“What’s wrong, honey?”
“He’s back,” Naomi said quietly. “I saw him today.”
“As in…?” Maxine leaned forward and raised her eyebrows.
“Yes,” Naomi answered. “It’s him.”
Maxine stopped washing Sampson as she stared at Naomi, her mouth hanging open slightly.
“Honey, it doesn’t mean anything,” she said.
“It does,” Naomi insisted. “We need to leave before he finds us.”
“He’s not going to find you,” Maxine replied. “You gave up your apartment and moved in with us. Why would he think to look for you here?”
“Because you’re my mom,” Naomi snapped, feeling her eyes fill with tears. “He knows I’d come here. He’s not stupid.”
“Come on,” Maxine sighed, resuming washing the baby. “You can’t worry about this constantly. You need to let this go.”
“I need to skip town,” Naomi blurted. “Let me borrow some cash.”
Maxine moved her head slowly to stare at her daughter, clearly unimpressed. She pressed her lips together in a tight line.
“Mom, please,” Naomi begged. “I don’t want to just sit around and wait for Jeremiah to show up.”
“He’s not going to,” Maxine insisted. “Now, go downstairs and relax. We’ll be down in a minute.”
Naomi knew there was no more arguing with her. She’d made up her mind, and nothing was going to change that. There was nothing else she could do but shut her mouth and do what she was told.
It’s not like she could skip town without a chunk of cash in her pocket. Where would they sleep? What would they eat? As much as she wanted to drive out of New Bern and never look back, she couldn’t.
It only took ten minutes for Maxine to come downstairs with a still-damp Sampson in her arms, wrapped in a towel. His fat little arms instantly outstretched to Naomi, his little hands grabbing toward her. He squirmed in Maxine’s grasp until she handed him over, fed up of his kicking legs and feet.
Naomi wrapped her arms around her son, feeling the wetness of his skin soaking into her clothes, but she didn’t care. His mouth opened and closed as he babbled, snuggling up close to her.
They stayed in the lounge, talking with each other as Sampson slowly slipped into a deep sleep. Soon he was snoring, his little body shaking with the veracity of it.
The hours slipped by for Naomi. Whenever her son was pressed against her chest, she felt content. It was the only thing she needed in the world.
It was dark out when a knock sounded on her door. It was gentle and so quiet; Naomi wondered if she’d imagined it. Her mother was busy in the kitchen fixing dinner, so she had to slip Sampson off her body and transfer him to the couch. Luckily he was deep in sleep, so he didn’t even stir.
As soon as she opened the front door, her stomach dropped through her body. Dread filled every inch of her heart as she craned her neck back to look into the man’s golden eyes.
His brown hair was compressed against his head where he’d been wearing a helmet for hours, and his toned body was covered in a loose-fitting leather jacket, covered in his gang’s patches.
“It’s you,” Jeremiah breathed.
Naomi slipped away from the front door and closed it behind her, making sure that he couldn’t see the sleeping boy inside the house. She folded her arms across her chest as she tried to keep her face expressionless.
“You’re here,” he smiled, revealing his crooked teeth. “I thought I was going to have to chase you all over the country to find you.”
Naomi shrugged. “Well, I’m here.”
“You’re not surprised?” Jeremiah asked, grinning at her. “That I’m here?”
Then he reached down to her waist and grabbed hold of her hips, trying to pull Naomi close to him. She instantly rolled her body out of his grasp and stepped away, putting her back against the closed door.
“What?” Jeremiah’s face fell. “What is it?”
“Why are you here?” Naomi snapped. “What do you want?”
A deep frown etched onto Jeremiah’s face as he looked down to her. “I’m back,” he said slowly, almost whispering. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
“No,” Naomi said instantly. “It’s been three years. I’ve moved on.”
“Naomi,” Jeremiah begged, reaching out to grab her hands. “Come on, don’t be like this.”
“No,” Naomi snapped. “You don’t be like this. You started a war! You let this town spiral into chaos, and then you vanished when it suited you. You left everyone else to pick up the pieces. Why would I want anything to do with you?”
