At midnight, Jace is fast asleep. He's a cuddlebug. He loves cuddling. I'm wrapped tightly in his arms and his face is buried in my breasts. His mouth is slightly parted, and his leg is over mine.
I can't sleep.
My fingers have been running through his hair since we climbed in bed at ten forty five.
It's black Friday and there are so many things we need for the house.
Slowly, I wiggle out of his arms. He wakes right up.
"Where are you going?"
"To the store and then the house." I kiss his lips and pull the blankets up higher. He grunts in response. I dress in jeans and a loose white t-shirt with paint on it, throw my long red hair in a messy bun, put on black converse, grab my purse, and leave.
****
I got everything I could possibly need, furniture included. I made so many trips. Everything is set in random rooms. I told the designers and everyone they could go home. I forgot my phone at home last night.
All that's left is for me to finish painting. It's three in the afternoon. I add the last line of paint to the wall in the hallway.
Downstairs is already dry. I head down the hall and down the stairs and start to rearrage furniture and put things in place.
I hear the front door slam.
"What if she left, Dad?" Hailey asks.
"Rylee!" Jace calls.
"I'm in the living room." I call.
He comes in with the kids. "Where have you been? I woke up at one in the morning and you were gone!"
I frown. "I told you at midnight that I was going to the store and then to the house." I frown.
"No you didn't."
"Yes I did." I say. "You woke up when I stood up and asked where I was going."
He frowns. "I don't remember that."
"It happened, I promise."
"Where is wet paint?" Jace sigh after hugging me.
"Uh, in the hall upstairs."
"Which hall?"
"The one with Kaden and Noah and Hailey's rooms, and the guest room."
He nods and sits down. The kids make themselves at home. I move furniture and Jace watches me as I place things on shelves and set things in.
"How much money did you spend today?" he cringes. I give him a guilty look.
"I love you." I trail off.
"Ry." He says.
"Fine." I bite my lip. "To be honest, it was over ten thousand dollars."
Jace lets out a loud sigh and shakes his head.
"Are you mad at me?" I ask innocently.
"No." he grumbles.
Jace pulls my phone out of his pocket.
"It's your boss." He says.
I stare at it.
I guess I should press answer.
I sigh and answer it.
"Hello?"
"You're home, right?" he asks.
"Yeah, why?"
"When did you get in?"
"Uh, yesterday, around five."
"Alright, I've got a family in Tampa with a two bedroom on bathroom house and five kids. I need you to meet them on Thursday and do the usual."
"Alright, what's their address?" he asks. I grab a pen off the table and write it on a receipt I find in my purse.
"4320 W Laurel St, Tampa, FL 33607. Their phone is (813) 876-5243."
"Alright, I'll get right on it."
"Okay."
He hangs up. I call the family while I work on the house, and we get the time for eleven on Thursday.
I hang up.
****
We're moved into our house. I went and met the family and they have two teenagers, a ten year old, and then a seven year old. The teenagers are thirteen and fourteen.
I have a viewing of a house for them. I look at the houses and then I decide if it's good, then I'll show them the house.
"What time will you be home?" Jace asks.
It's ten.
"Um, noonish, why?"
"So I know when I need to start worrying."
"Why would you have to worry?" I ask.
He hands me my purse. I've wearing a white button down tank top and a pair of black slacks that are like skinny jeans but slacks. I have on black heels and my hair is left and just brushed because my hair is naturally wavy so it really looks good for business related things. I have on a fake gold bracelet from forever 21 on my right wrist.
"Don't you work today?" I ask.
"Mmm hmm." He nods. "Till seven."
"Well I might not be back in time to get them from school."
"But you said noon."
"But it could be later." I remind him.
"I'll see if Aubrey can babysit."
"I'll just call my Mom."
I dial Mom. She agrees to pick up Kaden and Hailey. The little ones are already over there.
"Alright." Jace says. "I'll see you when you get home, okay?"
I nod.
"Wait." He stops me as I turn to the bedroom door to leave.
"Hmm?" I look over my shoulder at him.
"Have I told you how much I love your ass?"
"Yes." I turn around to face him fully.
He steps closer to me.
"And your boobs. I love your breasts." He puts his hands on my hips and pulls me closer.
"You do, do you?"
"And we're alone." He whispers, his voice hush. "I think we ought to break our bedroom in, what do you think?"
"I think if I'm a little late to work, it won't matter too much."
"I think I agree." He leans in and kisses me.
****
His lips won't stop. After my second shower, it's not ten forty five.
The meeting is at eleven.
According to my GPS, it's a forty five minute drive.
"Okay, I love you." I kiss his cheek and head for the door.
He grabs my hand for the sixth time, flips my hair over my shoulder, and start to suck on my neck.
