Remy parks and kills the engine. “I’ll get your bag.”
“I can carry it,” I protest, but Remy is already out and opening my door.
I let him have the bag and get out.
Rebecca links her arm through mine as we walk up to the porch. “Mom has the guest room ready for you. She loves having people stay over.”
The front door flies open before we reach it. Rhys barrels out, a blur of pajamas and bed-head, and launches himself at me.
“Miss Rose!”
I catch him, scooping him up and holding him tight. I hadn’t realized how much I also needed to hug him. Rhys wraps his arms and legs around me, clinging like a koala.
I have to breathe in hard not to cry.
Mae appears in the doorway, followed by Ryder himself. My heart does that stupid flutter it always does when I see him. His hair is mussed, his shirt untucked. When he sees me with Rhys, his face twists into a complicated emotion.
Mae waves, her expression warm despite the exhaustion lining her eyes.
I don’t have a free hand to wave back, but I smile over Rhys’s shoulders as he pulls back to look at me, oblivious to the tension still humming among the adults. “Did you see the tornado? We were in the basement, and it sounded like a huge vacuum cleaner!”
I smile. “That must’ve been scary.”
“It was awesome!”
“Rhys,” Ryder says, his voice gentle but firm. “It’s past your bedtime. Say goodnight.”
“But I’m not tired!”
“I’ll make you a deal, buddy. If you come now, we’ll read two stories.”
Rhys pouts but obeys, wiggling for me to let him down. He waves back at me as he runs toward the house. Mae ushers him in, and Rebecca and Remy disappear inside as well.
Ryder comes to my side, then stops a pace away as if remembering we’re not supposed to lapse into PDAs when his son is around. “I’ll put him to bed and be down,” he tells me.
I nod. “See you later, cowboy.”
He flashes me a dark stare that makes my toes curl despite everything and follows Rhys inside the house.
Mae is still on the porch. “Faye! Oh, sweetie, come in. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” I assure her, though I’m not sure that’s true. “Thank you for letting me stay.”
“Don’t be silly. You’re always welcome, dear.” She fusses over me. “Have you eaten? I can make you something.”
“Actually, no, but I’m not hungry.”
At the restaurant, I’d barely touched my appetizer when the alert came in. It’s only been two hours, but it feels like dinner happened in another lifetime.
“Nonsense. I’ll put together a light sandwich.”
I don’t have the energy to argue.
Rebecca emerges from a bathroom. “We should get home,” she tells her brother.
Remy and Rebecca make a round of goodnights. They hug Mae, and she insists they text when they get home. Rebecca pulls me into a quick hug before the two of them head out. Mae excuses herself to the kitchen, but not before telling me to make myself at home. And then I’m alone in the Evanses’ living room, arms wrapped around myself, unsure what to do next.
Boots scruff on the floor behind me. I haven’t fully turned before Ryder wraps his arms around me.
