Page 27 of Just My Luck

I settled on starting at the end.

“I killed a child.”

ELEVEN

SLOANE

I staredat Abel with wide eyes as the wordsI killed a childhung in the air. A bird chirped in a nearby tree, but all I could do was stare at the side of his face. Thousands of questions tumbled through my mind.

“How?” It was the only word I could get out.

His shoulders slumped as the weight of the truth bore down on the both of us. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Abel sighed and wiped his hands down his jean-clad thighs. “I had been working as a distribution manager for a local distillery near Kalamazoo. We were short-staffed, so the owner had asked a few of us to stay late, work an overnight shift to try and catch up. I’d been saving every penny to go toward my dream of opening a brewery and wanted the overtime.” Abel’s voice was low and shaky. “We worked all through the night. By the time we finished, I was exhausted. We cleaned up the shop and called it a night. I wasn’t high or drunk. I was just... tired.”

Pain was etched on Abel’s face, and he pinched the bridge of his nose as if he could still feel the fatigue wash over him. “Thing is, I didn’t think twice about climbing behind the wheel. I just wanted to get home.” He swallowed hard and struggledto continue. “Somewhere along the highway, I nodded off and struck an oncoming vehicle.”

I froze with a sharp intake of breath. I hadn’t meant to react, but I couldn’t help it. My mind whirred. “So it was an accident.”

Abel shook his head. “No. I killed him.”

“An accident,” I repeated carefully. “Abel, you have to know that you went to prison because of an accident.”

His jaw flexed. “My lawyer tried to argue that the final positioning of the vehicles suggested I wasn’t who crossed the center line, but... the prosecutor didn’t see it as an accident, and neither did the judge. The penalties for drowsy driving are the same as for charges of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They had to prove that I operated a vehicle intentionally recklessly, with a willful disregard for the safety of others, and they did.”

“How long did you have to be in jail?” My words were barely a whisper.

“I could have had up to fifteen years, but the mother testified on my behalf.” Abel scoffed. “Can you believe that? A dead child and a broken back, and she’d asked for leniency when I didn’t deserve it.”

I bit back the tears.Would I have been so forgiving?

“I served five years.” Abel finally looked at me. His umber eyes were stormy with unspoken emotion. I was sure he was waiting for me to shove him away, maybe scream and run because he saw himself as a reckless killer.

My heart ached for him, and I could barely whisper “Okay.”

He frowned in disbelief. “What do you mean,okay?”

I nodded. “I asked for the truth, and you gave it to me, even though it was hard for you to do. It’s not my story to tell, so I won’t share it with anyone, but my worry is satisfied.”

His eyes scanned my face as though he couldn’t believe my acceptance was that easy. Truth was, I had about a thousandother questions, but I knew in my bones Abel was a protector. He was a good man.

“I still think we can make this work,” I said, placing my hand on his forearm.

When he shifted, I let my hand slip off and tucked it into my lap.

Abel’s scowl was locked into place. “What will you tell the kids?”

I lifted a shoulder. “Only as much as they need to know. We’re friends, and friends help each other. You’re helping us while we get started on fixing up the farmhouse. They don’t need to know more than that.”

When I said it out loud, it seemed easy. Simple. I only hoped that was the case.

He slowly nodded. “Makes sense.”

Finally, I tilted my head toward Abel and said, “So are we really doing this?”

He sighed and rested his elbows on his knees, gazing out into the yard with sad eyes. “Looks like we’re really doing this.”

Holy shit.I can’t believe I’m doing this.

Five days after Abel rescued me and brought me to his house, I was standing in front of the steps of the Remington County Courthouse. Michigan law required a three-day waiting period after applying for a marriage license before it could be issued and used. We then had thirty days to change our minds.

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