"Jace." I moan. "I really need to go."
He sighs and I shiver. He plants one more kiss on my neck and a long one on my lips.
"I'm off tomorrow and so are you, and it's Friday. Let's get a babysitter and spend the day in bed together." He whispers against my skin.
I nod dumbly.
"Okay." I mutter.
I give him one more long kiss. "I love you, I'll see you later."
"Okay." He mumbles.
I finally get out the door, and I get in the car. I call the guy and tell him I'm going to be late. He says he will be too.
My stomach growls.
I drive to McDonald's, hitting every light on the way there.
"Welcome to McDonald's, would you like to try a biscuit today?
"No thank you. May I please have a Caramel Frappe and a sausage McMuffin. No egg though, I'm allergic."
"Okay. That'll be 6.34."
"Thank you." I say. I drive to the first window and hand her my card.
She swipes it and hands me my receipt and my card.
"Have a good day." I say. She just nods, and I drive to the next window.
The women hands me my bag of food.
As she hands me my cup, the top comes off and spills all over my lap and my white shirt. I look down. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" she gasps. Her coworker starts to make another one.
I sigh slowly.
"It's okay, accidents happen."
She hands me another one. I put it in the cup holder and brush off her apology again, and then I follow my GPS on my phone to Tampa.
I open my sandwich and right before I go to eat, I see something white.
When I rip the bread off, I see something.
Egg.
Are you kidding me? Now I can't eat the whole thing!"
I sigh and pull up next to some homeless guy and give him my food.
I'm allergic to egg." I sigh.
"Thanks."
I get back in my car.
My phone shut off.
Frowning, I hold down the power button.
All it gives me is the battery sign.
I groan and get out my map and attempt to figure it out.
The only good thing about my day is my kids and husband so far.
Everything else has sucked.
I take a deep breath and drive.
I get on the highway and start to drive.
I take a sip from my drink and almost puke.
The milk is rotten!
I groan and drive.
Sirens light up behind me.
I pull over and get my license and registration out. I hand them to him when he pulls up.
"Do you realize how fast you were going?"
"No sir, I didn't." I say.
"You were going twenty over."
He looks at the registration, and then at my license, and slowly, he drags his eyes to my face.
"You don't look like a man to me."
"Excuse me?" I ask.
"What is your name?"
"Rylee Harper Rivera." I say.
"Then why do you have the license of Jace Spencer Rivera?"
"What?" I ask.
He turns the license to face me.
I sigh. "I grabbed the wrong wallet. That's my husbands."
"Is he by change Officer Rivera?"
"That's him." I nod.
He nods. "Alright. I'll ticket you, but I'm not going to take you in for no license. Tell Jace Jonds said to keep his wife on track."
"Will do." I say.
He writes me a ticket and gives me my stuff back, and then leaves,
Two hundred and fifty dollars!
I sigh and keep driving.
I park the car and fill up.
Right when I take out the pump, a guy pulls up with his teenage daughter driving.
She presses the gas instead of the break and rear-ends my car.
Since my dumbass forgot to put on the parking break, my car rolls forward and their car parks in the spot at the pump. I run and put my car in park, and their call rolls against mine.
It would be easier to cry.
Both of them get out.
"I'm so sorry!" she gasps.
"She's just learning." Her father sighs.
"It's alright." I sigh.
He calls the police.
I sit down and wait
We wait patiently.
Finally, almost an hour later, two squad cars pull into the gas station parking lot.
I can't see the officers.
The first one walks up.
"You're not gonna like this too much." He mumbles.
Jace comes up next to Marcus.
His eyes lock with mine.
"Are you hurt?" he asks us. I shake my head.
They don't.
Jace doesn't need to ask why I have coffee all over my shirt. He knows.
I have days like these once a year, where something continuingly goes wrong.
"What happened?" Marcus asks. the three of us stand up.
"Well, this girl here was pissed off because we took her spot, so she rammed into the back of our car." The father says.
My jaw drops.
"No I didn't!" I say. "Don't fucking lie to them because your kid can't drive. Maybe if you taught her instead of texting, you would've have hit my fucking car."
"Well, it does kind of look like that..." Marcus trails off.
I glare at him.
"No, it's because I forgot to put it in park!" I say.
"No she didn't. Check the car. It's in park." The man says.
"That's because you saw me put it in park, you fucking asshole!"
"Okay, alright!" Jace says.
"Don't call him an asshole, whore!" the teenage bitch snaps.
"Why don't you teach your prick of a kid some manners!" I say.
"She has more manners than you do! What do you know about kids anyways?"
"That I have five and they're so much better than your fucking daughter!"
"Hey!" Jace says.
"Fuck it! I'm leaving."
"If you have five kids, that means you're a whore." The girl says.
