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I swing the door open and jump back out of the way as the door comes off the hinges, falling toward me. Miller jumps in, throwing his arm up and preventing the door from falling on my head. He finds somewhere safe to place his hands on the charred wood and picks it up, placing it at the other end of the room.
Letting out a breath, I peek into the wardrobe and sigh as every last bit of hope escapes me. Just as I expected, there’s absolutely nothing left.
I hear a gasp behind me and realize that Sophie has made her way into the room. “Shit, Dani,” she says, looking around the room, clearly stuck for words.
“I know,” I tell her. “It’s all gone.”
“It’s okay,” she tells me. “It just gives us an excuse to go shopping.”
I give her a small smile, appreciating her fake enthusiasm. It’s solely for my benefit, trying to make out like this isn’t a big deal and that it’s all going to be okay.
“Come on,” Sophie says a moment later, taking my hand and leading me out of the room. “I’ve got a few things we can share until we can get new stuff.”
I leave my room and promise myself that I will never look back. I’m starting new with Miller. A new perspective to go with my new home. If my friends are safe, I’ll be okay, and as long as I have Miller by my side, nothing can hurt me.
I make my way down the hall and into Sophie’s room, pleased to see she still has a few things worth saving. I help her pack up what’s left while Miller heads down to Jared’s room and gives him a hand.
Two hours later, we’ve finished packing everything we can, and with tears in our eyes, we say goodbye to our home.
I hop into Miller’s SUV, and we head to the store so I can get a few of the necessities I’ll need until Sophie and I get a real chance to replace what we’ve lost once our renter’s insurance claim goes through. Walking around the store with Miller is a whole new experience, one that surprisingly cheers me up.
His first stop is the underwear section, and he does his best to fill the basket with the smallest pieces he can find. I try to explain to him that we’re just getting the necessities and don’t need this stuff, but he ensures me that this is definitely a necessity.
Our whole shopping trip goes pretty much like this, with Miller and I arguing over what counts as a necessity. A thirty-minute shopping trip turns into a good two hours before we finally make it to the checkout and then he takes me to our home.
I’m sitting in Miller’s truck, chatting away with Mom and filling her in on everything that has happened over the past few days as Miller drives us to the ice rink for tonight’s game. Which just happens to be one of the most important games of the season. It’s the game that will determine if my boys make it to The Frozen Four, the semi-finals.
I pull my feet up under me as I skim over the details of the fire and attempted rape as I don’t want to worry Mom. But also because I see Miller’s knuckles turning white as he grasps the steering wheel harder with each new sentence I utter.
I want Miller to be in the right frame of mind for tonight’s game. I would hate for my issues to mess with his head and screw up his chances at winning tonight, even though I know he’s a god on that ice and nothing can stop him. Hell, his anger from my issues would most likely spur him to skate faster and hit harder, but I’m not taking any chances.
I get to the good part of the conversation, letting Mom know all about my new living arrangements, and smirk as I watch Miller’s grip on the steering wheel loosen, pride shining in his eyes. Mom completely brightens up at this news. After the night of the auction, she fell for Miller’s charm, just as I knew she would. I swear, I’ve never seen a mother approve of a man dating her daughter quite so quickly.
My phone beeps with an incoming call, and I quickly glance at the screen to see a private number. “Hey Mom, I’ve got another call. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, my sweet girl,” she says. “I love you. Keep me updated about Brett.”
“Will do. Bye, Mom.”
“Bye, darling. Wish Miller good luck from us,” she says, playing her usual game of never hanging up the phone.
“Okay, Mom. I’ve got to go, bye,” I rush out, hoping I don’t miss the other call.
I hang up before Mom can get started on something else and suddenly feel uneasy about who could be trying to contact me, especially from a private number. I hit answer and hesitantly put the phone back up to my ear. “Hello?”
