Page 22 of The Light We Lost

Maybe there was nothing wrong with his logic, but I’d never been one to party or drink for fun. If I wanted to play in the MLB, I needed to keep as clean of a slate as possible. I’d given everything I had to get here. People were counting on me.Indywas counting on me.

Dalton might have time to waste, but I didn’t.

I was riding on stolen time, praying like hell no one realized what a giant fraud I was.

Chapter Ten

Indy—Then

This might’ve been a bad idea.

I tilted my head and stared at the vivid colors on the wall, not knowing if I should be proud or personally offended. Stepping back, I squinted hard and held my breath, deciding it was the former. Yup, the colorful blob indeed resembled a field of wildflowers.

Satisfied, I tiptoed to the kitchen sink, careful not to make a bigger mess. I’d already broken our landlord’s rule by painting with a non-neutral color—I didn’t need to smear it on the carpet too. Washing my hands, I caught a glimpse of the gold band on my left hand, and the sight alone was enough to chase away the feelings that’d had me hastily picking up a paintbrush for the first time ever.

I was a married woman.

I laughed to myself. I’d never once imagined I’d be married at eighteen. Nolan was my person, and I dreamed of beingIndy Graham—though I’d yet to legally change my name—but I’d assumed marriage was far off. Figured we’d wait until after he’d been drafted into the MLB or graduated from college, whichever came first.

But when Nolan climbed out of his truck, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him, I’d screamed yes without a doubt in my heart. Folks back homehad called us rash, a few even taking bets on how long we’d last, but I didn’t care. I didn’t need them to believe in us. I had enough faith in Nolan to blindly follow him anywhere.

But I couldn’t deny it: I wished a few of them believed in us.

Grabbing my phone, I snapped a few pictures of the apartment. We lived in campus housing, a studio apartment reserved specially for married students. Since our getting married was a spur-of-the-moment thing, we’d gotten the last one available. The space was tight, and if I listened close enough, I swore I could hear mice shuffling behind the drywall. Our budget was limited, most of our decor was secondhand—we’d even scored our couch off the side of the road—but I didn’t mind.

It was ours.

Taking one last shot of the quirky squirrel clock I’d thrifted, I texted the pictures to Mom. My stomach sunk at the long line of unanswered messages. We hadn’t talked since the night Nolan and I announced we were getting married. Since she’d looked us in the eye and told us we were making a mistake. Since I overheard her tell Dad I wasn’t ready to start a family, that I’d walk away the moment I got bored. I hadn’t expected her to jump with glee, but I thought she’d be relieved I was committing myself.

Never once had I believed she wouldn’t come to our wedding.

The front door handle jiggled, and I shook my head, grateful to be pulled away from the devastation I’d felt in the courthouse when I realized no one from my family was coming. Heart racing, I scrambled through the room and scooped upthe biggest secretI’d ever kept before I ran into the closet, shutting the door behind me. I licked my lips, wishing I’d had a chance to eat a peach. Nolan didn’t know I was allergic, and while I doubted he’d remain unaware forever, I wanted to soak in that feeling, that it seemed he couldn’t get enough of me for as long as I could.

I leaned against the door, trying to discern past the noise of moving traffic. I’d known living in the city would be different, but I hadn’t expected it to be so noisy. I’d tossed and turned the first few weeks, realizing it didn’t matter if it wasthe middle of the night—someone felt the need to honk their car horn or blare their music.

The front door creaked open, and I smiled. Maybe it was weird I’d hidden in the closet rather than greeting him at the front door, but everything about our lives had changed, and I needed this piece of home.

The flooring shifted with the sure sound of footsteps, followed by Nolan’s voice. “Look at that, it’s our lucky day. You can come in, sugar. My wife’s not home.”

I covered my mouth, smothering my laugh at his attempt to coax me out of my hiding spot. Nolan knew I’d skin him alive if he ever brought another woman here, just as sure as I knew he’d never break my heart.

He hummed, and I peeked through the crack between the closet doors, watching as he looked beneath the bed. “Well, if she’s not here, you may as well take the gift I got her.” I clamped my eyes shut, resisting.He doesn’t have a present. He’s only trying to lure you out.“I’ll tell you what, that’s a real shame too. She would’ve loved it—”

I shoved the door open. “Did you really get me a present?”

He smirked, giving me a knowing look from where he leaned against the wall. “I win. Again.” I rolled my eyes, unable to hide my smile, even more so when I saw the box of Lucky Charms in his hand. “Hope I didn’t get you too excited. It’s not much.”

Heart burning, I shook my head, struggling to form words. I was fighting off tears because I’d missed him, not because of Lucky Charms.Definitelywasn’t crying because they were my favorite and I hadn’t had them in a month, because even with scholarships, college was expensive, and with me being the sole provider, our budget was strict.

Before I could thank him by kissing the hell out of him, his gaze dropped to my chest. “Indy . . .” He raised a brow. “Why are you holding a cat?”

I choked on a laugh and held up the ball of black fur in my arms. “Surprise—I got you a present too. Happy one month.”

His lips quirked up in a smile—he knew I hadn’t gotten him a cat to celebrate being married for a month. “I told you I heard meowing from the closet last night. You had me convinced I was going crazy.”

I laughed then, handing him the kitten. “I found him Tuesday morning.” Something in me swooned as he bundled him against his chest. He was hardly more than a few weeks old. His fur was all black, and I assumed by his protruding ribs and only having one eye, he’d been dumped. “He was in the alley when I left for my shift and still there when I came home that night. You should’ve heard him crying, and he looked so skinny—I had no choice but to bring him in for something to eat. But then he curled up in your hoodie, and I couldn’t bear to put him back outside.”

Nolan wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me to him. “You do have a habit of holding on to things you find.”

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