“What does he want?”
Rylee laughed softly.
“Dinosaur everything.”
“Naturally.”
“And apparently every child he’s ever met needs to come.”
Stephanie laughed.
“Sounds about right.”
Rylee smiled.
Then she hesitated.
“I was actually thinking about inviting you and Sarah.”
Stephanie looked at her.
“I’d like that.”
“I think Koda would really like having her there.”
“Sarah would love it.”
Rylee smiled.
The idea of planning a birthday party still felt strange.
A normal birthday.
A child’s birthday.
Something she could plan without wondering whether she would still be there when the day arrived.
She pushed the thought away.
Instead, she smiled at Stephanie.
“Koda also thinks Pickle needs a birthday.”
Stephanie laughed.
“Pickle?”
“Apparently.”
“What does he want to do?”
Rylee shook her head.
“I haven’t gotten that far.”
Stephanie smiled.
“Well, Pickle deserves a party too.”
Rylee looked toward the little dog.
He had finished eating and was now curled up in his bed.
“Maybe we can make it his birthday too.”
Stephanie smiled.
“That sounds perfect.”
Rylee looked at Pickle.
The veterinarian had estimated that he was about a year old.
He hadn’t had a birthday with them.
He had barely had a life worth celebrating before they found him.
Rylee felt something warm settle in her chest.
Maybe Koda was onto something.
Maybe Pickle did deserve a birthday.
A real one.
One where he knew he was wanted.
She smiled.
“Yeah.”
Stephanie looked at her.
“What?”
Rylee shook her head.
“Nothing.”
But it wasn’t nothing.
For the first time, she realized that March sixteenth wasn’t just going to be Koda’s birthday.
It could be a celebration of how much their lives had changed.
A little boy turning four.
A little dog getting the birthday he had never had.
And a family that had somehow found each other when none of them had been looking.
That afternoon passed quickly.
When Rylee picked Koda up from daycare, he ran toward her before she had even made it through the front door.
“Mommy!”
She crouched down.
“Hey, buddy.”
“I made something.”
“What did you make?”
He held up a piece of paper covered in bright crayon marks.
“It’s our birthday party.”
Rylee smiled.
“Our?”
“Me and Pickle.”
She laughed.
“Of course.”
“And Sarah can come.”
“Yes, Sarah can come.”
“And her mommy.”
“Stephanie can come too.”
Koda nodded.
“And cake.”
“Definitely cake.”
Koda looked toward her.
“And dinosaurs.”
Rylee stood.
“We’ll see about the dinosaurs.”
Koda frowned.
“Mommy.”
She laughed.
“Okay. We’ll talk about dinosaurs.”
Pickle was waiting by the front desk when they got back to the clinic.
The moment he saw Koda, his tail started moving.
Koda crouched beside him.
“Hi, Pickle.”
Pickle leaned against him.
Rylee watched them for a moment.
There was something peaceful about seeing them together.
Koda had changed since they left Florida too.
He was still careful sometimes.
Still watched adults closely.
Still had moments when he became quiet without explanation.
But he laughed more now.
He talked more.
He played.
He asked questions.
He had friends.
He had a room full of dinosaurs.
He had a little dog who followed him everywhere.
That night, Rylee made dinner.
She had promised Koda they would have homemade chicken tenders, baked macaroni and cheese, and Caesar salad.
She had made a small piece of plain chicken for Pickle before seasoning and breading the rest.
Koda sat at the kitchen table coloring while she cooked.
His crayons were spread across the table beside several sheets of paper.
Pickle was curled beneath the table beside Koda’s chair.
One of his favorite toys rested between his paws.
He had been chewing on it while he waited.
Rylee glanced over her shoulder.
“You better not destroy that one.”
Pickle looked at her.
His ears lifted.
Then he went back to chewing.
Rylee smiled.
The smell of dinner filled the kitchen.
She pulled the chicken tenders from the oven and checked the macaroni.
Koda looked up from his coloring.
“Mommy?”
“Yeah?”
“Is dinner ready?”
“Almost.”
“How almost?”
Rylee laughed.
“That’s not a measurement.”
Koda looked confused.
“Why?”
“Never mind.”
She put the salad on the table.
Then she heard her phone ringing from the counter.
Rylee glanced toward it.
The screen showed Hope’s name.
Her smile disappeared.
She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and picked up the phone.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” Hope said.
Rylee could hear something different in her voice.
Not panic.
But concern.
Rylee looked toward Koda.
He was still coloring.
Pickle was still beneath the table.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need to tell you something.”
Rylee’s stomach tightened.
“Okay.”