Jeremiah’s frown only deepened. “You said you’d wait for me.”
“I did,” Naomi nodded. “And then I realized that it was selfish of you to ask. I moved on. You should, too.”
“Naomi,” he sighed. “Please, don’t.”
Naomi gritted her teeth together. She could feel the tears coming, but she wasn’t going to let them out, not in front of Jeremiah.
“No,” she spat. “You don’t. You need to leave. The police are still looking for you, and I don’t want to be associated with any of it.”
Naomi didn’t give him a chance to reply. She grabbed the door handle, twisted, and stepped inside the house. As soon as she was clear of the door, she shut it behind her and locked it.
She couldn’t have moved away from the door, even if she wanted to, so she sank down to the floor and brought her knees up to her chin. She waited patiently as she listened to Jeremiah’s footsteps, slowly vanishing as he walked away from the house.
It was only then that she allowed the tears to form in the corners of her eyes. They stung painfully, causing her to blink rapidly, but she didn’t care. They kept on coming until she couldn’t see through them, turning her vision blurry.
Eventually, they splashed down onto her cheeks in long, warm streaks. Naomi let them fall as she tried to stifle her sobs, crouched behind the front door of her mother’s home.
Seeing Jeremiah was the last thing she wanted. She knew it was going to bring up a lot of old feelings. Already, she could feel them stirring up in her chest, causing her heart to beat erratically.
Even after three years, she still wanted to be with him. It had taken all of her might not to rush into his arms as soon as she set eyes on him.
But she couldn’t. She had Sampson to think of now. They couldn’t get involved with such a dangerous person, no matter what she wanted.
Chapter 3
The paranoia was already starting to take over Naomi. She clutched Sampson to her chest as she carried him to daycare, her hand wrapped around the back of his head protectively.
Her feet carried her through the street quickly as her mind cursed the daycare for not having parking nearby. They were in a pedestrian-only area where cars couldn’t reach, blocked by bollards.
She’d had to leave her car around the corner. Usually, this wasn’t an issue, but now that Jeremiah was in the town, she was scared. Not only for Sampson but for herself too.
As soon as she was inside, she felt safer. She put Sampson into the little pen for toddlers and left him with his friends, confident that he would be safe for the day.
With a gentle wave to the ladies who ran the place, Naomi left. The weight was lifted off her shoulders, and the paranoia seemed to be all gone. The only way Jeremiah would be able to find out about Sampson is if he followed her. Why would he do that?
Naomi crossed the street, heading to the parking lot where her car was, but she was stopped in her tracks. There, beside her car, was a bike. The engine was idling, fumes billowing out of the exhaust.
Sitting atop it was Jeremiah. His helmet was balanced in his lap, revealing his brown hair blowing in the gentle breeze. The same leather jacket was wrapped around his torso, zipped all the way up to his neck.
Naomi felt her stomach churn as she stared at him. A lump blocked her throat as she eyed him suspiciously, taking wary steps closer to his bike.
“What’s going on?” Jeremiah asked when she was close enough to hear his voice.
Naomi glanced up to him as she moved around to the driver’s side of her car, letting her eyes do all the talking.
Jeremiah nodded slowly as he looked down to the helmet between his legs. “I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I just… I wanted to see you again.”
“You didn’t have to follow me,” Naomi said warily. “That’s a huge invasion of privacy. I told you to leave me alone. So, leave me alone.”
Jeremiah looked behind her, to the daycare in the distance. “Whose kid is that?”
Naomi pressed her lips together as she unlocked her car door, trying to hold the words back. Without saying a word, she unlocked her door and opened it.
“Whose kid?” Jeremiah asked again, his piercing golden eyes not moving from her face.
“Does it matter?” Naomi snapped.
Jeremiah nodded slowly, his teeth gnawing on his bottom lip.
“It’s my kid,” Naomi snapped. “All right? He’s mine.”
Jeremiah didn’t stop nodding. “Thought so.”
