Page 111 of Unbroken

“You may never know his thought process, Blakely. And that being said, I think we need to work toward accepting that.”

I groaned and finally slumped down onto the couch. “Yes, I know, I just wish I understood. What’s the point?”

“If it means that much to you, then let’s talk through it. If you had to guess, whatisthe point?”

I tugged the pillow into my lap and squeezed it before Ibegan fidgeting with the edge of the fabric. I’d thought a lot about it over the past few weeks. Since Nick Hammond, the peanut butter cookies, and the photos, every day I’ve considered what his motive might be. And maybe if I did know, I would have felt more comfortable leaving the house. But it had been hard when I didn’t know what might happen next.

Two weeks without anything new made me cocky. Like maybe I could leave Devon’s house and not find something in my fucking mailbox. Although the cops hadn’t made any progress on finding him, I felt like maybe he’d lost interest.

I was wholly wrong.

“I have lots of theories,” I admitted.

“Share them, please.”

With a sigh, I began, “I think maybe it’s obsessive? Which sounds conceited because I’m not worth obsessing over, but…maybe he justcan’tlet it go. I escaped, whether intentional or not, and maybe he feels like he can’t let it go because, for him, it’s not over. And maybe he’s looking for reactions and taunting me until he strikes once again.” I shook my head and cleared my throat. “But stalking me, trying to scare me? It feels cowardly. Leaving notes and flowers…it makes meangry.It’s pathetic.”

Dr. Mann coughed, and I looked up from my lap to find him taking a sip of the water next to him. He sat back. “Those are all very good theories, but Blakely, I’m more concerned about you in all of this.”

“I’m concerned about me, too,” I answered honestly. “Because I’ve never felt anger like this before.”

FIFTY

Devon

Reed rackedthe weights and lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Beside us James did the same thing with a loud sound that echoed through the gym. “I’m so out of shape,” he panted, leaning over with his hands on his knees.

Josh patted his back, and Luke shook his head. “That’s what you get for missing workouts for the past few weeks.”

James gave Luke the middle finger and reached for his water. We all tried to get together at least once a week, or once every other week, for a workout at Reed’s gym, RG Fitness. It often wasn’t all of us, especially with James and Ivy having just moved in together and Luke and Hazel spending most of their time getting to know their new daughter.

I’d also missed a week or two because I was more focused on Blakely than I was on almost anything else.

“How’s Josie?” James asked Luke who was replacing the weights.

Luke’s face immediately lit up, his smile taking up most of his face. “She’s fucking perfect. I never thought I’d be a dad, butI’m so glad I am. And watching Hazel become a mom…” He trailed off and ran a hand through his black hair. “I didn’t think I could love that woman more than I did, but watching her love our daughter, it’s incredible.”

“My brother, the sap,” Josh chimed in, patting Luke on the back.

“Shut the fuck up,” Luke quipped. He shrugged off Josh’s hand, but there wasn’t any bite to his words.

“Are either of you getting any sleep?” I asked, and he immediately shook my head.

“She’s sleeping a little bit better than she was a few weeks ago, but Hazel and I have come up with a decent system. We switch off every other feeding, which is good, but still…” He shrugged, and the dark circles under his eyes were prominent. “James, how’s it been since you moved in with Ivy? Is she ready to kick you out yet?”

James settled on the bench and wiped his face with a towel. Although he was still breathing heavily, his smile was cocky. “Pretty sure it crosses her mind every day, but she loves me, so I get a pass. Besides, I’m the best she’s ever had, so I’ve got that goin’ for me, too.”

“You going to propose?” Josh asked, and James whipped his head in his direction.

“Just because the three of you got married doesn’t mean the rest of us have to follow in your footsteps.”

“Oh, shut up,” Reed quipped. “We all know that it’s Ivy who doesn’t want to get married yet. If you could, you’d marry her tomorrow. Which is probably smart since she could change her mind at any time.”

Josh walked over and kissed his husband on the cheek, and it was on the tip of my tongue to say something about newlywed bliss when Luke straightened in front of me. His brow furrowed as he peered over my shoulder. “Blakely?” he asked.

At first, I thought he was asking me about her, but then I turned and saw her standing just inside the front door. Her dark,curly hair was pulled back in a bun on top of her head, and her eyes swept across the expansive space until they settled on me, on us, across the gym.

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