Page 90 of Swept for Forever
Having him drive me around my hometown was jarring, like he’d been dropped into the middle of my life after the Buffaloberry chapter had closed. But the discomfort didn’t last long. My thoughts were louder, and I felt torn. Part of me stillwanted to escape, to protect the distance I’d put between us. But another part, the part that had spent too many nights staring at my ceiling and missing him more than I’d ever admit, was undeniably glad he had found me. Even if I hadn’t wanted him to.
But this wasn’t anI miss youkind of reunion.
Dom’s face was hard, his jaw tight, his grip on the steering wheel firm. He wasn’t here as the man who had kissed me in the river, who had looked at me as if he couldn’t have anyone else. He was here as a man with questions. And he wasn’t leaving without answers.
We pulled into the park, stopping beneath a line of cottonwood trees. I braced myself as we stepped out and moved toward the open grass, the sky a wash of faded grays.
“How did you find me?” I asked, needing something, anything, to break the silence. “Don’t tell me it’s because you’re a lawyer.”
His lips pressed together for half a second. “Being a lawyer doesn’t mean you’re smart. I’m just a resourceful guy.” A pause. Then, without preamble, he continued, “Why did you lie to me about Cheyenne?”
I sighed, kicking at a loose rock with my shoe. “I didn’t want you to find me.”
“So you knew you were going to leave, yet you played along and made me believe I had hope. That we, you and I, meant something?”
Everything came rushing back—the stolen moments, the way he’d made me feel safe, the memory of his hands on my skin. And with it, the painful void I’d carried when I ran. Emptiness only hurts when what’s missing meant something.
Whether I wanted to face it or not, Dom meant more to me than he could possibly know.
But I couldn’t say that. My throat clamped shut.
His hands settled on his hips. Then, with a firm voice, he asked, “What did you do to that girl?”
I jerked back. “What? What girl?”
His eyes darkened. “Don’t lie to me, Autumn.”
“I swear, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He groaned, dragging a hand through his hair. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, but I’m gonna ask you this. Where did you find Lulu?”
My stomach lurched.
I closed my eyes for a second, gathering myself, but the words still tangled in my throat.
“Autumn?” Dom pressed.
I forced myself to push past the panic. “Okay! Yes. Something happened on that trail, way before you found me. But seriously, Dom? You really think I could hurt someone?”
“You ran. You lied. What was I supposed to think?”
“How about thinking I had a reason? The best one there is. Protecting you.”
Something shifted in his face, like the words “protecting you” landed somewhere he hadn’t thought to look.
“I saw someone,” I said. “On the trail. Someone dangerous. And I didn’t want you getting pulled into it.”
He didn’t respond. He just looked at me, as if trying one last time to read the truth in my eyes.
I held his gaze and gave him all of it.
Whatever he saw, it was enough. His head dropped, a breath slipping out.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “If I came at you hard, it’s because I’ve lived through enough worst-case scenarios to know they happen more often than not.” He lifted his eyes again, his regret clear as day. “Please, just tell me what happened.”
“I started the hike at the Blodgett Pass trailhead. A few hours in, I saw a man burying a bag. Lulu was with him. Shedidn’t like him, and eventually, she disappeared. He saw me, then told me it was nothing, acting casual. But then he reached into the bag and pulled out a gun, so I ran. He fired, but missed, and I didn’t stop until I was sure he’d lost me.”
Dom’s gaze didn’t let up. There was no escape, not that I was planning to lie.
