Page 20 of When Stars Fall

Nikki and Ellie are locked in a silent battle I don’t understand. Siblings. My younger sister and I have gotten into lots of battles of will. Anna’s stubbornness drives me nuts, but I don’t remember Nikki being quite so resistant to Ellie before. Maybe it’s the stress of the situation.

“A balloon,” Haven says from the bed. “I want him to come back. I want to talk.” She glances from Ellie to Nikki and lands on Ellie.

Ellie doesn’t say anything but leads me into the hall. Her behavior is odd. The tension between her and Nikki as we leave the room is unreal—worse than anything I’ve ever had with my sister, and that’s saying something.

Once we’re outside the door, I decide to tackle the situation head-on. “Are you okay, Ellie? Will Haven be okay?”

“She’s—” She breaks off, and her voice catches. “It’s a virus. Sometimes kids catch something that flares up and fades away. They’re keeping her overnight to make sure it’s not more serious. Her fever is very high, and her energy level is low.”

We start down the hallway together. Having her niece so ill has thrown her. It would do the same to me. I understand that kind ofresponsibility because my nephew, Jamal, lives with me.But I’m surprised she’s not worried about people seeing us together. We reach the end of the hallway and rather than taking us to the gift shop, Ellie stares out the large window with a view across narrow streets, palm trees, and brightly colored houses. It’s a view I would normally find relaxing and peaceful, but Ellie is brimming with anxiety and sadness.

I give her space, watching her grapple with Haven’s sickness. Then I approach her from behind, not touching her, but close enough she probably senses me, the same way I always sensed her. Seeing Nikki’s child in the hospital bed did strange things to my insides too.

“She looks so much like your mom, and so there’s this resemblance to you. A reminder of what my life could have been if I had made a different choice. Made me a little sad.”

“Wyatt,” Ellie says. “Please don’t. Don’t.” Her breath hitches on a sob.

I turn her in my arms and hold her close. The number of times Ellie cried when we were together can be counted on one hand.

“She’s going to be okay, right?” I rub her back in slow circles as she clutches me. I draw her closer, fitting us together. She rises on her toes and throws her arms around my neck, and I lean down to let her bury her face under my ear. I close my eyes while the scent of vanilla and flowers surrounds me. The emptiness that’s plagued me isn’t quite so vast with her pressed against me. We still match perfectly, like two puzzle pieces. “Ellie?” I don’t want to break whatever spell has let her lean on me for support. “Are you okay?”

She nods, easing away and wiping her cheeks. “Sorry. It’s just . . . the last couple of days—you, Haven, it’s a lot.”

“My reappearance came out of nowhere for you. But I’ve been trying to find my way back for years.”

She shakes her head and can’t quite look at me. “I find that hard to believe,” she says, bitterness tingeing her voice. “I read TMZ too.”

There’s no defense for anything she read or saw. She left such a massive void, and I tried to fill it with more drugs, relationships, even death. Nothing worked.

“Ellie.” I reach for her again.

She backs away and raises a hand to ward me off. “No, Wyatt. Just—no.” She turns on her heel and yanks open the door to the stairs. “Let’s get the damn balloon you promised Haven.”

Chapter Nine

Ellie

Present Day

I wait for the explosion. Tick, tick, tick. The time bomb of my life is about to detonate.

Haven eats the ice cream I bought and chats to Wyatt like they’ve been friends for years. The balloon he got her is tied loosely to her wrist. Wyatt hasn’t asked her how old she is. Usually it seems to be the first or second question people ask. She’s petite and looks younger than she is. Maybe he thinks he knows. Nikki’s daughter. We didn’t even have to say anything.

His baseball cap is turned backward. His posture, his mannerisms, and the jokes he tells remind me of when we met. He’s so light and carefree with Haven. This moment is everything I’ve ever dreamed of having but haven’t let myself hope for. Sober Wyatt. Here. It’s mind-boggling.

She’s asked him about movies, and actors and actresses he’s worked with. A few questions about me too. She stumbled over calling me Ellie, but she’s used my name enough in public that I’m not sure Wyatt noticed. Why would he question it? To him, she’s Nikki’s.

Before answering Haven’s questions about us, he glanced at me, and my heart shattered. The love in his eyes took my breath away. It’s been ten years, and he still looks at me like I’m the only woman in the room.

Of course, love was never the problem.

While he stared at me, he said, “Ellie is the best woman I’ve ever known. You’re lucky you get to spend time with her.”

The truth is so much more complicated, for all of us.

There’s a tightness across my chest at the sight of them together. He’s patient and kind with her. Bittersweet has a new meaning.

When it starts to get late and the room shades over, one of the nurses pokes her head in. “You both staying here tonight?” She eyes Wyatt, another question on her lips.

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