Page 59 of Ice Queen

I shake my head. “No, nothing like that. His parents are looked up to as a symbol of things done the right way in the circles they run in, but his mom is sleeping with his dad’s business partner.”

Oh, the irony. They portrayed this big, powerful united force, yet behind closed doors, it was chaos and destruction. Money hungry, image chasing, screw how anyone else feels as long as it’s beneficial to them. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“I didn’t know if it was a secret,” I add. “But it certainly wasn’t information I should have known. I planned my “escape” for more than a year, but the way he reacted when I found out is what made me take that leap. The glass he threw at me hit the wall, maybe an inch from my head. I had a cut on the side of my face from it. I needed to get out.”

She nods, eyes looking at the sunflowers swaying by the porch. “And Sammy?”

“What about him?”

“How did he come into play?”

“He was at a bar, and I ran inside to try and get away from Wyatt. He stood out.” I smile despite the heaviness I feel. “The man’s a giant.”

I laugh, my chest warming as I remember that night. “He didn’t ask questions. Didn’t push. He just… acted. He turned one of my darkest moments into one of hope. And I’ll never be able to thank him enough for that.”

Her hand settles on my forearm, gentle and grounding. “That's just who he is, Kait. Protector through and through.”

Cam’s cries echo through the monitor, sharp and demanding of his mom’s attention. She pushes off the railing with a sigh, “Come on, girlfriend. It’s time to get you ready for hockey night in the Monroe house.” She tosses me a wink, throwing her braid over her shoulder as she walks inside.

A laugh bubbles up in my chest, warming me from the inside. I stay where I am for just a second, watching as Maggie tears across the field again. For the first time since I ran, my story doesn’t feel like something that happened to me. But something I survived.

And that feels like the start of something else entirely.

“Kait.” My name is whispered.

“Kaitlyn.” A little harder now. Then a baby cries, and my arms tighten around the little one on my chest.

My mouth falls open as my eyes focus on Cam’s head of hair. “Oh my gosh, I fell asleep with your kid on my chest. I’m so freaking sorry. I could have dropped him.”

Scarlett’s lips tick up at the corner. “I was sitting right here. He was asleep, too.” She chuckles. “But you slept through the entire game.”

“Whoopsies. Must have been that lemonade.” I sit up, cradling Cam in front of me. “Hey, little guy. Want your mama?

“You’re not a drinker, are you?” Scarlett asks as she picks up Cam and settles him across her lap to feed him a bottle.

I shake my head, watching as he immediately latches on and tries to grab her hair.

“Then why’d you take it?” She looks up at me briefly before looking down at her son with a smile.

I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, then rub Maggie’s head once I realize she’s on the floor next to me. “Because you were so excited about it. I didn’t want to make you feel bad.”

Her head snaps up, and she levels me with a glare that has me sinking back into the couch. “Don’t do that.” She turns her body so that she’s fully facing me. “I mean it, Kait.”

“I’ll try not to.”

Her phone vibrates next to her, and a smirk takes over her face as she reads whatever is on it.

“A date?” she asks, turning the phone to face me.

Six lines of rapid-fire texts have come in from Markus, and little dots dance beneath them.

Lettie, did Kait leave?

When did she leave is the better question.

She said she had a date tonight, but she isn’t home.

I swear, I’ll have Abby call Dex if I need to.