“Oh, fuck no,” he says and then looks at my father. “We need to lock it down.” My father just nods at him, and I’m about to ask him what he’s talking about when there’s a knock on the door.

My father looks at Casey, who grabs his shotgun and walks to the front door. He glances at my father, who is standing with his own gun in his hand, before he looks out the peephole. “Jesus fuck, what is with this day?” he says and opens the door, and for the second time today, I come face-to-face with the man I ran away from eight years ago.

Chapter Nine

Jacob

I don’t know why I get tense when we walk into the grocery store. I don’t even know why I do a sweep of the room, spotting a new blonde standing by the organic section. Right away, you know she’s not from here.

“I have a couple of things to get, so I’ll come find you when I’m done.” my mother says, and she takes off. I try not to eye the blonde and think to myself maybe I can date her. She looks like she’s new here, and she has no idea about my history in this town. No idea about the cloud that follows me. It’s better now, but in the beginning, they would shake their heads when I would walk down the street. It got better when Ethan was born, and then when I took over as sheriff, it was all back to normal. Now, don’t get me wrong. Some of the old timers still leer at me.

I push the cart down the aisles and avoid eye contact because each time I do look up, I have to have a ten-minute conversation with someone. And now that Kallie is back, I’m sure all the talk is going to be asking about what I am going to do. And then they will give me sad smiles and say, “That’s okay, dear.” I can’t take it, and when I turn the corner, I spot the scene right away. Turning around, I see that everyone has stopped, and now I see why.

The showdown that everyone was probably waiting for. The showdown that will be spread all around town by the time dinner is served.

Kallie doesn’t see me as I approach, and it gives me a couple of minutes to take her in. I want to say she looks the same, but she doesn’t. I want to say her beauty doesn’t blow me away, but I would be lying. I want to say my heart doesn’t speed up just looking at her, but you can’t mistake the galloping in my chest.

“How would we? She never thought to tell anyone,” my mother hisses, and I look at Charlotte who has tears.