In a few hours, I'm heading back to Polson with my daughter and Jake. To say I'm slightly nervous is an understatement. For two years I've built relationships with everyone in town, especially Bella, and for those two years I've been living a lie. On the surface, I worry they will hate me, but deep down in my heart, I know they aren’t like that. My friends are the least judgmental group of people I know.

Then there's Glory. Glory Keller has been my best friend since I was eight years old. If she wasn't with me at my house, I was at hers. Glory's family is very wealthy, but you would never know it because they aren't the kind of people who go about showing it off. We were inseparable. She's also the only person allowed to call me Anna anymore. Little by little I had fewer communications with the people I loved. I noticed a change in Ronan. He was becoming more irritable, and extremely suspicious of everyone around him, to the point we stopped going to family dinners on Sunday, and he also started having an issue with the time I would spend with Glory. Before I knew it, he had control over every facet of my life.

Over time I began to notice all the dirty secrets the De Burca family kept neatly tucked away from outsiders. It got to the point Ronan didn't try to hide the filthy and illegal things he and his 'employees' were up to. I've heard him threatening the lives and livelihoods of so many people I stopped counting. I remember the first time I witnessed him and one of his men beat another man near death. I wanted to turn and leave the room but Ronan ordered me to stay. He wanted me to see what happens to people who didn't do as they were told.

I became a prisoner in my own home. Things got worse once I became pregnant with Remi. Fear of him hurting me and causing harm to my baby had me complying with every command he made. I hide the fact I was keeping in touch with Glory after my mom died for some time until he found a cell phone I had kept secret from him. Remi was three then. That was the first time he ever hit me in front of my daughter.

"Babe, we need to hit the road soon so that we can make it before sunset," Jake walks up behind me and rests his chin on my shoulder then kisses my neck. The contact instantly causes my skin to prickle.

"Okay. Let me give Glory a call before we leave," I tell him.

"I'll be out front when you get done." He gives me a reassuring squeeze and walks away.

Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I give my best friend a call. It rings a few times before she picks up.

"Hey," Glory says, her voice sounding tired.

"You sound exhausted. Still not sleeping well?" I ask her feeling concerned.

"When have I ever? Insomnia has run my life for years. I think I'd freak out if I slept for more than two hours straight," she laughs trying to play it off. It's true. Ever since she was teenager, she has suffered from insomnia. I sleep like a log, so I can't imagine running on empty all the time as she does. "Well, I'm packed. We should be pulling out and heading to Polson in about thirty minutes. I wanted to give you a call before getting on the road," I tell her.

"I'm so happy you decide to go back to Polson. Jake sounds like a good guy, and he will do anything it takes to protect you and Remi," She admits.

"You going to be okay by yourself? You’ve had her company for the past two years," I tell her.

"I'll miss her presence, but Remi is right where she needs to be, with you," Glory quickly responds.

"I promise to call you once we've gotten settled." I sigh and flip the last light switch off in the apartment before stepping outside.

"You'd better," she mocks in a motherly tone, "and tell Remi I love her," she says somberly, which leads me to believe the adjustment of being alone in an empty home will be harder than she realizes.

"I can hear your thoughts. Stop it. I have Bo to keep me company," she says. Bo is her overgrown basset hound.

"I love you. I'll talk to you soon."

"Ditto. Drive safe."

She ends the call, and I shove my phone back into my pocket. With my keys in my hand I lock the door to the duplex. As the landlord suggested, I walk next door and knock. He asked that I leave my keys with my neighbor who also happens to be his grandson. Chris opens the door greeting me with a smile.

"Hi, Grace. Leaving, huh?" He rubs the back of his neck with his hand and quickly glances towards Jake who is mounting his bike.

"Yeah. Please give these to your grandad and tell him thank you for me." I reach into my bag and pull out an envelope. "And this is the two weeks rent I owe him."

"Sure. You take care of yourself, Grace," Chris says with a slight smile.

"You too," I tell him and make my way to my car where my daughter is waiting for me in the front seat. Climbing in, I throw my bag into the back seat. "Put your seatbelt on, Peanut." I instruct my daughter who complies along with a dramatic sigh. Once Jake makes way for me, I back out and head towards the diner.

Before leaving town, I need to swing by and say goodbye to Janet. I called her yesterday-a call I found out she was expecting to let her know I would be quitting. I was worried that I would be leaving her in a tight spot but turns out her daughter is moving back home with her grandchild in a few days and would need a job, so the whole situation worked out perfect.