Naomi let her eyes drift up to the sky as she suppressed her anger. She knew what question was coming next.
“Who’s the father?” He asked.
Naomi’s heart went cold and dead in her chest, struggling to beat. She tried to think of something clever or witty to say, but nothing came to mind. She stared at Jeremiah, trying to remain calm.
“Naomi,” he said, his tone warning. “Who’s the father?”
“Not you,” she snapped. “Leave me alone.”
Just as she tried to get into the car, Jeremiah stepped off the bike and made his way over to her. Naomi froze in the spot, one of her legs in the footwell of the driver’s seat.
“How old is he?” Jeremiah asked, his voice calm and silky.
Naomi gulped. “Almost three.”
Jeremiah put his tongue beneath his top lip, running it over his front teeth, as he clearly did calculations. “So,” he started. “The kid is almost three. We were together last about, oh, three and a half years ago.”
Naomi looked away from him, desperate to get out of the situation. She didn’t want to lie, but she couldn’t have Jeremiah know that he had a son.
If he knew, she’d never be able to get away from him. They would be tied together forever, and she couldn’t have that. He was dangerous, a criminal, and having someone like that around her child was out of the question.
“So,” Jeremiah asked as he inched closer to Naomi. “Is he mine?”
Naomi pressed her lips together and looked down to the ground, refusing to answer. Jeremiah didn’t take kindly to that. He moved in closer, trapping Naomi against the side of her car. He looked into her eyes, his nose so close to hers that they almost touched.
“Is he mine?” He asked.
Despite her shaking legs and quaking stomach, Naomi held firm. “He’ll never be yours,” she snapped. “Doesn’t matter what genetics say.”
Jeremiah stepped away from her. He had his answer. “I want to meet him,” he said. “I need to know my son.”
“He’s not yours,” Naomi whispered.
The fear had taken over now. It betrayed her. It caused her voice to shake and her eyes to fill with tears.
“He’s not yours,” she repeated, quieter this time.
“He is,” Jeremiah said. “You’ve always been a piss-poor liar.”
An aching sob escaped her mouth then. She turned around and covered her face with her hands as she tried to hide her tears.
“I want to meet him,” he said, softer this time. “Let me meet my son.”
“No,” Naomi said through her sobs, gasping for breath. “Never. I don’t want you near him.”
“He’s my son,” Jeremiah pushed. “You can’t keep him from me.”
Naomi let a bitter laugh out then. “What are you going to do?” She snapped. “Go to the courts? Demand that they let you see him? You’ll be arrested.”
Jeremiah gritted his teeth together. It was clear that he knew Naomi was right, and it stung him deeply. He moved away from her, his eyes drawn down to the ground.
“You literally have no way to get what you want,” Naomi snapped. “I’m not letting you see Sampson.”
Jeremiah instantly looked up. “That’s his name?”
“Yes,” Naomi sighed.
“Not the name I would’ve chosen...” Jeremiah said, his voice dragging the words out.
“You weren’t around!” Naomi shouted, clapping her hands together after every word. “You have no say in his life!”
Jeremiah’s hands flashed up and grabbed hold of Naomi’s shoulders, shaking her gently as he spoke. “I should have a say!”
Naomi shrugged him off and stepped backward, slamming the top of her back into the car. She shook her head at him as the shakes took control of her body. Jeremiah only touched her shoulders, but it was more than enough for her.
It felt like her body had been shocked. Electricity rushed through her muscles, making her whole body tremor under the pressure. Too shocked to say anything, Naomi wrapped her arms over her chest and stared into Jeremiah’s eyes.
“I’m not some scary boogeyman,” he said. “I just want to know my son.”
Naomi breathed deeply, trying to get a wrap on her emotions. “Well, you can’t,” she said. “I don’t want you in our lives.”
Jeremiah looked at her with such intensity. The look threw Naomi back into the past when they used to sneak out in the middle of the night to make out.
The memories washed over her, taking over her mind. Naomi wished she could rid herself of them. She didn’t need them clouding her judgment. Right now, she had to look out for her son’s best interests instead of her own.
