The fuel gauge is on empty and the air outside is getting colder with every mile.
"Are we there yet?" she asks through chattering teeth.
I nod, swallowing dryly. "Just a little further."
The excitement that was in the air between us when we left her house in the middle of the night with her daddy's gun pointed at the rear view window has died down and reality has creeped in.
"It's just the beginning," she says. "We'll be okay, right?"
"Of course, baby." Bringing her hand to my lips, I kiss her knuckles. "It's okay, I promise."
She sighs and leans her head against my shoulder just as the motor under the hood of my car starts stuttering.
Cursing and panicking, I look around and spot a driveway off to the left only about a hundred feet in front of us. "We're here."
The house is big and imposing, but inside is nothing but warmth and familiarity.
"My aunt is expecting us." I smooth my fingers across her face and wipe her tears. "We're doing it for us, baby, all three of us."
She spreads her fingers over the growing bump on her stomach and smiles sadly. "I know."