I pull into the parking lot a few minutes later, and Jake pulls in beside me. "I won't be but just a minute." I turn and address my daughter. "You want anything for the road while we're here? It will be awhile before stopping again."

She puts her earbuds in, "I'm good, Mom."

The door chimes the moment I open it and Janet is standing behind the register handing a receipt with the change to a guy, so I stand off to the side and wait for her.

"Grace," she gives me a motherly hug. "I hate to see you go, hon, but you and I both know you were never happy here. I think your heart was always somewhere else."

Giving her a knowing smile, I hand her my uniform. "You've helped me more than you know, Janet. I'm going to miss you."

Janet reaches into the pocket of her apron, and pulls out a folded envelope containing my last paycheck. "I see my daughter in you. Let's say she's a survivor too." Janet passes the envelope to me, and I tuck it in my back pocket. I'm not going to meddle. I know how to read between the lines as to what she is referring to. I've overheard more than one phone call between her and her daughter and the desperation in her pleading voice every time. I give her a final hug goodbye. "Your daughter is fortunate to have you."

"And you and that man out there on the motorcycle are lucky to have each other," she replies.

On her final words, I leave. I walk up to Jake, "She's a good woman." I turn and look back at the diner. Laying his hands on my hips Jake pulls me in.

"I know, babe. She and I had a little chat the day I came in looking for you."

Surprised by his admission, I raise my brow and wait for him to elaborate.

"She pretty much told me she'd chop my balls off if I hurt ya," he chuckles, then plants a kiss on my smiling lips. Swatting my butt, he tells me to get in the car. Noticing my daughter is in her own little world filled with music as she plays a game on her phone I put the car in drive and turn onto the highway heading east.

After a few hours, we make a quick stop at a rest area inside the Montana state line. I give Remi a few dollars to grab herself some vending machine snacks, and we hit the road once again. Deciding now is as good a time as any I decided to talk to her about Jake and me. Reaching across the console, I tug on the earbud in her left ear to grab her attention. She taps the screen of her phone and turns her face towards me giving me her full attention.

"What's up?" she speaks softly.

"I want to talk to you about Jake. I want to know what's going on inside of that head of yours."

She's quiet for a moment. "I feel okay about Jake. He makes you smile, and I like that." She says smiling herself.

I smile back, "I like that too."

"He has kind eyes, and when he talked to me yesterday, he made me feel safe. Dad, always made me feel small and scared all the time. Jake was easy to talk to." Turning her head, she looks out the window at the passing fence posts on the side of the road, "Do you love him like you used to love Dad?" she asks.

"I love him more," I confess to my daughter.

Her focus lands back on me, this time her expression raw with emotions, "Does he love you too? Like really love you?"

I take her hand in mine. "Yes, Peanut, Jake loves me," I assure her. Both finding comfort in the small conversation we held, Remi digs her stash of candy from her bag and holds it out for me to dip my hand in. For the rest of the ride, we eat junk food and sing along to the radio. That one little mother-daughter moment in a sense is freeing for both of us.

With the Polson exit up ahead, Jake passes my car and takes the lead. Taking the street leading away from town I follow him through winding roads for several miles. The people who live out this way are spread out from one another. Slowing Jake's turn signal starts flashing as he turns on a blacktop road. We cross over a stone bridge where a small creek runs before his home comes into view.

I take in the beautiful cabin appearing at the end of the road. The one thing standing out the most is the front porch. It's a huge wrap-around and expands the entire home.

Remi gasps, "Mom, look, horses," she points out to my left. Sure enough, two horses are standing near a fence line off in the distance. "Do you think he'd let me pet them?" she scoots forward on her seat.

Laughing, I tell her, "I'm not even sure they belong to him, Peanut, but you can ask." Jake parks his bike in front of a large shed, so I pull up beside him. As soon as I stop, Remi unbuckles and bolts out the door. Before I have my door fully open, she's bouncing on her toes waiting for Jake while he opens the large shed doors and pushes his motorcycle inside.

"Are those horses yours?" Remi shuffles from foot to foot.

He looks off towards the wooden fence where the horses are grazing. "Sorry, sweetheart. They aren't mine. I allow a friend of mine to let them graze on my land. They're pretty docile if you want we can go visit them tomorrow morning," he explains, and her face lights up.

"Can I see them in the morning, Mom?" my daughter begs.

"I don’t have a problem with it as long as Jake or I am with you," I inform her and lift my eyes to Jake's.

