Page 88 of A Love Like Candle Light

We trudge back to my house. Abby darts all around us, bringing us an assortment of sticks which I throw for her, and at one point she even finds a tennis ball. Kieran probably lost it out here.

But when we come back to my house, there's a second car parked in my driveway.

"Huh?" I stop in my tracks.

"Oh, is Erik here to pay you a visit?" Lauren hits my arm. "That is so boyfriend coded."

"Nope." I shake my head. "That is my ex’s car."

Chapter 30

Kylie

Lauren freezes. Her demeanor shifts, her jaw sets, and she crosses her arms in front of her chest.

"What does he want?" She looks about ready for a fight.

"Fuck if I know," I whisper.

A part of me wants to turn around and run away. I truly thought the moment we signed the papers would be the last time I ever saw him. He never called again, so I really thought his one call was accidental, but appearing here?

I’m not sure what to think.

"Do you want me to leave?" Lauren asks. Immediately, I shake my head.

"Hell no," I hiss and pull her with me. "You’ll be my witness."

"I'll be your witness, alibi, carry your shovel, and help you dig a grave." She shrugs, stumbling with me. "Anything you need. I'm just saying, the cadaver dogs recently checked your property. Chances are low they're going to do it again anytime soon. Also, I heard the sheriff likes you, you could totally get away with murder."

"Lauren!" I scold her. But she blinks at me with wide innocent eyes.

"Just saying."

"Nobody is going to die here today," I assure her, as we reach my gravelly driveway.

Zach decides this is the perfect opportunity to get out of his car.

"Zach." I stop in my tracks and give him a curt nod. My stomach bubbles with anxiety. "What are you doing here?"

He doesn’t seem well. The bags under his eyes aren't new, and neither is his hair being outgrown and disheveled, but he looks like a ghost. His skin is paler than ever, his eyes are bloodshot, and his beard longer than I've ever seen it.

"I didn't know where else to go." He sounds so broken that even Lauren starts to relax. "I'm sorry."

Lauren and I shoot each other a look. As angry as I am at him, his state worries me. Maybe it’s because I’m sentimental and how much he once used to mean to me. Which is my brain speaking. My heart? Doesn’t give a damn anymore. No more fluttering, no more ache, just indifference.

I’ll have to pop a bottle of nice wine to celebrate.

"We were just about to have a coffee," I say and pinch the bridge of my nose, hating the sentimentalist side of me. "Why don't you come inside?"

I walk ahead without waiting for his answer, knowing Lauren will follow me.

"You’ve got a nice place," Zach mumbles as he walks into my living room.

Abby doesn't even care he's here. She sniffed him in the beginning, but then promptly turned around and curled up in her little bed next to the couch. Pain flashes across his face, but what did he expect? It's not as if he ever spent time with her. I don't think he ever even took her on a walk.

“Thank you. Now, want to tell me why you’re here? You made it clear these past years that ‘missing me’ can’t be the reason. Is there anything we forgot to divide in the divorce?”

Lauren gives me a subtle thumbs up.