The Unwanted Runaway

Stevens Grocery Store

Mia POV

As I stepped out of the house, my eyes caught Evan on the porch, meticulously working with some pieces of wood while EJ watched intently beside him. Evan had taken up the task of teaching EJ some basic woodworking skills, but had to pause as EJ's hands were still healing.

"Hey Evan, do we need anything else from the grocery store?" I asked, hoping to quickly finish our errands for the day.

"Nah, whatever you grab will work," Evan replied nonchalantly.

I turned to face him, wanting to clarify our plans for the day. "So, about the USB drive that Anna gave Carter... you're not going to tell her, right?"

Evan chuckled and put a hand on my shoulder. "Babe, it's better if she doesn't know. Let's keep it that way."

"Alright, if you say so. I'm taking the kids with me to run some errands in town, so I'll borrow the pickup," I said, already heading towards the vehicle.

"Sounds good," Evan replied, before I added, "Hey, have Denton and Anna been inseparable since they got back from Kentucky?"

"It seems like it. Why do you ask?" Evan responded.

"I was thinking of having her help me at the store in town for a bit," I replied.

"Good luck trying to get her away from Denton," Evan joked.

"Well, Nikki seems to manage it. She gets Anna to help her out when needed," I said with a smile.

Evan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, with a newborn, Nikki definitely needs all the help she can get to spend time with Joshua."

I sighed, "Yeah, if only your mom wasn't hogging him in the orchard all the time. She spends more time with Joshua than she does”.

"Alright, you better get going," Evan said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay, I just need to find Lily and we'll be on our way," I replied, looking around for my daughter.

"Mom, can I get my favorite ice cream?" EJ asked excitedly.

"Of course, sweetie," I replied, happy to indulge my son's request.

"Can I sit up front, mom? I don't want to sit next to Lily in the back," EJ asked, making a face.

"Sure, that's fine. Just hurry up and get in the truck," I said, smiling at his antics.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Lily is actually at my mom's," Evan chimed in.

"Well, I guess she can stay. She's probably playing with Nikki's baby," I replied, thinking about my sister-in-law's newborn.

Evan laughed, "Yeah, she's been begging for a sibling ever since Izzy was born."

"Well, at this rate, there might be another little Miller running around here soon if Denton and Anna don't slow down," I commented with a smirk.

"Hopefully, Denton will give her a little cousin before we have a third child," I added.

Evan grinned mischievously, "But you know, Mia, there's a lot of fun to be had trying for another baby. How about you meet me in the room in five minutes?"

EJ, who was already in the passenger seat with the window down, interjected, "Wait a minute, mom. If Lily gets to stay, then I want to stay too. I'm not much help until my hands heal anyway."

I chuckled and reach my hand passenger side window and ruffled his hair. "That's fine, EJ. I'll just go by myself. It'll give me some peace and quiet."

Evan laughed, "You get enough of that when you're at the store away from the kids."

I rolled my eyes playfully and hopped into the truck, starting it up and heading towards the small town grocery store. I pulled up to the store. parking close to the back of the parking lot Evan’s truck, is so big it nearly takes up two parking spots. Plus it’s easier to get to the to the main road quicker .

I walk in through the automatic doors, greeting the local live, pretty much known, my whole life. I grab a cart quickly ready to tackle my grocery list. Luckily there’s not that much on it this time.

As I strolled through the aisles of Steven's grocery store, I couldn't help but appreciate the quaint charm of the place. The shelves were neatly stocked with a variety of goods, and the warm lighting added a cozy touch to the atmosphere. However, my peaceful shopping experience was quickly interrupted by the outdated carts that seemed to be straight out of the 80s. The wheels were wobbly, and it took all my strength to keep the cart on track. I made a mental note to mention. check the wheels before I just grab the first cart, I see.

As I made my way towards the butcher's counter, I couldn't help but admire the quality of the meat . Truthfully, that’s because the meat this grocery store gets Miller’s ranch supplies to them. We grew and raised our own cattle.

As I chatted with the friendly butcher, I offered to pass along his order to, Evan.

Luckily, the butcher was about to place an order with Evan over the phone. But instead handed me a piece of paper with the order, and I thanked him before continuing my shopping.

As I searched for my daughter Lily's favorite princess cereal, my attention was drawn to a commotion near the entrance. I spotted Sam Thorne, the town lawyer, whispering to a man who seemed out of place with his outdated wanna be cowboy EdHardy attire, trying to blend in. I decided to steer clear and focus on my shopping.

However, as I reached the checkout, I overheard two elderly ladies discussing how Anna,, was being sought out in Heston. I couldn't help but suspect that the man with Sam was now Anna's ex, Joey. I quickly paid for my items and made my way out of the store, hoping to avoid any unnecessary drama.

If Sam and Joey are in town trying to find information on the whereabouts on Anna that means Sarah has yet to talk about Anna to Sam.

I reached my truck at the end of the parking lot. Hit the unlock button on the key fob to start putting my groceries away.

As I loaded my groceries into my pickup truck, I noticed Sam and Joey trying to catch up to me. In a hurry, I pulled out my phone and pretended to be engrossed in a call, putting it on airplane mode just in case I get a call while I’m pretending to be on it that would look pretty dumb in my part .

I quickly hopped into my truck and drove off, relieved to have avoided any confrontation. I immediately texted Evan to let him know about the encounter, hoping he could handle the situation smoothly.

It’s a damn good thing I didn’t take the kids with me that’s for sure. I thought to myself as I drove back to the ranch.