Page 68 of Crossroads

Good, Kiera would be safe. And that was all that mattered. And as she kissed my forehead, trying to keep me awake, I let the darkness come.

It was over. Finally.

Chapter 19

BODHI

“In light of the upcoming fall festival, I would like to propose we plant trees that will predominantly turn the colors of our East Coast friends. The peak hours at certain times truly bring in tourist dollars. It brings a sense of community. If we were to bring in trees that are no longer evergreens, we would prosper. Global warming is changing the way that leaves alter during the fall season on the East Coast. The Northeast has nothing on us. We shall prevail.”

Kiera’s shoulders shook next to me so hard I was afraid that she’d fall right off the folding chair.

“Is this what all town meetings are about?” I whispered through gritted teeth. I ignored the ache in my thigh. Healing from a gunshot wound—albeit a through-and-through—wasn’t easy. But in the weeks since the incident, I was walking just fine and now had one more scar to add to the others.

Teagan groaned beside me. “This is pretty tame.”

The man who had actual colored contacts of different trees that had nothing to do with this ecosystem pointed directly to them with his laser pointer. “As you can see, some trees even have a violet hue to them. Think of the possibilities.”

“Thank you, Mr. Masters. Your time is up,” the deputy mayor said as she gestured for him to take his seat. “As we have told you for the past five years, we are in Ashford Creek, Colorado. We pride ourselves on being duly conscious of our environment and our ecosystem. Deciduous trees such as this would not thrive in our climate. And where would you choose to plant these 6,000 trees that you propose so we can get the full color array?”

“We would have to take down a few evergreens, but that will be fine. The other ones will grow.”

“Cut down trees to build more trees? We have enough tourists,” somebody called out.

That started a shouting match between people discussing their favorite types of trees and wondering why some trees didn’t lose their leaves.

“Our school systems are failing us.” I pinched the bridge of my nose as Kiera began to giggle outright.

The idea that she was finally laughing after everything that had happened let my shoulders relax marginally.

In the weeks since the attacks, neither one of us had been sleeping. We’d wake up in a cold sweat, and nothing would feel right. But she would roll over, and my arms would be open for her.

It was a far cry from how my nightmares had once been. And for that, I was grateful.

“I think he’s going to throw a punch,” she whispered.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Teagan said loudly. “Don’t tuck your thumb!” she advised, and this time Kiera threw her head back, laughter spilling from her lips. I grinned, wondering why the hell I had said yes to coming to a town hall. Though the show itself was a little interesting. Ridiculous as all get out, but Kiera looked like she was having a blast.

“We’ll see you next year with your tree ideas,” the deputy mayor said, looking far more exasperated than her tone suggested. She blinked that away, though, and grinned. “Now, who is next?”

Promise and Keely strode up the center aisle, and I sat a bit straighter, not having realized they would be up.

“What’s this about?” I whispered.

“Normal things,” Teagan explained. “This is your first town hall in a while. You’ll get the hang of it eventually. The ebbs and flows.”

I gave her a look. “We’ll see how many times I actually show up to these things.”

“Well, whenever we’re in town, we’re coming. This is the best.”

I held back a roll of my eyes before draping my arm around Kiera’s shoulders. She patted my knee and gave me a worried look. She’d had that exact expression on her face far too often these days, but we were getting better and finding a balance. I kissed the top of her head in reassurance, and she sighed in relief. I wasn’t hurting that bad, and honestly, it could have been worse. So much worse. We’d had time to heal, and that was all that mattered.

Not to mention, Nathan and Jeremiah wouldn’t be bothering us again. Ever. Brigid was in rehab, and I wasn’t sure how things would work out in the future, but Kiera never had to do anything alone again when it came to her sister. Although she’d truly never been alone in the first place since her band had shown up the day after the shooting and had proven to her—and the town—that she had a stronger family than ever.

Kiera would be going on tour soon and still needed to go to the studio to work on their album. My workshop was here, my family was here, but I would be traveling with her as much as possible. Ashford Creek would be her home base. My chest swelled just thinking about it.

I was finally leaving town—for a little bit at a time, at least—and I would be doing it at Kiera’s side. I wasn’t quite sure I’d be able to completely get over the idea that people would be watching our every move and actually care about our relationship, but I would get over it. The band Wilder was damn good at what they did and protected each other. I had dealt with it before when Mal had been alive. And I would continue to do so. Honestly, it was anything for Kiera.

Promise cleared her throat as she stood at the mic. “Hello, everybody. As you know, I am Promise Adair, and in case you don’t know, this is Keely Keller.”