Free Sophie & Carter by Chelsea Fine Page B

we’ll be okay anyway.
    Because we have his beat up truck, three thousand dollars and the Littles all packed up.
    And we have love.
    The real kind.
    We’re gonna go somewhere. Somewhere far away from the hurt, but close enough to visit Mrs. Jax .
    Me, Carter, and the Littles.
    We’ll be poor and have to work hard, and we’ll probably fight and want to give up. But at the end of the day, we’ll still have each other, and that’s all we need.
    The Littles pile into the backseat of Carter’s truck and buckle themselves in while I hop into the passenger seat and take a deep breath. The good kind of breath. The kind that fills you with hope and peace.
    Carter jumps in and starts the engine. He’s handsome today.
    He’s handsome everyday, but today he is my hero, so he’s extra handsome.
    He looks at me and smiles. A real smile. The kind of smile I’ve rarely seen over the years. I hope our new life brings him more of those smiles.
    He grabs my hand, kisses it briefly, and smiles back at the Littles, “Ready for an adventure?”
    Chloe shouts, “Yes! Whoo-hoo!” while the boys nod and try not to grin. They’re happy.
    We’re all happy.
    Carter pulls out of the drive and I feel free.
    Yeah, we won’t have much as we start this new life.
    But we’ll have us.
    We’ll have love.
    We’ll have family….
    I look in the back of the truck at all the stuff we’ve packed up, one thing in particular catching my eye.
    …And we’ll have the old porch swing. How can we be anything but happy with all that?
    I breathe in deep, smell the ocean, and smile bigger than I ever have before as we drive away from Penrose Street.
    Carter Jax has already made all my dreams come true.
    And it’s only the beginning.