“Good to know.”
“Okay, let’s get our yoga on.”
“Lara will be happy to see you again after so long off.”
“Will be good to get back into it.”
After we’re in the car, buckled up, and on the road, my mind drifts.
I love how in sync we are right now.
Even though the stabbing was a horrific incident, and I wish it had never happened, in a way, it is what brought us together and made us closer than ever.
It’s bonded us as a couple.
And I can’t wait for what tomorrow brings.
Chapter Twenty-Four
RYAN
As we walk up toward the building to head in for our first round of Yoga in a while, Tillie pulls up her bag, frantically checking inside for something, but it seems she’s coming up short.
“Dammit,” she calls out.
I furrow my brows at her. “What’s up?”
“I think I left my cell at home.”
I shrug. “That’s okay, use mine.”
“But mine has all the login details and stuff. It’s only a few minutes away. You go up and get started. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll come with you.”
She shakes her head. “No, don’t be silly. You go and get started. I won’t be long.” She leans in, hugging me, and plants a chaste kiss on my lips. “I love you.”
Smiling, I wink at her. “Love you right back.”
I hand her the keys, watching as she jogs across the lot toward the car. She waves once, grinning as she tucks her hair behind her ear before sliding into the driver’s seat. The sound of the engine turning over echoes faintly through the quiet night.
I linger for a moment, watching the taillights glow red as she shifts into gear, the low hum of the engine vibrating through the still air. Only when she starts to back out of the space do I finally turn toward the building. I pull in a slow breath, adjust my jacket, glance at my watch, and start up the steps, my thoughts already drifting to the meeting ahead and the dozen things I need to handle before morning.
Suddenly I hear a sharp rev—too fast, too hard—echo from down the street. My body tenses as the sound builds, then the screech of tires cutting hard into asphalt.
Every nerve in me goes rigid. The deafening crunch of metal against metal, the sharp crack of shattering glass, and the silence that follows is heavy and absolute.
My stomach churns as I hesitate to turn, but when I do, my feet move before I even register the sight before me. I’m running and pushing as hard as I can to get to the intersection where Tillie’s car is on its side, and an SUV is completely crushed in at the front.
“No, no, no,” I call out through staggered breaths. “God, please, no!”
Katie was taken from me in a car wreck.
Tillie can’t be too.
Surely, fate wouldn’t be this cruel?
My feet feel like lead weights when I finally reach Tillie’s car. It’s a mess, and I stop, in shock, to take in the crumpled metal.
