Ryan opened his mouth to argue, but he knew it was futile. He had no way to pay for what the little insurance he had wouldn’t cover. He managed a humble nod. “This is my last time. Next time it’s someone else’s turn. I’m not playin’ around. I mean it.”

Claire’s frown softened, the corners of her mouth turned up an infinitesimal amount. Her expression reminded me of the way Jared used to try to hide his emotions when he was fighting tooth and nail to stay away from me. Claire definitely had an uphill battle. Ryan was far more persistent than me.

We enjoyed our late-night dinner, teasing one another about our last few days together before Jared and I left for Little Corn. Ryan recounted his recovery, and Claire halfheartedly complained about being his nursemaid. Mentions of demons, Shax, and Isaac sprung in and out of our conversation. Discussing the paranormal elements of my life outside of the Ryels felt both a relief and strange. But, there we were: sitting around a room, discussing the sickening odor of the hundreds of misshapen creatures scaling the walls of St. Ann’s.

“Have you heard about Father Francis?” I asked.

Claire nodded. “He’s home. The first night was touch and go, and then he came right out of it. His doctors were amazed.”

Jared touched my hand. Ryan’s eyes zeroed in on the movement.

“So,” Ryan said. “I hear you two skipped town for a while. You’re…tanner.”

“Yes,” I said, nodding once. “We went to Little Corn.”

“Again?” Ryan said.

Claire’s eyes didn’t leave Ryan’s face. She watched warily for an expression she didn’t want to see.

Jared squeezed my hand. “We decided to get married in the chapel there.”

Ryan nodded. It was obvious an inner monologue was monopolizing his thoughts. Claire didn’t move. She waited silently, but I couldn’t decide what she was waiting for.

“What’s the rush?” Ryan said.

“Didn’t you hear her say that she’s pregnant?” Claire said with disgust.

Ryan’s head jerked in her direction. “Yeah? So?”

I shrugged. “We were engaged, anyway, Ryan. It didn’t make sense to wait.”

“You’re married. To Jared.” Ryan’s eyes were wide with shock, his eyebrows as high as he could push them. Claire’s body was tense, her eyes fixed on Ryan. In the next moment, a wide grin plastered across his face.

“Congratulations, Nigh! That’s wicked awesome!”

Claire’s blank stare melted away, and she took a deep breath. She managed a small smile, and then looked to me. Had I not seen the same pleading expression on Jared’s face the year before, I might have missed it. She was worried that Ryan was still in love with me.

“Thanks,” I said, looking down.