Then it hit her. No, more like infected her thoughts while she considered everything that had happened and everything he'd said these past few days. This was all uncharted territory. But what if this “touch of destiny” he'd mentioned was more obvious than he realized? What if the answer was right in front of him? What if his time had indeed come, and Fate had led him here for the very things he was agonizing over?

“We're taking a road trip tomorrow,” she said. “I think you should come.”

The idea seemed to snap him out of his troubled mind. “Where are we going?”

Blythe grinned. “To see an old friend.”

“Who?”

“Someone you haven't met. But he'll recognize you all the same.”

“And you said I speak in riddles.” He sprouted a cute, lopsided grin that reminded her of how young he truly was, or how young the man whose form he'd taken had been when he'd died in the fire all those years ago. “It must be important,” he added.

“It is. I think it's part of why you're here. I'm starting to think this was all meant to be.”

“The touch of destiny?” he mused.

“If it's true that everything happens for a reason, then it's going to happen whether we want it to or not, right?”

“I suppose.”

“Then we've got a day to find out where this path leads. Let's make it count.”

“And if we don't find our answer by tomorrow night?” he asked.

“I don't know. But if it's not looking good, promise me one thing.”

“What's that?”

“That you won't break Rose's heart. Whatever it takes, you'll find a way to make her forget that you ever existed.”

“I promise, I'll do everything in my power to not break her heart.”

“Whatever it takes?”

“As God is my witness.”

Blythe pointed a stern finger at him. “Good. That's good. Now, where were we?” She rummaged around in the bag hanging from the stand next to her chair and retrieved a deck of cards. “Crazy eights. Your deal.”

He erected the small, fold-away wooden table they'd used last night and stood it between them. “What say we up the stakes?”

“Okay. Five years a hand?”

“Five minutes, yes.” He shook his head. “Years, huh? I'm going to miss you, Blythe.”

“Me too, Bellamy. I mean that. Whatever happens, I'm glad it was you.”

He shuffled expertly, dealt the cards like a pro. Then he gave an uncharacteristically huge sigh as he lifted his own hand of cards to his face. “Here we go.”

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten