Ruby
My heart leaped inside my chest as Mom took her phone and stuffed it back inside her purse, threading her arm through the strap so it sat securely on her shoulder. "Mom, where are you going?" I asked, feeling my insides jolt with panic. My eyes darted between her and the stranger, not having been formally introduced.
"You're leaving me ... with him?" I whispered, knowing that I was probably coming off as rude but I was too anxious to care.
She bent down to kiss my forehead and I wrapped my hand around the crease of her elbow. "Who is he?" I whispered.
Mom jerked her head back, giving me a quizzical look. "Honey, that's your uncle Dylan," she replied as if I had forgotten. "He's been helping me watch over you, in shifts."
Confusion clouded my brain. I knew of his existence but I h
