The color drained from Kate’s face. “She does?”

Scott nodded, hanging his head like a puppy hung his tail between his legs when he’d been caught peeing on the floor. Kate sank to the floor at the base of the stairs. She pulled her knees up to her chest and burst into tears. Scott rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I’m so sorry.” He rocked her back and forth like she was a small child.

He touched her the same way he talked about her—with such tender adoration, as if she were an expensive piece of china that might break if he pressed too hard. Tears sprang to my eyes. I wanted to put my arms around them both, and for a second I almost moved in their direction, but instead I stood there awkwardly until the intimacy of the moment became too much, and I had to look away. I moved around them into the kitchen, waiting in the doorway for a few minutes to see if he’d notice I was gone. The tears in my eyes found their way down my cheeks when he didn’t.

TWENTY

TWENTY

ABBI

NOW

I’d never been in the park this late before. I had no idea what time it was, but I wasn’t ready to go home. It’d taken me over ten minutes to get my lungs to stop burning—that was how fast I’d run. Dad had to be worried sick; that was a given, but I couldn’t bring myself to go home. Not yet.

“Hey, kiddo,” a voice broke into the night.

I turned around. “Dean?”

He walked through the shelter and up to the picnic table, where I’d been sitting for the past few hours. “I figured this is where I’d find you, but I don’t ever want you here at this time of night again. There are too many weirdos out for you to be alone in a park after dark. You understand?” I nodded. “Now come here and give me a hug.” He put his arms around me, and I sank into his chest.

“Did Dad call you?” I asked.

“No, I just happened to be going out for a midnight stroll.” He smiled at me and brushed the dirt off the bench before sitting down next to me.