Luke smiled as something inside of him lit up. Jessica didn’t let him go. “Do you know where she is?”
“Oh my goodness. You’ve tracked her down … you’ve come to save her like her knight in shining armor with your trusty steed.” She pressed her hand to her chest, tears pooled in her eyes. “That’s so … incredibly romantic. I’m right, aren’t I?”
“I don’t actually have any official armor and I took a plane and rental car.”
Lilith leaned forward and rested her hand on his. With one blink her tears released. Her eyes and smile filled with hope.
He returned a small smile. “Yes. I’m here for her.”
She sighed, sitting back in her chair. “You’re the one. You know that, right? AJ needed her, but you … she’s always needed you. She must need you now more than ever.”
Her words pained him. They confirmed what he already knew—Jessica needed him. But he couldn’t find her.
“Do you know where she is or have you heard from her?”
“No. Sorry. Greta Housby, their neighbor across the street, she said Jillian was taking some time for herself. But I assume you’ve talked to Jackson so you probably already knew that.”
“Yes. However, she left her phone at home and Jackson doesn’t know where she is so we have no way of contacting her. I’m worried about her. I understand she…” saying it was harder than thinking it “…loved him. So she has to be grieving.”
“This must be terribly hard on you? How did you find her? How did you know she’s alive?”
“I saw her at a hotel in Houston.”
“Oh my. You must have thought you were seeing a ghost.”
Luke nodded. “I think I should fly to Portland. I don’t want to be insensitive to his family. I’m sure they’re still devastated. But maybe she said something to them after the funeral.”
Lilith shook her head. “That’s not possible.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because she wasn’t at the funeral.”
“W-what are you talking about? Jackson said she went to the funeral.”
“No. She wasn’t there. I think his family was a little disappointed, but they understood. AJ left treatment to be with her. She was the last person who saw him alive. We all assumed she was worried about their reaction to her, but they weren’t upset. She changed him and everyone saw it. In spite of the tumor, she made him a better man.”
“If … uh … you’ll excuse me. I really have to go.” He tried to keep his fear in check. “Thank you for talking with me.”
Lilith nodded. “Luke?”
“Yes?” He zipped his jacket.
“I don’t know where you’ll find her, or what mindset she’ll have, but I know one thing with unwavering certainty—that girl loves you like no woman has ever loved a man in the history of the world. She called you her heart. And I believed her.”
The words to describe his love for Jessica didn’t exist. He smiled in spite of the pain.
*
Knight
Forever didn’t come in a text; it came with a knock at the door. It involved the woman he loved leaping into his arms and kissing him with fervor. Ryn, however, texted Jackson.
Can you come over?
He didn’t text her back, but within ten minutes he was at her front door.
Forever didn’t have red swollen eyes that refused to make contact with his. He stepped inside. Ryn stared at him, just short of meeting his gaze. She drew in a shaky breath and held it, but she didn’t say anything. It seemed as if her words were the only thing holding her together and if she spoke them, she would crumble to pieces at his feet.
“This is goodbye,” he said.
She bit her quivering lip and nodded. Pain robbed her beautiful face, and she threw herself into his arms, but not in a forever way. He hugged her back so hard he feared feeling her ribs crack against his. In a matter of days, forever turned into never.
“Maddie h-hates me. I-I can’t leave her. She won’t … come. I-I love you so much, it feels like … like I’m dying inside. But s-she’s my child. If I leave … it will be l-like she died.” A broken sob ripped from her chest. “If you leave … it’ll be like … you died.”
He didn’t know what to say. If he stayed he’d put her in danger. Luke’s trip to Omaha opened the door for their past to find them. There was no way to stay and guarantee anyone’s safety. He’d rather die than leave her, but he’d never be able to live with himself if something happened to her. She needed to come with him, soon, or he needed to get as far away from her as possible—completely dissociate himself from her life for her own safety.
Ryn fisted the back of his shirt, her tear-stained face buried in his neck. “Say something. Please.”