“So we’re back to square one, then?”
I let out a sigh.
“Back to square one.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Ten Months ago
She stepped into the bathroom and looked in the mirror, smoothing the wayward strands of hair back. She let out a breath and smiled at herself. It seemed like so long since she was able to truly smile that way. Maybe she'd never been able to. It was still hard to believe how much her life had changed. In just the last two months, her entire world shifted.
Because she met Michael.
She never imagined there were men in the world like him. Her father was a good man, a strong and responsible man who did what he needed to do to take care of his family. She had met several nice guys during her various stints at restaurants and bars, working however she could to keep herself afloat while drifting from place to place. But no one like Michael. He made her feel like she never had to drift again. He could protect her and take care of her. He could give her the kind of life she never would have been able to fathom. He could love her.
They were moving fast. There was no question about that, and she knew a lot of people disagreed with how they were handling their relationship. She saw the looks and heard the whispers, but she didn't let them affect her. It didn't matter what anybody else thought. All that mattered was what Michael saw when he looked at her.
Already she was living in his house. His breathtaking manor. It felt like the size of a small village and held the air of history and importance from the many decades it stood in the same spot. She knew he didn't always live here. His family hadn't owned the house for generations, and he didn't come from anywhere near as powerful a name as he had created for himself. That made this space all the more special because it was his. His and his precious little son, Peter’s.
Everly adored that little boy. She had since the first moment she saw him. He was light and warmth and laughter packed into one small child, and it was hard to get enough of him. At just two years old, he already had a bigger personality than most of the adults she knew. He was dynamic, and she couldn't wait to watch the kind of person he would become.
Just thinking that way made her breathless. For the first time in her life, she could really look ahead and know what was waiting for her without having to be told. She knew it was Michael. In such a short time, he was already embedded in her heart, and she felt more alive and like herself than she ever had. It was like he discovered elements of her she didn't know existed until he was there to experience them. Maybe they didn't. Maybe there was only a piece of her there, and it required him to offer the other piece so both could come to life.
She took the pin from her hair and smoothed another section back, then secured the pin back in place. She patted her nose and cheeks to smooth her makeup and pressed her lips together to fix her lipstick. When she felt put together again, Everly walked out of the bathroom and down the hallway for the stairs. She was only halfway there when she heard footsteps behind her. It made her pulse quicken, a lingering effect of her time in The Tower that she had never shaken.
“Won't you just talk to me?” he asked.
She hated the sound of his voice. It burrowed itself in her ears and crawled down her spine. It made her hands sting and her stomach roll. But she wouldn't let herself show it. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction. He was doing this more frequently now, but if she didn't react strongly, it seemed to calm him in a way and shorten their interaction.
“I need to get back downstairs,” she said.
“You should stay up here with me,” he said.
“Please, stop,” she said.
“Why? You know why I'm here,” he told her.
“I need you to stop,” she repeated. “This isn't going to change.”
He drew in a breath, and she saw the muscles in the side of his neck twitching. He took a step toward her and lifted his hand like he wanted to run his fingers through her hair, but she recoiled from him.
“Why do you have to be this way? Can't you see this is inevitable? It has been since that very first day. It was me. It always was.”
“No,” she said. “I'm here to be with Michael. Nothing is going to change that. You just have to accept it. Please, step out of my way so I can go downstairs.”
He hesitated, then reluctantly complied.
“I won't stop, you know. I've looked a long time for you. Now that I’ve found you, I can't let you go. You were meant to be mine.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Now
The only way we could avoid having to go through at least two other airports before making it home was to take an absurdly early morning flight, so it's still early in the day when we finally get back to Sherwood. Sam is carrying my bag into the house when his phone rings. He pulls it out of his pocket and holds it to his ear.
“Hello? Sheriff Johnson speaking. Hi, Jared. Thanks for getting back to me.”
He hits the speaker button, so I could listen to the conversation.
“No problem,” says the park ranger Michael told us to contact. “What can I help you with?”
“I'm just checking up on a couple of things. Are you familiar with Michael Blair?” Sam asks.
“Very,” Jared answers. “He's owned a cabin up here for years. He's always friendly when he comes up.”
“Have you seen him recently?”
“Yes. Just a few weeks ago, actually. It was pretty devastating. He told me his son had been seriously hurt and had passed away. Michael looked so broken, like all the light and life had been taken out of him.”
“So, he came up to the cabin after his son died?” Sam confirms.
“Yes. I thought it was a good idea for him to kind of get away and be able to mourn in his own way. I think he should have stayed longer.”
Sam and I exchange glances.
“He didn't stay for long?” Sam asks.
“Not really. I actually didn't know he had left. I thought he was still up here in his cabin and just didn't want to talk to anybody. But there was a small forest fire. Nothing extremely serious, just a blaze caused by somebody's campfire not being put out correctly. It didn't take long for us to get it under control, but there was quite a bit of smoke, and the main road was blocked off for several hours. I went up to the cabin to check on him and make sure he was dealing with the smoke all right and didn't see any other signs of fire in his area. Even though it's private property and not technically part of the park, I try my best to keep an eye on it and look over the land when he's not around. Especially when it's something like a fire. The flames don't care who the land belongs to.”
Sam dips his fingers into my pocket and pries out my phone. He quickly types something into the search bar.
“But anyway, he was gone. Haven’t seen him since,” Jared continues.
“Thank you so much, Jared. I really do appreciate you giving me a call back,” Sam says.
“Absolutely. Anytime.”
Sam hangs up the phone and turns to me. He holds up my phone, so I can see the screen.
“The fire was the night before Everly died,” he points out. “There's no way Michael could have been at that cabin that morning.”