He reached for her hand. “Yeah. It’s really over.”
She threaded her fingers through his and held on.
Chapter 36
Tyler
Tyler shifted his weight on the crutches and tried to find a comfortable position against Brooke’s kitchen counter. His leg was healing well. The bullet had gone clean through the meaty part of his calf without hitting bones or major vessels. But standing for long periods still made it ache.
The clock on the microwave read 5:47 a.m. Thirteen minutes until the Moose Range Run 100 registration opened.
Brooke’s living room was crowded. Gina and Nick had claimed the couch, each cradling a mug of coffee, while Steph and Joe sat together on the stools at the breakfast bar, talking softly. The rest of the running club filled the remaining space, settling into chairs that had been dragged in or standing wherever they could squeeze in.
The atmosphere felt like a party, celebrating not just Brooke’s decision to register for the race but everything they had come through together. Surviving. Moving forward.
And they were doing it all before daylight on a Thursday. It was one of the strangest things Tyler had ever witnessed, and also one of the most wonderful. These were Brooke’s people. Even Phil showed up, grumbling about weird runners and their early morning hours, but he was there.
Brooke moved through the crowd with scones and pastries. Tyler watched her, marveling at how she’dbounced back. Not long ago, she’d nearly been strangled to death in her own living room. Now she was hosting a registration party as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She caught him staring and smiled; that genuine kindness still made his chest tight. He smiled back.
“Five more minutes,” Steph announced, checking her watch. “You ready, Brooke?” She pointed to the laptop already open and waiting.
“I think so.” Brooke set down the tray and wiped her hands on a towel. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
“You’re ready,” Gina said firmly. “Registration is the first step. You’ve got a solid training plan—one that’s not too crazy—to carry you through.”
“Not too crazy is the key,” Nick said, giving Brooke a wink.
Tyler knew about how obsessed Brooke had become when she’d tried to run the Moose Range Run before. And he knew she wasn’t sure about doing it this time. She waffled on whether or not to register.
After everything with Edi, after the attack and the confrontation and nearly dying, she’d told Tyler she wasn’t sure she could commit to the training. Wasn’t sure she had it in her. And if she did commit, she wasn’t sure she could keep her sanity.
Tyler had promised to help however he could. Bike alongside her on long runs once his leg healed. Drive support on training days. Whatever she needed. They’d spent many hours on the computer building a training schedule that felt reasonable.
Gina and Steph had both looked it over and agreed it made sense. Steph said it was enough to give her the miles she needed to complete the distance, and Gina thought itseemed sensible for maintaining her mental health. Plus, it provided some flexibility in case of weather or other issues.
She’d been open with all her friends about what she was facing. About the doubts she had and the toll the training—and the race itself—might take on her. The running club had rallied around her, offering encouragement and practical help.
The support had made the difference. Brooke had gone from “I can’t” to “Maybe I can” to “I’m doing this” over the course of a week.
Tyler was proud of her. More than that, he was grateful to be part of her journey. Part of her life.
The coffee shop had seen a surge in business after everything came out. People apologized and showed up to support Brooke. She handled it all with grace and focused on the people who’d stood by her from the start.
Tyler had been in regular contact with Robert and Sue. They’d apologized for ever doubting him, though Tyler waved off the apology. They’d supported him when it mattered. He felt a little bad for ever thinking Robert might have been behind the murders and figured some day he might even tell him about his suspicions. Then again, maybe not. Phil had been right about it never being a good idea to accuse your boss of murder if you wanted to keep your job.
They were holding his position for him. The doctor said another two or three weeks, and he’d be cleared for light duty. Robert assured him he’d find something for him to do, even if it was sitting on a stool and organizing tools. Tyler was looking forward to it. The routine. The normalcy.
Edi was in a mental health hospital after being declared currently incompetent to stand trial. Tyler didn’t know ifthere would eventually be a trial once she stabilized, or if she’d spend the rest of her life in treatment.
He was okay with either outcome. What Edi had done was unforgivable, but she clearly wasn’t in her right mind and hadn’t been for a long time.
Tyler wanted justice. He wanted Edi to face consequences for what she’d done. But not until she was capable of understanding those consequences. Not while she was still trapped in whatever delusion had driven her to violence.
There were still several unanswered questions as to what all Edi did and why. He still had no idea why she’d left the notes on his pickup truck.
He’d asked Adam about it, but Adam said something about not commenting on an open investigation, then followed up with how Edi didn’t seem to know what all she did and didn’t do, and had even suggested she hadn’t acted alone. Tyler didn’t think anyone believed that, but Joe said there was an investigation happening for an accomplice.