It didn’t matter how much she wanted Jeremiah or how much she missed him. Sampson was the most important person in her life, and he always had to come first, no matter what.
“I won’t let go,” Jeremiah warned. “I won’t just forget I have a kid.”
“You really should,” Naomi snapped. “We don’t need you. We never have, and we never will.”
Jeremiah grimaced at her words. “Yikes,” he sighed. “That hurts. That really hurts.”
“Whose fault is that?” Naomi raised her voice. “If you’d cared about me in the first place, you wouldn’t have joined that stupid gang.”
“It’s not like that, and you know it,” Jeremiah said. “I had to be in the gang. It’s what my family does. It’s how we live.”
“That’s not how I live,” Naomi said. “If you cared, you would have stayed with me. But you didn’t care. You did what you wanted, no matter the consequences.”
“You don’t get it,” Jeremiah said bitterly. “You never will. You’re not a shifter.”
“And you’re not a father,” Naomi clapped back. “You can only screw things up for Sampson. If you really cared about him, you wouldn’t force yourself on him. Just… Just leave us alone.”
Naomi pushed her hands against his chest and shoved him away from her car, forcing some space between them. She didn’t have the power in her muscles to actually push him, so she was somewhat grateful when Jeremiah moved.
When he was far enough away from her car, she climbed inside and slammed the door shut. It was then that Jeremiah walked up to the driver’s side and tapped on the window.
Naomi looked up to him and sighed heavily. He signaled for her to wind down the window. She shook her head slowly, refusing.
Jeremiah leaned down so his eyes were level with hers. “I’m not going to just vanish this time,” he shouted through the glass. “I’m going to be in my son’s life.”
His voice was muffled for Naomi, but she could make out what he was saying.
“I’m not going to drop this,” he warned. “You can try to keep me away, but it’s not going to work.”
The only thing Naomi could do was roll her eyes and put her keys in the ignition. She put on a brave front so that Jeremiah wou
ld think she was strong and persistent, but inside she was panicking.
The thought of Jeremiah following her every day made her stomach clench. Her hands were covered in sweat, slipping over the steering wheel, as her mind focused on the one thing she tried to ignore: how great Jeremiah looked.
He had a couple of new wrinkles on his face, but his skin was still plump and smooth. The rings around his eyes seemed darker now, but she knew that was because he’d been running from the law for three years.
Despite everything that had happened—despite everything she’d gone through since he left—she was still impossibly attracted to him. Denying him visitation with his son was almost physically painful for her, even though she knew it was for the best.
More than anything, she knew that she wanted to be a proper family with him. She wanted to settle down, get married, and live out her days with her son and the love of her life together.
That was impossible, though. Jeremiah would always be running. His gang had caused havoc in the town, and the police were never going to stop pursuing them. The gang wasn’t going to let their own get arrested, so they were forever running. That wasn’t a good life to bring a child into, no matter how much her heart ached for it.
Chapter 4
“Baby, please,” Naomi sighed.
Sampson was clinging onto her shoulders, his tiny hands digging into her skin. Naomi was leaning over his bed, trying to get him to sit on the mattress at least.
“You need to go to bed,” Naomi said to him gently.
He wasn’t in the mood to do what he was told. He wrapped his legs around Naomi’s waist and pressed his body against hers. Naomi pried her hands around his sides and tugged at his body, trying to remove him. Even though he was little, he had an iron grip.
“Sampson,” Naomi sighed.
She managed to get her fingers to grip onto her son’s body and pull him away. His mouth opened wide as she sat him down on the mattress. It took only a couple of seconds for ear-shattering cries to burst out of his moving mouth.
The noises made her heart ache, but she wasn’t going to be controlled by them. Sampson was nearly three, and he needed to learn to sleep by himself. They still shared a bedroom, and his bed was right next to hers, but she couldn’t stand him kicking her in the stomach any longer. She’d had enough of that when she was pregnant.
The Baby Shift- North Carolina Page 2
