Tyler also assumed Edi was behind the rumors about him dating Monique but had no proof. The things he knew were bad enough.
He carried the weight of Jen and Garrett’s deaths differently now, knowing it hadn’t been an accident, knowing someone had deliberately taken them from him. That grief would never fully heal. Brooke seemed to understand, even recognizing that the revelation of Edi’s betrayal reopened the original pain. She’d offered him space, and he loved her all the more for it.
“Two minutes,” Steph called out.
The room went quiet. Everyone shifted closer to where Brooke stood with her laptop open on the kitchen counter.
Tyler moved beside her, balancing on his crutches. She glanced up at him, nervous energy radiating off her.
“You’ve got this,” he said quietly.
“What if I don’t get in? What if it fills up before—”
“Then you get your name on the waitlist. You said yourself that not everyone who signs up can run. If you don’t make the waitlist, you try again next year. But you’re getting in. I can feel it.”
Joe appeared on Brooke’s other side, his own phone out and ready. “I’ve got the backup registration page loaded. Just in case your computer freezes or something.”
Tyler studied Joe for a moment. He’d been around a lot lately. He said he was working on a book about the case—interviewing people and gathering details. He’d asked Tyler for several sit-down conversations, and Tyler had agreed to most of them.
Joe was nice enough and was a good friend to Brooke and the rest of the running crew.
But there was something else there. Something Joe wasn’t saying. Tyler had caught him a few times staring off into space with an expression that didn’t quite fit the moment. Had noticed the way he sometimes deflected personal questions. Tyler also knew Steph had mentioned something similar to Brooke about how she’d like to get to know Joe better, but he didn’t make it easy.
Everyone had secrets. Tyler knew that better than most. Maybe Joe’s were harmless. Maybe they weren’t.
Either way, Tyler would keep an eye on him. Not because he didn’t trust Joe with Brooke—she could take care of herself—but because after everything they’d been through, Tyler had learned to pay attention to his instincts.
“Thirty seconds,” Steph announced.
Brooke’s hand found Tyler’s. He gave it a soft squeeze before letting go. She had work to do.
“Ten. Nine. Eight.”
The room counted down together.
“Three. Two. One. Go!”
Brooke’s fingers flew across the keyboard. Tyler watched the screen as she navigated through the registration process. Name. Address. Emergency contact—she listed Tyler without hesitation. Payment information. Waiver signed electronically.
“Submit,” she whispered, clicking the final button.
The page loaded, and a confirmation message appeared.
Congratulations! Your registration for the Moose Range Run 100-Mile Trail Run has been received.
The room erupted in cheers. Gina hooted. Steph clapped. Phil started chanting Brooke’s name.
Brooke stared at the screen like she couldn’t quite believe it. Then she turned to Tyler, her face breaking into the widest smile he’d ever seen.
She kissed him. A real kiss, full of joy and relief and promise.
When they pulled apart, she was laughing. “I did it. I actually did it.”
“You did it,” Tyler agreed.
Around them, her friends celebrated. Coffee and treats were forgotten as they congratulated Brooke, talked about training plans, and made promises to support her through the next months of preparation.
Brooke lifted her hands and called for quiet, her smile wide and her eyes filled with tears. “Thank you all so much. I can’t even tell you how much it means to me to have you here.” She paused and met her brother’s gaze. “Especially those of you who are not early risers.”