“He’s back in Fairhaven.”
Rylee didn’t have to ask who she meant.
Tyson.
Her hand tightened around the phone.
“How long?”
“That’s not the part I wanted to tell you.”
Rylee glanced at Koda again.
“Okay.”
“He’s been talking to your parents.”
Rylee went still.
“What?”
“He’s been asking them if they’ve heard from you.”
Rylee looked toward the window.
“Did they tell him anything?”
“No.”
Hope’s answer came quickly.
“They haven’t told him anything.”
Rylee released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“But he’s asking questions,” Hope continued. “A lot of them.”
“What kind of questions?”
“Where you might have gone. Whether you’ve called. Whether Koda has talked to them. Whether your parents know where you are.”
Rylee’s eyes moved toward her son.
Koda was concentrating on his picture.
A green crayon moved slowly across the page.
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because I don’t want you caught off guard.”
Rylee lowered her voice.
“Does he know anything?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Are you sure?”
“Rylee, I’m not going to tell you something I don’t know for certain.”
Rylee closed her eyes briefly.
She knew Hope was right.
There was no way to know what Tyson knew.
That was the problem.
“How are my parents?”
“They’re okay.”
“Are they scared?”
Hope paused.
“A little.”
Rylee swallowed.
She hadn’t seen her parents in years.
Not since Koda was a baby.
She had spent so long trying to protect them from the truth that sometimes she forgot they were still living with the consequences of her disappearance too.
“He’s not threatening them,” Hope said.
Rylee opened her eyes.
“What?”
“He’s not threatening them. He’s acting like he’s worried. Like he’s just trying to find his wife and son.”
Rylee almost laughed.
There was nothing funny about it.
“That’s what he does.”
“I know.”
“He wants people to think he’s the good guy.”
“I know.”
Rylee looked down.
She could hear Koda humming quietly as he colored.
A normal sound.
A safe sound.
She stepped toward the back door.
Pickle immediately lifted his head.
Rylee opened the door and stepped onto the porch.
Pickle followed.
She looked down at him.
“You don’t have to come outside.”
Pickle walked closer anyway.
Rylee sat on the porch step.
He sat beside her.
She rubbed his ears while holding the phone to her other ear.
“I can’t let him find us,” she whispered.
“I know.”
“What if he starts asking people here?”
“That’s why I’m watching.”
Rylee nodded.
“You call me if anything changes.”
“I will.”
“And I’ll call you.”
“Good.”
Hope was quiet for a moment.
“How are you really doing?”
Rylee looked down at Pickle.
He was leaning against her leg.
“I’m okay.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Rylee smiled faintly.
“I’m getting there.”
“That’s better.”
They talked for another few minutes.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing that changed the situation.
Just enough for Rylee to know she wasn’t completely disconnected from the world she had left behind.
When the call ended, she sat there for another moment.
Pickle looked up at her.
She scratched beneath his chin.
“You always know when something’s wrong, don’t you?”
Pickle leaned closer.
Rylee smiled.
“Yeah.”
She took a slow breath.
Then she stood.
“Come on.”
Pickle followed her inside.
Koda looked up immediately.
“Mommy?”
“Yeah?”
“Look.”
He held up his drawing.
Rylee walked over.
“What is it?”
“It’s me.”
She looked at the picture.
There was a large blue shape that was probably the sky, a green patch that was probably grass, three people who looked more like colorful sticks, and a small brown shape beside them.
“Who’s that?”
“Pickle.”
Rylee smiled.
“And who’s this?”
“Me.”
“And who’s this?”
“Mommy.”
Rylee looked at the picture again.
There were only three figures.
Three lives.
She felt something tighten in her chest.
“That’s beautiful, buddy.”
Koda smiled.
“Pickle’s gonna have a birthday.”
Rylee laughed softly.
“Yes, he is.”
“And cake.”
“Definitely.”
Koda looked at her.
“Pickle needs a special cake.”
Rylee smiled.
“You’re right.”
She reached over and brushed a piece of crayon dust from his cheek.
“We can make him a special doggy cake.”
Koda’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“With chicken?”
Rylee laughed.
“We’ll figure out what goes in it.”
“Can it have frosting?”
“Dog-safe frosting.”
Koda nodded seriously.
“Okay.”
He seemed satisfied.
Rylee looked toward the living room.
Pickle was standing near his bed, watching them.
She smiled.
“He deserves something special.”
Koda nodded.
“He’s our family.”
Rylee stopped.
The words were so simple.
So innocent.
But they landed somewhere deep inside her.
She looked toward Pickle.
Then back at her son.
“Yeah, buddy.”
