Page 2 of Fracture

My heart stops.

It’s them.

I’m frozen to the spot, just watching them approach. Should I walk towards them? Should I run into Dylan’s arms like the lady in the red dress did with her man? Do I scream and throw my arms around Levi, caught between sorrow and joy just like that family was? That would be weird, right? If someone sees me tearfully run into the arms of the two men who murdered my father, people will think there’s something wrong with me, even more than they already do.

My heart restarts, and sinks into my feet. No, these two aren’t my men.

It’s not like that. Not anymore.

Dylan’s full lips - now minus the piercing - quirk into a smile as his dark eyes lock on me. He’s so much taller than I remember. He always towered over me, but now he’s a sheer wall of muscle. Tattoos snake up his neck, emerging from the neckline of the black t-shirt that’s straining around his body. When he raises a hand to his head, saluting me, I see his hands are tattooed as well.

My gaze shifts to Levi, and my heart does a weird flip. He looks so different. The boy who used to argue with me over bathroom rights, who let me borrow his car to sneak out and meet up with my friends, is now a broad-shouldered man. His ice-blue eyes are startling in his tanned face, the black t-shirt he’s wearing straining across his chest, and while he’s shorter than Dylan, he’s no less intimidating when he’s standing right in front of me.

Oh god, they’re right in front of me and I’m just staring at them.

“Stella Langford,” Dylan says, shifting the bag on his shoulder. “You look beautiful.”

I don’t say anything. I just stare at them, my gaze shifting from one to the other, hoping and praying this is real. They exchange a glance, and when Levi looks back at me, his lips raise into a smile. He steps forward, and slips his arm around my shoulders.

“Hey, baby girl,” he murmurs against my temple, pressing a kiss to my hair.

Something inside me cracks a little as I lean against him. I put my hands on his chest, tears burning my eyes as I let out a small laugh.

“Hey.”

Levi pulls back and notches his fingers under my chin, angling my head so I’m looking up at him. “No tears now. We’re here.”

“You smell good,” I blurt out, and Levi laughs, making him look even more beautiful.

“Well, lucky for us it’s a good prison. They even let us shower.”

I sniffle and brush my tears away from my face before turning to Dylan.

His big dark eyes burn into mine, and he drops the bag from his shoulder. He moves towards me, then hesitates, looking around us.

“I’m not going to get gunned down by a husband if I hug you right now, am I?”

I shake my head emphatically. “No, it’s just - it’s just me.”

His expression is totally unreadable as he closes the distance between us and crushes me against his chest.

“Fuck,” he mutters, burying his face in the crook of my neck. “I missed you.”

I wish now I’d run across the yard towards them, like the woman in the red dress, and launched myself into the arms of this man. It still feels like him, like Dylan,myDylan. I let out a breath that carries 10 years of sadness and longing with it, and clench my eyes shut, fresh tears running down my face.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” I reach out for Levi and pull him against us, so we’re all touching, all breathing together, and for the first time in 10 years, something like peace washes through me.

But it doesn’t last. Calls ofStella! Stella!shatter the moment instantly, echoing across the parking lot as cameras start to flash.

Dylan growls out a curse, leaning down to scoop up his bag before shielding me with his body. “Which car is yours, sweetheart?”

I raise a shaky hand and point to my shiny black Volvo. “That one.”

“Fucking reporters,” Levi spits out behind us. “They do this a lot?”

“No. But they knew you were getting out, so…” I trail off, feeling cold despite the hot sun that’s beating down on us. That peace I felt mere seconds ago is gone, and replaced with the knowledge that the past will never stop snapping at my heels.Even Dylan’s hand on my waist as he guides me back to my car feels wrong.

I was a fool. It can never be what it was, what it was meant to be. Not when the past was right here, staring me in the face, never to leave me alone.

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