Page 64 of Where We Ended

I got on my bike and within the span of two hours, I was rolling to a stop in front of the house. My phone still hadn’t gone off with a new text since I had asked if everything was okay, and I had no idea where Natty was.

From the side where the Death Raiders club entrance was, I heard a noise and suddenly Dirk was walking out, laughing with a few of his men.

He spotted me and paused.

There was something about his expression, and I would never forget the way he’d looked at Natty when we’d started dating at seventeen. I never had been able to get the way he stared at her out of my system. Was I missing something where he was concerned?

“Silas. You’re back early,” Dirk muttered, walking closer.

I didn’t respond, but I did get off my bike and unclasp my helmet.

“You know where my mother is?” It was safer to ask about her, than bring attention to Natty.

Dirk looked concerned, like he was in deep thought.

“Last I saw, she was doing that farmer market bullshit with that blonde girl.”

I dipped my head, ignoring what it did to hear him talk about Natty.

“She’s real clumsy by the way…” Dirk said with a chuckle. I froze, the blood roaring under my skin was a violent scream.

“What exactly do you mean?”

One of Dirk’s men shifted behind him, smothering a smile. It put me on edge.

“She was at work I guess…don’t know, I heard it third hand from Sasha. Apparently, she was trying to carry a tray of drinks or something and ended up breaking a finger. Can you believe that?”

No. I actually couldn’t, but I needed to talk to Natty.

Ignoring Dirk and his men, I resumed my position on the bike and headed for the town square where they held the farmer’s market.

We were in my mother’s Jeep, parked up on a hill where the stars stretched over us like a velvet blanket. The moon was a sliver in the sky, and my wife looked like she belonged up there with them. It took me back to being seven, opening that wardrobe door and seeing her for the first time.

I assumed she was a star.

“Why are we out here?”

Because I didn’t believe her when she told me everything was okay.

“Just wanted you to see stars.” I opened my door and walked over to hers.

She quirked a delicate brow at how I had phrased that, but she seemingly brushed it aside as we made our way toward the front of the car.

“Here.” I held her hips and lifted her to the hood, where she sat with her feet dangling. She was in one of her flowy dresses that covered her knees. Her finger was in a splint, her story about work being the reason still had me on edge.

We settled in, her on the hood, me standing next to her while we tipped our faces back and stared at the sky. Natty let out a sigh and then toyed with my hair.

“What do you want in our future, Silas?”

She wasn’t supposed to be the one spearheading questions, but I humored her.

“You.”

I couldn’t see her, but I knew she was rolling her eyes as she let out a sigh.

“Okay, you have me. What else do you want?”

I knew what I didn’t want, but I was too afraid of ruining it by saying something out loud.

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