Page 26 of Second Goal

“Skylar,” a woman calls to the child when she starts climbing the ladder. “Be careful.”

Skylar.Not Lucy.

She waves back at the woman, then giggles as she climbs higher.

I watch her, forgetting to breathe, and obviously forgetting to keep pushing Noah, because he starts squirming and crying, “Down, down.”

But I can’t move. Can’t breathe. The little girl looks just like her. Only older.

My world seems to tilt, the ground beneath my feet shifting.

It’s not her. It can’t be. She’s... gone. Lucy died two years ago.

My fault.

All the pain of that night slams into me.

Can’t breathe.

When large arms wrap around me, I jerk back in shock, adrenaline rushing through me - and fear.

“Easy,” Blake says, twisting me in his arms. “It’s just me.” Gray eyes narrow on me. “What’s wrong?”

I glance around, but I don’t see the girl now.

“Nothing,” I manage to say. Except I feel like I’m losing my mind. “What are you doing here?”

He’s still frowning at me. “I was with Kane when Brynne called him. She said you were here with Noah.”

“Oh.”

“Up. Up,” Noah cries out.

Blake lifts him out of the swing, holding onto him when he squirms to get down.

“Kane said Brynne sounded upset on the phone. Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“Yeah,” I lie, because I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest.

It’s not her, I tell myself. But I can’t stop looking around the park for the girl.

Blake places the back of his hand on my cheek. “Are you feeling all right? You look pale.”

“I just need to sit down.” Before my knees buckle beneath me.

It’s not her.

Blake nods and says something I don’t hear when Noah demands to be put down. He sets him down for only a second and he takes off. Blake chases after him, but I’m only half paying attention when he catches up to the toddler, helping him up to the top of the smaller slides.

I rub my temples, a headache forming there.

My mind was playing tricks on me, that’s all. I’m here, and Lucy is gone. There’s no other truth.

Truth.It’s such a fluid thing. Some days I don’t know what my truth is anymore.

I fight the memories that try and surface.

She’s gone.Dead. My fault.

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