We roll to a stop as a police officer approaches. “What do we do?” she hisses in a panic.
“I’ve got this. Don’t say anything. Let me do the talking.” I give her a reassuring squeeze as she rolls down the window.
“Hey, folks, this road is closed. You’ll need to find another way around,” the officer says.
“We actually live on this street. Is it possible for us to get home?” I ask politely.
“What’s your address?” he asks.
I rattle it off, which earns me a side-eye from Vivienne.
“Yeah. I can get you home. Pull around here,” he says, pointing. “I’ll let one of my officers know you guys are home so they can get a statement from you. An electrical box blew in a pretty gnarly accident. It knocked out everything on the power grid. We’re just trying to piece information together.”
“Thank you,” I say, waving as he steps aside for us to pass.
Vivienne visually deflates as she navigates her way back to the house. She pulls into the garage. Inside, I kiss her on the forehead, pulling her into me. She breaks. Every piece of her that was holding it together crumbles as she sobs into my chest. No words are needed. She just needs to feel safe. I squeeze her tighter, rubbing her back in comforting circles. We stay like this until a knock on the door interrupts.
I kiss her. “Go get in the shower, and I’ll meet you in bed.”
Vivienne nods, tears running in streaks across her cheeks. I watch as she heads upstairs, disappearing from sight before I go to the door. “Evening,” I say, swinging it open and stepping outside.
The officer explains everything they’re investigating. I do my best to nod along and react appropriately, even though I already know exactly what happened. When he finally stops talking, I ask, “By chance, is this a van, or were rental car plates recovered? When we got here, my rental car was gone, and sinceI didn’t want to cause more chaos, I figured I’d report it missing once someone came by.”
The officer’s jaw drops open. “I shouldn’t tell you this, but it could be a van. It’s hard to know since it’s torched.”
“Fuck!” I swear. “My agent’s going to be so pissed.”
He studies me closely for a second. “Shit! You’re Cas Wilder. Man, I’m a big fan.”
I smile and hold my finger to my lips. “I am. My girl’s been trying to get a restraining order against a psycho ex. She was attacked at an event in Texas, and I wanted to be sure to meet her here as soon as she landed. I can’t imagine anything happening to her, and I’ve been worried sick.”
I pretend like I’m doing him some kind of favor telling him about my life, but really I planted all the right seeds. I’m here because she was being violated. She’s trying to get a restraining order. She was attacked. Now my car’s been stolen. We look like the victims, and he looks like an ex who finally snapped. This sucker eats it up as I spoon-feed him everything he needs to rule us off the suspect list.
He clears his throat. “I’m real sorry I even have to ask, Mr. Wilder, but where were you guys today?”
“No worries. You have a job to do. I don’t mind at all. We had breakfast and watched cartoons. She had groceries delivered, and someone came by to serve her papers for the restrainingorder hearing. After that, she was really upset, so I did the best thing a fiance does. I took her to get ice cream. Except she had to drive me. My driving glasses are back in Chicago. I totally forgot them.” It doesn’t matter that she’s not my fiancee. By the end of the year, she will be.
“Do you happen to have a receipt or anything for the ice cream?” he asks.
“No, sorry. We paid cash, and the card machine was down. The owner’s name is Walter. It’s not far from here.” I offer in place of a receipt.
“Best damn ice cream in town. What did ya think?”
“Five stars. I think I might go back tomorrow before I leave. Speaking of, she’s really upset about everything that’s been happening on top of wedding planning.” I glance at his hand to see if he has a ring. “You’re married. You know what that was like. Anyway, can I leave you my number to be the point of contact for all this?” I wave my hand around.
“Of course. Women and wedding planning. I know your pain, man. Let me notate all this in my report, and I’ll grab your contact information. Did you want me to also go ahead and get that stolen vehicle report while I’m here?”
“Yes, please. I can email you a copy of my rental agreement as well if you have a card,” I reply, waiting for him to ask for more than just a formality signature for the report.
We complete all the paperwork, and sure enough, before he leaves, he asks for an autograph. With the police handled and wrapped around my finger, I lock up then climb the stairs to hold Vivienne, knowing the entire situation is under control.
Chapter twenty-six
The moment my head hits the pillow, I’m out. My dreams are anything but peaceful. Images of the accident replay on a loop. I toss and turn, restless from the haunting nightmares. I can’t stop thinking about the moment he landed on the hood, his eyes locked with mine briefly before I watched in horror as his soul left his body and they went blank. I plead with my subconscious to make it stop, begging for dreamless sleep to come. Eventually it does, and my body succumbs willfully.
When I awaken, my bed is empty and there’s no sign of Cas. The only clue he slept next to me all night comes from the crumpled sheets and pillowcase. He must have come in after I was alreadyasleep. A part of me selfishly hopes he snuck off bright and early so I don’t have to face him and be reminded of what we did. I feel so guilty—it’s all my fault. I dragged Cas into this mess, and if everything doesn’t work out, I’ll have single-handedly ruined both of our careers. I can hardly stand the thought of having to face him today.
Cas deserves better than me. It’s clear he wants to move on, pretend like nothing happened. I wish I could, but even though Jackson hurt me more than I could have ever imagined in the end, there was a time I loved him. Knowing he’s gone and I’m responsible is like a heavy weight on my back, crushing my soul, forcing me to stay curled up in bed, where I don’t have to live with the consequences of my actions. And I never have to face Cas or the rest of the world, for that matter.
