“I’m fine with going then, but are you ready that soon?” he asked.
“I mean, I don’t really have anything tying me here,” I said.
“What about your mom and Aspen?” he asked.
“She doesn’t have any say over her once the judge granted me full custody last month. I have the right to allow her visitation on my terms. I’ll send them a letter with our new number once we move, and if she gets sober, then we can always bring Aspen for a visit and visit our friends,” I said. Quinn had paid for a lawyer, and apparently, knowing the judge had benefits.
“And your friends?”
“Maggie and Josie have barely talked to me since we got back. They are spending their time partying… and that’s not me anymore. And Brenden isn’t a relationship that benefits me,” I said.
“Okay… then it’s settled. I’ll get a truck, and I’ll have a handful of the guys over to pack our stuff,” he said.
“My delicates are off limits,” I said, flashing him a wink.
“They wouldn’t dare.”
I joined in and helped him finish cooking breakfast. We had finished putting food on plates for the three of us when Aspen stumbled into the dining room, hair a mess, sniffing the air.
“Good morning, sweet girl,” I said.
She headed to her chair and plopped down.
“Sooooo… Aspen, are you ready to move in two days?” Quinn asked.
Her head perked up really quickly. “Two days?” she shot out.
My eyes also widened slightly. This was real. Very real and happening very quickly.
“Yep. We will pack up all of our stuff today and tomorrow, and then get there Thursday night and get into our new home on Friday,” Quinn said.
“YES!” she shouted out.
“Then it’s been decided,” he said.
The next two days flew by. After we had breakfast, Quinn started calling some friends and working on plans. Our largest obstacle was that we had three vehicles to take down there, and Quinn wanted us to all ride together.
After going back and forth, he came up with a plan. Hyder was going to drive the moving truck with another friend of theirs. They would dolly my car up in the moving truck. We would tow the Civic with our truck. Then, like when Hyder helped Callie, he would return, bringing the moving truck back.
Within hours, we had a moving truck in front of our house. Various people were coming in, packing, and moving things. We left some clothes and our mattresses to load up the morning that we left. While the guys were loading all of the heavy things in, Aspen and I went into town to get some small activities for her to do on the car ride. We also got some snacks and drinks for her. She picked coloring books and some Barbie dolls.
If Quinn had been here, she probably would have walked out with a lot more. He didn’t want to admit it, but she had him wrapped around her fingers more than me. He didn’t let her run over either of us, either, but he also didn’t tell her no when it came to buying her toys or snacks.
Thursday morning arrived quickly. We had been moving nonstop since we made the decision. Quinn decided to let Hyderrent the Tennessee house out. Hyder mentioned letting Daxyn be his roommate so that he could get some independence.
Aspen handled the drive to Louisiana really well. She stayed busy with her toys most of the ride. She did have to use the restroom every couple of hours, but we didn’t mind. It gave all of us a chance to stretch our legs. She was always quick and right back in the truck, letting us get on the road again.
As we got closer, she started to perk up, asking what it was like. How were the schools here? Would she have friends? How big was her room? I didn’t really know any of the answers to the questions. We were blindly taking a home that Lina and Callie found and picked out for us. Quinn told her that when he went to school here, he liked it.
We talked about the alligators and how to be safe. She was a little worried about that, which prompted another hundred questions. When I was here before, I hadn’t seen that many alligators, but now that it was summer, I was sure we would see them a lot more.
We arrived at Lina's just after seven. As soon as we pulled into the drive, Lina and Callie rushed out the door. I barely let Quinn put the truck in park before the door was open, and I was in both of their arms.
Quinn laughed as he walked up on us. “I think y’all like her more.”
“Hmm… I like her quite a bit,” Lina said.
“I like both of you equally,” Callie said.