"No it doesn't it means I was raped, and now I'm married. Go fuck yourself. I'm fucking leaving."
"If you leave, we have to arrest you." Jace says.
I look at him.
"Do it." I snarl. "Arrest your fucking wife. I don't give a fuck. I've had a horrible day. Prison would make me happy because then I can fucking lay down."
The girl and the Dad exchange a look.
"Fine. My daughter pressed the gas on accident and rear ended her."
"That's all I needed to hear."
****
I've been driving for almost six hours and I still can't find that damn house.
I pull over and ask for directions.
The guy points straight.
I nod and go straight.
I get in the middle of nowhere, and slowly, my car shuts off.
I rest my head against the steering wheel.
Don't cry.
Do not cry.
I get out and start to push.
****
I started pushing at six and I don't find a store until nine.
I go in.
"Do you have a phone I can use?" I whisper.
"A dollar a minute." The elderly women says.
I pull out Jace's wallet.
"Do you take debit?" I ask.
"No. Cash only."
Jace gave all of his cash to the kids to get lunch at school this morning.
I let out a slow sigh. "Nevermind then." I shut Jace's wallet.
"Who were those kids?" he asks.
"Mine." I say.
"And the guy?"
"My husband."
"Why do you need the phone so bad?"
"To call my husband and tell him I'm stranded."
"Where do you live?"
"In Tampa Bay."
"That's six hours from here."
I run my fingers through my hair.
"Wonderful." I grumble.
He sighs and hands me four quarters.
"You've got a minute."
"Thank you." I whisper. I dial Jace.
"Rylee?" Jace asks on the fifth ring.
The second I hear his voice, I lose it and tears start sliding down my cheeks.
"I need help." I sniffle.
"Are you crying?" he asks.
"Yes."
"What happened? Where are you? Why aren't you home yet?"
"I don't know, Jace. I don't know. My car broke down in the middle of nowhere and I pushed it for three hours. I'm lost six hours from the house. I haven't eaten all day. I don't know what to do."
"I'm coming to get you, Rylee. Where are you?"
"I don't know."
"Why didn't you call me the second you got lost honey?"
"My phone died."
He lets out a slow sigh. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry. Ask someone the address."
"What's the address to this place?" I ask the elderly women.
She tells me and I tell Jace, and the phone clicks off.
I thank the women, wiping my tears, and then I go outside and push my car between the buildings. I sit down on the ground outside and put my head between my knees and let the tears fall.
****
It's midnight.
A car pulls up next to me and I stand up, ready to run, but it's the old lady. She hands me a paper plate and a cup.
"I made you Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo and I got you a bottle of water."
"Thank you so much." I whisper. She hands it to me and drives away.
I eat it and drink every drop of the water and toss it in a nearby trash. After an hour, I lay down.
A car pulls up and the older lady parks next to my jeep with a shotgun and sits down next to me.
"Why do you have that?"
"To make sure nobody is going to try and hurt you." she says.
I look at her. "Thank you." I whisper.
She nods.
We sit in silence.
"What's your name?" she asks.
"What?" I mumble, because I was faling asleep.
"Your name."
"Rylee Rivera."
"Is that your maiden name?"
"No, why?"
"Because you look a lot like my grandsons wife."
"Really?" I ask.
She nods.
"What's your name?" I ask.
"Caroline Mose." She says.
She nods.
I lay down again.
Just when I'm almost asleep, a familiar black SUV pulls up.
Jace gets out. He's still in his work uniform.
He walks over to me. I stand up and he wraps me in a big hug.
"Why are you armed?" he asks the women, helping her up.
"To protect your wife." She shrugs.
"Thank you." he says. "What's wrong with the Jeep?"
I shrug.
He puts it in park and backs up the car. He has a trailer on it. He hooks my car up to the trailer.
"Thank you." he says to the women.
"Any time."
"Thanks." I say.
"You're welcome Rylee. You take care."
"You too, Caroline."
I get in the car.
All the kids are still awake.
"Mommy!" Max squeals.
"The boys have been screaming for you for hours." Hailey says. "I've missed you too, but I've not been crying about it."
I give her a tired smile and shut my door. I put on my seatbelt.
"So what exactly happened? I know you had a horrible day, but why?"
"After I left the house, I got every light I got McDonald's and told them no egg because you know, I'm allergic. They spilt it all over and it had egg and the coffee was bad. Then my phone died and I got lost, I got pulled over, that girl hit me and lied, and then my car broke down in the middle of nowhere. Plus, I almost got arrested when I got pulled over for speeding because I grabbed your wallet and not mine. The only reason I didn't was because the guy that got me is one of your friends."
"Who was it?" he asks.
"Jonds." I say.
"Oh." He says.