“No one’s saying she is, sweetie,” Tim said.
“Maybe not in words, but I can feel your sympathy.” I smiled despite the darkness of the topic, looking up to meet his eyes. “No matter what anyone thinks, I have faith in her. She made it home from another country on her own, and she can make it back here from another state.”
“So, you’re sure about sticking around?” Owen asked.
I nodded, needing no time to think it over. “I’m not going anywhere right now.”
Ava would do the same thing for me. We were family.
And now, in the crumbling world we’d inherited, that mattered more than anything.
Twenty-Five
theo
“I’m guessing that wasn’t the answer you wanted?” Laura raised her brows as she repositioned the blanket.
I shook my head and shoved my hands in my jacket pockets. The way things were going, I might as well stuff my suppressed feelings in there, too.
The treadmill slowed as Willow read the room and shut it down. She jumped off and skipped to the other side of the rooftop, the wind tangling in her hair as she checked the street beyond the wall.
Sadie’s words still hung in the air, and she couldn’t meet my eyes. She’d already decided we were done before we’d got started. It would have stung if I wasn’t aware of her reasons.
“So, what happens next?” Owen asked, resting his arm along the back of the couch.
The only thing that could happen under the circumstances. I blew out a breath. “I stay.”
That got her attention.
Her head whipped up, her gaze sweeping over the others as if to check she hadn’t misheard. Her mouth parted slightly, eyes shining in the dim light. “No.”
I clenched my hands in my pockets, my head and heart trying to pull me in two different directions. I wouldn’t see my family for a while, but at least I knew where they were. If I left here without Sadie, I might never know what had happened to her. “It’s the way it has to be. It’s the only solution.”
“Why?” She closed her eyes for a beat, a breath leaving her in a rush. Sometimes, even getting what you wanted didn’t feel like a win. “You’re supposed to be with your family.”
“I can’t leave you here with Dustin.” My gaze flicked to Owen, and I knew I’d made the right decision. His fingers brushed Laura’s shoulder, and he gave me a shallow nod of approval. If we weren’t using our strength to protect the people closest to us, what was the point? “You saw what happened when I went outside today,” I said to Sadie. “As soon as I left, he was right there sidling up to you.”
Her hand drifted to her sleeve again, her fingers twisting a stray thread. I held off on saying more with the girls here, but when I pictured her alone with Kerger and how badly it could go wrong, my insides tied into knots. He’d be stalking her the second my car took off down the street.
“He didn’t do anything,” she said, her words lacking conviction.
“He didn’t get a chance—” I caught the frustrated edge to my voice and pushed it down. “And we can't let him get one.”
“How long will you wait for her?” Tim asked.
“As long as it takes.” And if Ava hadn’t appeared weeks from now, I just hoped Sadie would see the sense in moving on without her.
She lowered her face into her hands and massaged her forehead. I wanted to sit beside her and put my arm around her.Convince her it would all turn out fine. None of us knew a damn thing, though.
Another gust of wind blew a plastic bag across the rooftop, floating through the space like a jellyfish. Ellie jumped up and snatched it from the air, giving me a sympathetic smile as she wandered over to keep Willow company.
“Can I offer a suggestion?” Varesh removed his glasses, using his scarf to wipe a smudge from the lens.
Resigned, I moved away from the treadmill and stood at the edge of the lounge area. “Go for it.”
“If my husband agrees, obviously.” He slid his glasses back on and tucked his scarf inside his jacket. “Tim and I could stay here and wait for Ava. Leave us directions to the farm, and we’ll bring her with us when she shows up.”
Sadie would appreciate his use of the present tense.