"Alright, ladies, let me give you the penny tour of the place tonight," Jake offers, and we start walking in the direction of the front door. Punching in the code, his door unlocks and Remi and I step inside. It's as beautiful inside as it is outside. The first room we enter is the living room. It's like walking into the pages of a magazine. His furniture is mostly brown leather, but the whole place doesn't appear too dark with the large windows, and light gray paint on the walls. I can't wait to see the room basked in light from the rays of sun pouring in during the day. He leads us to a separate kitchen, and I stop because I'm standing in my dream kitchen. Jake spared no expense with the high-end stainless appliances along with light gray, granite countertops. "You have all this, and it looks like you never use it," I remark as I open the convection oven big enough to cook three pans of just about anything.

"Never needed to. I like to cook, but it's just me out here. Come on. I'm going to show you your rooms."

"Mom, look," Remi points out the large bay window, on the other side of the room. "Is that a river back there?"

Jake answers, "You're looking at part of Flathead River."

"Wow," Remi responds.

Climbing the stairs to the top floor of the home, Jake continues to show us around. "There's a bathroom here," he opens the door and turns the light on, "the towels and everything you guys will need are in the cabinets." I allow my gaze to drift. Brand new bottles of bubble bath and woman's shampoo sit on the edge of the huge tub.

"Remi," Jake takes a few steps down the hall and opens another door, "this is your room. If you don’t like anything let me know and we can redecorate it," he tells her.

As eager as my daughter we step inside to a fully decorated bedroom any teenage girl would love to have. It's perfect. Remi isn't a girly girl. It's done in soft creams, whites, and grays. Strings of sparkly lights drape across the high wooden headboard, and a plush hammock chair hangs in the corner with a round, shag gray carpet splayed underneath it creating the perfect nook. My daughter stands frozen, while her eyes peer around the room. When she looks at me with tears pooling in her eyes, I almost lose it myself. Walking to her I wrapped my arms around her, and she buries her face into my chest. I stroke her hair a few times and kiss the top of her head. I lift my head to where Jake is quietly observing by the bedroom door, and I lip a thank you to him.

"You want to hang in here for a few minutes?" I ask Remi. She answers with a couple sniffles and a nod. I release her, and she shocks me by walking up to Jake and wrapping her arms around his waist. He doesn’t hesitate to hug her back. Releasing him, she beelines it to the swing. I leave her to explore her room and stop Jake before he opens the other bedroom door a couple of feet from where we are standing. "Thank you. You just made a big impact on her; on both of us." Gripping his arms I tiptoe to kiss him. He meets me halfway and softly kisses my lips. I press my body into his and deepen the kiss.

"I don’t know how you did it, but the room is beautiful, Jake," I say breathlessly.

"Come on, let me show you the other room." He grabs my hand and leads the way. The second bedroom is as stunning as Remi's. It's decorated in a white and blue scheme with a large queen bed.

"I called Logan and had him send the women shopping for you and Remi. Everything you could need is here. I even had them buy a few clothes. I'm pretty sure they had an easier time shopping for you, but with Remi, all they had to go on was my description of her. If she doesn’t like anything we'll take it back," He tells me in one breath. We walk across the hallway.

"This is the master bedroom." Jake slides two heavy barn doors open that hang from tracks on the wall. One whole half of the upstairs is his bedroom. The first thing you notice is the oversized king bed centered under windows that span the length of the room, and reach as high as the vaulted ceiling. The place isn't massive, but the windows make it feel open. He kept the large beams in the ceiling exposed as he did downstairs, and it's beautiful.

I'm speechless for a moment as I take in how much my friends care, and I let everything sink in. Jake is offering me a home-his home. He's proving he wants to provide for my daughter and me.

Jake steps behind me, as I'm standing there collecting my thoughts. "I didn’t want to assume, so the second spare room I showed you is for you."

"Me?" I turn and face him not hiding the sting from his words.

He grabs my face in the palm of his hands. "I want nothing more than to have you in our room and our bed with me, Little Bird, but I want the choice to be yours."

Understanding where he is going with his choices, I sigh and bury my face in his chest. "I can't thank you enough, Jake."

"No thanks needed, beautiful. You and Remi are mine now. I don’t want to take your choices away from you. There is nothing I won't do to make sure you both always feel safe and loved as you deserve."

"I love you," I whisper, and kiss him just under his ear.

Jake lifts me off my feet, "I love you too, Little Bird."