There are some tough scenes in this chapter! If you have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic please look for support. If you do need support please ask someone for help wether it is a professional, friend or family member. Also, please feel free to give me a message and I can try and help in anyway way I can! Please also remember this is a work of fiction!

Not long until this story is finished! I am currently working on something but I'm not sure when or even if it will be ready but I am always working on something so I am hoping to have another story ready soon.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you like this chapter!

Tris

The flight home was only a quarter full, with the passengers spread out for safety. As soon as we reached our cruising altitude, Tobias got up from his seat and came over to sit next to me, and we spent the flight cuddling together.

Despite the nearly-empty plane, there was still a crying baby six rows behind us who made it impossible to sleep. Tobias didn't seem to mind, but it annoyed the heck out of me.

Then I remembered that I was pregnant. I was going to have one of those soon. The realization made me nervous, but excited, too. Especially since I was going to have it with Tobias.

We landed in O'Hare, collected our bags, and walked to where my car was parked. When I inserted my parking ticket into the machine at the exit, I almost had a heart attack.

"One thousand... Oh my God!"

Tobias leaned across me and squinted at the screen. "Fifty-one days times twenty bucks a day... Wow."

I opened my purse. "I'll go ahead and pay it now. Maybe we can dispute it later by—"

Tobias opened the passenger door and ran in front of the car. He lifted the gate bar that was blocking our exit, pushing it up until it was vertical.

"What are you waiting for?" he said in a strained voice while holding the gate open.

I drove through, stopped so he could get back in, and then floored it. "Go go go!" Tobias shouted as we zoomed away.

"We're outlaws now," I said.

He nodded. "Quick, to the border!"

We laughed while racing away from the airport.

Tobias plugged the route into my GPS. "Two hours to Abne? Wow, you really do live in the middle of nowhere."

"Getting cold feet?" I teased.

"Yeah, I didn't really think this through. Pull over. I'll hitch-hike back to Boston."

He grinned widely as I shot him a glare.

"Want to get dinner on the way home? There's an Italian place at the next exit."

Tobias rolled his eyes at me and said, "You know what? I'd kill for a cheeseburger."

"With fries," I agreed. "And a milkshake. Oh! What about two milkshakes?"

"You've got this whole pregnancy thing down," Tobias said.

"I could barely keep food down while I was sick with the virus," I replied.

"I'm eating to catch up, and eating for two!"

We drove straight to my apartment, carried our bags inside, and then crashed from exhaustion. I was really glad that I cleaned my apartment before leaving for Rome.

It was strange having someone else in my bed, but strange in a good way. Like the cold, empty apartment I'd been living in was finally a home.

The next morning Tobias woke me by kissing my neck. His lips moved down my chest, where he paused to appreciate my nipples for a few minutes, and then he eventually found his way between my legs. I closed my eyes and arched my back, savoring the way he worshipped me in bed.

After I came, he crawled back up to my lips and kissed me for awhile. Taking his time, like we had nowhere to be. Which I supposed was true. Then we made love slowly, carefully, lovingly while the sun gently rose in the window and filled my bedroom with sunshine and bliss.

We showered together, then drove to Abne's main street. Everything was shut down except the breakfast cafe on the corner, which was only open for to- go orders. It was a ghost town.

I parked in front of the store and got out. "This is it. Natalie's Boutique, the store my mom built herself."

"It's nice," Tobias said as we unlocked the door and went inside. "It has a lot more character than the big department stores. I can see why your mom loved it."

I sighed. "Yeah, me too."

He put an arm around my shoulder. "It'll be all right. As soon as the pandemic passes, you'll re-open and do fine. I promise."

I shook my head. "I had a lot of time to think while I was in the hospital. And on the flight home. This was my mom's store, not mine. I don't have any attachment to it, beyond guilt for my mom. Now that she's gone I only have sad memories here. That won't change, no matter how hard I try to preserve the store. And it's just not successful without my mom's personal touch. I've decided to close the store."

Tobias pulled me into a hug, holding me tightly against his chest. I didn't understand why until I realized I was crying. He held me while I wept, rubbing my back while my tears soaked into his T-shirt.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

I wiped my tears and gave him a brave smile. "Well, I own the building itself. The lockdown is the perfect time to renovate. And I have an idea of what I want to turn this place into."

He frowned. "What's that?"

When I told him, Tobias took me in his arms and spun me around the room.