“What?” Tucker asks, parking the car next to a few others.
Pulling my phone out, I call Ian.
“Hey baby. What's up? You and Tucker being good?”
No. “What day did Reina die?”
“What?”
“What day was Reina killed?”
Ian goes quiet and then curses. “Fuck. Now it makes sense that he’s been a raging asshole more than normal.”
“It’s the anniversary of her death, isn’t it?” I whisper, a lump forming in my throat.
“Yeah, Little Doe. Give him a break today, okay?”
“Yeah.” I swallow hard. “Okay. Love you.”
“Love you too, baby.”
I hang up the phone and let out a deep breath.
“Who’s Reina?” Tucker asks.
Chewing my lip, I debate on whether I should tell Tucker. It’s not my story, but this is his Omega. It took me months before I got Nick to open up to me.
If it were any other circumstance, I’d tell Tucker to talk to Nick.
“I don’t want to go into details, because it’s not my past to talk about. But, Nick had a girlfriend when he was younger and her death fucked him up, big time.”
“Oh.” Tucker whispers, looking out the window. “Is he going to be okay?”
“I don’t know.” I tell him honestly. “This is the first time since her death that he’s been with anyone seriously. I’m sure it’s eating at him.”
“Let’s go.” Tucker gets out of the car.
“What? Go where?”
“We keep our distance and if he needs us, we'll be there for him.”
“I don’t know.”
“You know what it feels like to lose someone you loved. Someone who meant the world to you. What was the one thing you wanted after seeing them?”
“Someone to hang and cry with.” Not that I think Nick would do that. He’s not one to cry.
“Just in case.”
I nod. “Just in case.”
Nick
Standing in front of the gravestone, I read the words I’ve read a million times and wish more than anything I could go back in time and stop him. To take the gun from his hand and turn it on him. Kill him before he could take her from me.
It’s the same thing I’ve wished for every year when I’d come to visit her grave.
But this year is different. This year I’m conflicted.
