“But you know how dating at that age is,” I said. “It could’ve been nothing, or it could’ve been…”
“Everything,” Aria said.
“Yeah. We both just decided to keep it between us until we decided it was serious enough to tell our families.”
Now that I’d offered that explanation out loud, though, it seemed more like an excuse. There hadn’t been anything casual about my relationship with Lane back then. I doubt I’d ever be able to be casual aboutanythingwhere Lane was concerned.
Reading my mind, Aspen said, “Sounds like it was serious to me.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded. “It was,” I agreed. “I loved him.”
I didn’t bother correcting myself, amending that there was nothing past tense about it.
Aria, the perceptive little shit, did it for me.
“Seems to me like you still do.”
seven
. . .
SUTTON
ONE MONTH LATER
Somewhere in my house,glass shattered.
I sat upright in bed, my Kindle slipping to the side and landing face down, taking what little light there’d been in the room with it.
Oftentimes, I read before bed, shutting off the lights and the TV in case I fell asleep, e-reader in hand.
Checking the digital clock on my nightstand, I noted it was nearly midnight.
“Boots?” I whispered.
A softmeowcame from beneath the bed in response, which did nothing to quell my nerves.
If my cat was in here with me…someone else was in my house.
Shit.
Shit shit shit.
I hoped I’d be spared this torment, but it seemed I was tonight’s lucky victim, the latest in a string of similar break-ins taking place around Dusk Valley.
As far as I knew, though, no one had ever been home. Maybe they took the darkness as a sign I wasn’t here.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins, my limbs tingling like pure energy had been injected into my system.
I had two options: fight or flight.
I’d never been big on running from a problem. As a first responder, it was my job to runintodanger when everyone else ran away.
This situation was different, though. No one was injured—yet. But if I stuck around, I might end up being the one needing medical assistance. I could confront the intruder, hope to scare them away, but I wasn’tthatreckless.
No, the best course of action was to get out.
As quietly but quickly as I could, I slid out of bed and crept to the door, ensuring it was locked, grateful for the carpet and floors that didn’t creak. Then I headed for my small closet, pulling out sweatpants, a long sleeve shirt, and a hoodie to match the pants. I grabbed some thick socks out of my dresser, slipping them on before stuffing my feet into an old pair of running shoes thankfully abandoned in the back of my closet.
