Train Wreck

sixty-seven

Remington POV

"Ready to get on the road?"

Benji's voice echoed in my head while I wrapped my phone cord, breaking my concentration.

I don't want to leave Lissy here alone, but we need to head out before it gets much later and we run into more traffic. It was a delicate balance between taking Ben away from his sister and facing a new adventure as brothers.

We're both excited but the nerves seem to be getting to him more than I expected. It makes sense, seeing as how they haven't been apart much since their parents died. Change is good for all of us, even though it's hard.

"Yeah, just need to double check I have everything and then we can load up!" I force a smile that doesn't reach my eyes and he limps closer laying a hand on my arm.

"I'm gonna miss her too, Remi."

He gets me far better than I would expect for a fourteen year old. We're both feeling the reality of our trip and stress it has placed on Alice but I know taking him on our road trip is the right call.

The last few days were a flurry of trips to my Dad's old house as well as a relaxing picnic at the farmhouse with Rob and Jesse. We took sandwiches and homemade brownies, relaxing in the shade by the pond as the sun set while talking about the summers Jesse and I spent on this farm as well as plans for the future.

Lissy started her new job and was easing in nicely but I knew she was putting up a front. Her coworkers seemed nice but she was overwhelmed with all she had to learn in a short time span.

She's scared of losing control just like I am. While I had an outlet with this road trip to Atlanta so we could pack up my old apartment, Liss would be holding down the fort alone. Of course she had Leah across the street and Daisy planning to stop by for a girls night with Bec and Trisha, but it wasn't the same.

We had slipped into a natural routine that both of us were scared to break.

Benji headed out of the master bedroom and I heard him coaxing Peach outside for some play time before we had to go.

Alice peeked out of her office and smiled, letting out a long sigh. "Did you get all the food from the fridge? And some extra Gatorades?"

I chuckled and nodded moving toward her to kiss the top of her head. "Thank you for preparing us so much stuff. It will make the trip a lot easier and faster, even if the cookies are gone before we've been on the road an hour."

She shrugged, wrapping her arms around her midsection to quell the anxiety I knew was rising in her stomach. "I just want to help. I'll miss you two," she nearly whispered, her eyes focused on the floor while trying to breathe through the nervous energy between us.

"We will video chat when we get there and I promise to go as fast as we can without wearing Ben out so he reinjures himself." My hand instinctively rubbed her shoulder and wrapped around the back of her neck to soothe her worries but I knew there was not much we could do.

I wanted her to come along, but taking Benji was best at this time. Her new job was data entry and correspondence based until she could physically handle the forest research required so it wasn't ideal, but I was thankful for the chance to watch her grow in her career. Lissy worked so hard her whole life to go to college and find her way. Now she has the chance to do that, so the last thing I wanted to do was stand in her way.

"So, how do you feel?" she asked quietly, clearly noticing the tightness in my voice.

My breath escaped at her soft words, my thumb stroking the side of her neck while her green eyes scanned my face for signs of weakness.