Small Town, Big Hope

Chapter 2

They were able to find food that Luke felt comfortable eating, and Emma counted that as a small victory.

She was pretty sure she had seen a Popeye’s and a Burger King when they drove through town, which meant they had a few familiar options nearby. Familiarity was important right now.

She was trying to make this transition as smooth as possible for both boys. A new house. A new town. New routines. So many changes all at once.

That was her top priority.

As they finished eating, Emma started making a mental list of everything that needed to be done. Boxes to unpack. Clothes to put away. The kitchen to organize.

But first, she needed to get the boys settled.

Tomorrow, reality would start again.

She would need to unpack her office equipment and get back to work. The bills didn’t stop just because they had moved, and she needed the stability her job provided.

But today belonged to them.

Today was about helping Luke and Christian feel like this wasn’t just a place they had moved to.

They arrived at the restaurant and were seated almost immediately.

Christian grabbed the menu, his eyes moving over the choices as he carefully considered his options.

“Quesadilla or enchilada?” he mumbled to himself, taking the decision very seriously.

Either way, he already knew one thing for certain.

He was getting queso.

That was something he and Emma always shared. No matter where they went, if queso was on the menu, it was theirs. A small tradition that belonged to just the two of them.

Emma smiled as she watched him study the menu, grateful for these little pieces of normal still waiting for them.

“So, I hear they have an awesome baseball team here,” Emma said, looking over at Christian. “I can see if we can get you signed up.”

Christian’s face immediately lit up. Baseball had always been his happy place—the one thing that could pull him out of almost any mood.

Emma smiled before turning her attention to Luke.

“And I heard the library here is really great. They have a whole section of books about the solar system,” she added, hoping to spark his interest.

Luke’s eyes lifted slightly at the mention of planets and stars.

Emma noticed.

It was a small reaction, but she knew her son well enough to recognize it.

That was what she wanted for both of them. Not just for them to tolerate this move. Not just to get through it.

She wanted them to find things they loved.

Things that made this place feel like theirs.

The waitress came over to take their drink order, of course Luke already had his from Popeye’s while Christian got a coke and Emma got an unsweetened tea.

The smell of Mexican food flowed throughout the restaurant, and had Emma grateful they had chosen this spot to eat at.

She hadn’t had much of an appetite since the separation from Jackson.

She truly thought they were soulmates, but they had Luke so early on in their relationship they never truly got to have that chance to just enjoy being together before they were thrown into the whirlwind of parenting.

When she and Jackson first started dating Jackson listened to her, actually carried on conversation with her, and gave her the love and attention she never had gotten from prior relationships. When she learned that they had grown up in the same geographical locations ever since they were kids only solidified that soulmate feeling she had towards Jackson.

It wasn’t until years later that Emma began to feel as though everything she did was somehow wrong—or simply not enough.

Jackson worked for a construction company, managing projects and making sure they were completed on time and done correctly. Most nights, he came home exhausted, carrying the pressure of being the family’s primary provider. Emma understood that weight because she carried her own. Between the boys, the house, work, and everything that seemed to fall on her shoulders, she was exhausted too.

But somewhere along the way, they stopped recognizing that they were both struggling.

Emma began to feel like she had to choose her words carefully. If she asked too many questions or brought up something that was bothering her, she worried Jackson would become frustrated or defensive. So, more often than not, she kept things to herself. The things she didn’t say began to pile up alongside the things he never talked about.

The strain took its toll on both of them.

Their disagreements usually started over something small—a forgotten errand, a bill, the dishes, who was supposed to handle something for one of the boys—but somehow they always became about much more. Old frustrations resurfaced. Words were said that neither of them could take back. What should have been a simple disagreement turned into another reminder of just how far apart they had grown.

Eventually, Emma realized she didn’t want the boys growing up believing that this was what marriage was supposed to look like.

Making the decision to leave Jackson was the hardest thing she had ever done. She hadn’t stopped loving him. Maybe that was what made it hurt so much. But she had reached a point where loving him no longer felt like enough to hold their family together.

“Can we see if there’s a team I can sign up for, Mom?” Christian asked, hoping to find some semblance of the life he had left behind in their old town.

“Of course, kiddo. Once we get to the house, we’ll do a little research and see what teams are around here and when we can get you signed up.”

Emma glanced at him in the rearview mirror and gave him a small smile. If baseball could give Christian even one familiar thing in a place where everything else felt new, she would find a way to make it happen.

More than anything, she wanted Hickory Ridge to become the kind of home her boys needed—even if she was still trying to figure out what that looked like herself.

When they pulled into the driveway, Emma noticed a middle-aged woman standing in the yard next door. She had chestnut hair that fell just past her shoulders and bright green eyes. As Emma and the boys climbed out of the car, the woman started making her way toward them.

“Hi there!” she called with a warm smile. “I’m Kinsley. I live right next door.”

Emma smiled back, though she could already feel the exhaustion from the day settling into her shoulders.

“I saw y’all moving in yesterday,” Kinsley continued. “I figured I’d give you a little time to get settled before coming over and introducing myself. But if you need anything—or have questions about the area—just holler. I’m more than happy to help.”

Something about the ease in Kinsley’s voice immediately made Emma feel a little less like an outsider.

“It’s nice to meet you, Kinsley. I’m Emma, and these are my boys, Lucas and Christian.”

“Nice to meet you,” Christian said.

Lucas offered a quiet wave before looking back toward the house.

“Well, aren’t y’all handsome,” Kinsley said, smiling at the boys. “I’ve got a little girl of my own. She’s three and already thinks she runs the entire neighborhood.”

Emma laughed softly.

“She gives the boys around here a run for their money,” Kinsley added. “Don’t let the pigtails fool you.”

For what felt like the first time since they had arrived in Hickory Ridge, Emma felt herself relax.

Maybe starting over didn’t have to mean doing everything alone.

After Emma finally had groceries in the refrigerator, most of the boxes unpacked, and some sense of order beginning to take shape around them, she sank onto the couch and let herself breathe.

Really breathe.

For what felt like the first time in months, there was nowhere she needed to be and nothing demanding her attention.

She looked around the living room. It still wasn’t perfect. A few boxes remained stacked against the wall, and there were already shoes scattered near the front door, but it was theirs.

Her house.

Her boys’ house.

No one else’s.

The realization brought a sense of calm she hadn’t felt in a long time. For the first time since making the decision to leave, Emma didn’t feel like she was running away from something.

Maybe she was finally beginning to move toward something instead.

Emma, Luke, and Christian were slowly beginning to settle into their new routine.

Outside, Christian practiced his swing on his Hit-A-Way, the steady crack of the bat carrying through the open windows. Luke sat quietly in his room at his drawing table, completely absorbed in whatever world was taking shape beneath his pencil.

Emma stood in the living room, carefully arranging her books along the built-in shelves.

Books had always been more than just something she enjoyed. They had been her escape for as long as she could remember.

As a child, whenever the arguments between her parents grew too loud, Emma would disappear into her bedroom with a book in her hands. She learned early that if she focused hard enough on someone else’s story, she could temporarily forget what was happening in her own.

She ran her fingers along the spine of one of her favorite novels before sliding it onto the shelf.

Maybe that was why the fighting with Jackson had become so difficult for her to tolerate. Every raised voice had a way of pulling her backward, reminding her of the little girl who used to hide beneath her blankets and wish the house would simply become quiet again.

Emma looked around her new living room.

It was quiet now.

Not an empty kind of quiet.

A peaceful one.