She smiled.
“He is.”
Dinner became exactly what Rylee had hoped it would be.
Koda loved the chicken tenders.
He ate more of the macaroni than she expected and picked at the salad until she reminded him that vegetables were part of dinner too.
He complained about the lettuce.
She reminded him that he had asked for Caesar salad.
He informed her that he had changed his mind.
She told him that wasn’t how dinner worked.
By the time they finished, Koda had sauce on his cheek and crumbs on the front of his shirt.
Rylee couldn’t help laughing when she looked at him.
“What?”
“You’ve got food everywhere.”
Koda looked down at himself.
“I do?”
“Everywhere.”
He smiled.
“I can’t see it.”
“I know.”
She wiped his cheek with a napkin.
“Come on. Let’s get this cleaned up.”
Koda climbed down from his chair and carried his cup to the kitchen.
Rylee started gathering the plates.
Pickle remained in his bed, just as she expected.
Once the table was cleared, Rylee put the dishes in the sink and wiped down the kitchen.
Koda stood beside her, still talking.
“Mommy?”
“Yeah?”
“Can Pickle have a present too?”
Rylee smiled.
“Of course he can.”
“What kind?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“A toy?”
“Probably.”
“A really good one?”
“A really good one.”
Koda nodded.
“Okay.”
Rylee looked at him.
“You really want Pickle to have a good birthday, don’t you?”
Koda looked toward the living room.
“He’s our family.”
Rylee smiled.
“Yeah.”
She finished wiping down the counter.
“And family gets presents.”
Koda grinned.
“Yeah.”
Rylee turned off the kitchen light.
The house was quiet except for the soft sounds coming from the living room.
Koda had already changed into his pajamas.
He climbed onto the couch and patted the cushion beside him.
“Mommy.”
“What?”
“Bluey.”
Rylee smiled.
“Already?”
“Yep.”
It had become part of their nightly routine without either of them really deciding it.
Dinner.
Clean up.
Bath.
Pajamas.
Then one episode of Bluey together before bed.
Rylee sat beside him and pulled the blanket over both of their legs.
She picked up the remote and opened Disney+.
“Which one?”
Koda thought about it.
“That one.”
Rylee looked at the screen.
“Again?”
Koda nodded.
“Again.”
“You watched this one yesterday.”
“I like it.”
“I know you do.”
She started the episode.
The familiar music filled the living room.
Koda settled against her side, completely absorbed within minutes.
Rylee glanced down at him.
His hair was still slightly damp from his bath, and he smelled like the little lavender soap he liked.
She smiled and pulled the blanket a little higher around him.
Pickle lifted his head from his bed.
He looked toward the couch for a moment, then climbed out and walked over to them.
Rylee smiled when he reached the couch.
“Come here, buddy.”
She leaned down and picked him up.
Pickle immediately wiggled against her, and the moment she lifted the blanket, he burrowed underneath it.
Rylee laughed softly.
“Of course.”
He settled himself between her and Koda, his little body disappearing beneath the blanket except for his head.
Koda’s eyes opened slightly.
“Pickle.”
“Yep.”
“He wants to watch Bluey.”
Rylee smiled.
“I’m sure he does.”
Koda reached down and gently rubbed Pickle’s head.
Pickle’s eyes drifted closed again.
Rylee looked at the two of them tucked against her.
Her son on one side.
Their little dog in the middle.
The television playing softly in the background.
For the first time in years, she allowed herself to simply sit still.
No running.
No packing.
No wondering where they would go next.
Just a mother, her son, and the little dog who had somehow become part of their family.
Rylee looked down at Pickle.
He was completely relaxed now, warm beneath the blanket and surrounded by the two people he had come to trust.
She looked back at Koda.
It was strange how quickly ordinary things could become precious.
A home.
A job.
A child’s favorite television show.
A dog sleeping safely beside them.
A birthday being planned three weeks away.
She knew Tyson was still looking.
She knew Hope would call if she heard anything else.
She knew she couldn’t let herself become careless.
But for the first time, she was beginning to understand something she hadn’t allowed herself to consider when she first arrived in Huntington.
Maybe running didn’t have to be the rest of her life.
Maybe this place could be more than somewhere she disappeared to.
Maybe it could actually become home.
Koda shifted closer to her, his breathing slow and even.
Pickle burrowed a little deeper beneath the blanket.
Rylee smiled and rested her hand gently over him.
The three of them stayed there together, tucked beneath the same blanket while the television played softly in the background.
Tomorrow would come soon enough.
Whatever it brought, she would deal with it then.
Tonight, they were safe.
And for tonight, that was enough.