Page 71 of Kylie

“Did y’all find Martin?” I asked the group, looking from one face to the next and finally landing on Kieran.

“Not yet,” he answered.

“We will,” Brantley stated in that tone that left no room for argument.

I believed him. I had to. Otherwise, going home would put everyone at risk, and while I wanted them to be safe, I wanted to be there to ensure that was the case. I couldn’t do this anymore.

Travis urged me toward the front of the house, and I went without hesitation. Gage tried to remove his hand from mine to open the door, but I squeezed tighter, unwilling to let go. God gave him two hands; he could use the other because, for the moment, this one belonged to me.

We walked out front, and the first thing I noticed was the SUV. I was surprised to see that it was the same one that Travis had before I … died. I knew it was the same one because there was a perfect indentation on the bumper. It was there because I accidentally hit one of those metal poles that hold the sign they put in the parking space for designated pickup. It was at Target, and I had been distracted by … God, I couldn’t even remember now. Travis had never gotten it fixed. For some reason, seeing it made me feel better. Like they hadn’t moved completely on.

Before I could reach for the rear passenger door, Gage opened the front door and tugged me in that direction. I went without argument.

Once inside and buckled, I took a deep, shuddering breath, and the tears sprang forth again. My chest heaved with sobs, but I couldn’t help it. This nightmare was over.

It was really over.

“We’ve got you,” Gage said from behind me, his arms coming around the seat to settle on my shoulders. I grabbed one of his hands and latched onto Travis’s when he reached over to pat my arm.

“Take me home,” I rasped, knowing the tears would stop soon enough, but for now, it was the only way for the relief to escape.

Travis put the SUV in gear and headed out. I stared straight ahead, trying to catch my breath and taking in everything around me. Aside from the trees and the river, I hadn’t seen anything outside since the day we went to Walker Park. The day Juliet Prince hit me with her car. Kieran had told me that we were in a rural area, but he hadn’t given me many other details. I hadn’t asked, either. It had been easier to stay put if I didn’t know where I was in relation to my family.

“She’s dead,” I said, glancing over at Travis. I didn’t tell him who I was referring to, but it appeared he didn’t need to hear Juliet’s name.

His blue-gray eyes shifted to me briefly. He nodded, and there wasn’t an ounce of remorse on his face.

I turned my attention back out the window. “Good.”

For many miles, no one said anything. I found the silence both off-putting and refreshing. I’d spent the past year and a half in solitude. Mostly, anyway. And with all my memories intact, I knew what I was walking into would be anything but silent.

Not that I wasn’t looking forward to it. I was. Of course I was. However, I was also hesitant. I was terrified that my children wouldn’t remember me. And it was a strong possibility. Especially Maddox and Haden. They’d been so little. In fact, I’d been away from Maddox longer than I’d been with him, not counting the pregnancy. No way would he know me.

I fought the panic that surged in my bloodstream. The last thing I wanted was to lose it before I even made it home.

I could feel Travis watching me, knew he sensed me falling apart.

“They’ve missed you,” he said softly.

My gaze darted over, meeting his gaze briefly.

Gage squeezed my shoulder. “They haven’t forgotten you.”

How they knew what I was thinking, I wasn’t sure. However, I didn’t want to get into it at the moment, so I nodded once, letting them know I heard them.

Part of me expected Travis to start interrogating me. He didn’t. In fact, he hadn’t asked a single question about where they’d kept me or what had happened. I’d anticipated those questions from the moment I saw him. And again, I was grateful for the reprieve. I wasn’t sure I was capable of talking about it. I didn’t want to think about it; I knew that for sure. I wanted to take advantage of the calm before the storm.

So I did.

Curtis

“I need everyone to come sit down for a minute,” I called to my grandkids.

Travis and Gage had dropped the kids off at our house a couple of hours ago, briefly sharing the information they had about Kylie. I would admit, the shock hadn’t been immediate, but as soon as his words sank in, I wasn’t sure how either of us functioned. Luckily, five rugrats had the ability to kickstart just about any muddled brain, and we’d managed to keep them from destroying anyone or anything.

Half an hour ago, we’d gotten word from Travis that they were on the way home, and he had confirmed that my daughter-in-law was alive.

At that point, I felt like I was walking around on the set of a television show where someone had just changed the script.