“Oh my God.” She hugged him again, crying harder. “I knew you wouldn’t use them! Is that why the police are here? Can they arrest him?” She realized he wasn’t embracing her. His body was rigid. She leaned back, searching his anguished eyes. “What’s wrong? Oh God, did they hurt Simone? Where is she? Did they kill her?”

“No, baby, she’s safe.”

She swiped at her eyes. “Then why aren’t you hugging me?”

He lowered his eyes, the muscles in his jaw bunching. “I’m going back to rehab, Roni. Starting from ground zero again. I’ll need to work the program when I get out, and you don’t need my shit in your life.”

Sobs burst from her lungs.

“You can move back to your place, move on with someone who doesn’t—”

“Shut up!” she seethed. “You shut your mouth right now, Quincy Gritt. I am not quitting on you, and you are not pushing me away because of some convoluted honorable idea in your head. You are my other half, and you love me. I know you do, so if we need to go to NA meetings seven days a week, or twice a day every day, then that’s what we’ll do. But you are not alone in this, and you are not getting rid of me that easily.”

Tears spilled from his eyes. “But, Roni—”

“No!” She wedged herself between his legs and took his face in her hands. “No, Quincy. No buts. Yours is the face I see in my future, and I know you want that, too. Two kids and a puppy. I don’t care if we’re back to square one. You didn’t do this to yourself, and you’re not throwing away our future because of it. Our five-year plan starts now, like it or not.”

His strong arms circled her, crushing her to him. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said, their hearts hammering frantically. “Please don’t say you don’t want us again. Please.”

“I’ll always want you, Roni.” He took her by the arms and pulled back, agony billowing off him. “But there’s more.”

“Whatever it is, we can handle it.”

“I’m not so sure. Your accident, it happened September nineteenth, right?”

“Yes. Why?”

His jaw tightened again. “Puck admitted to firing the bullet that killed the driver of the car that hit you.”

“Ohmygod.” Roni covered her mouth, more emotions swamping her. They finally found the person responsible for the accident. “Is that why the police were asking to see you?”

He nodded, swallowing hard, and let go of her arms. “Remember I said that I owed Puck money, and when his guys found me and dragged me back to him, I got away?”

“Yes…?”

Tears poured from his eyes. “The bullet that hit the driver was meant for me. I didn’t know. I promise, I didn’t know. Puck told me when he was roughing me up, and the timing makes sense. The police verified it. If I hadn’t been there that day, if I hadn’t run, you’d still be dancing professionally.”