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He probably would, and I didn’t argue with him.
“Everyone’s going to want to visit today. I’m pretty sure Evie’s been working on the biggest bouquet of flowers Garnet Bend has ever seen. You okay with that?”
The thought of seeing everyone… I wanted to, but it was also overwhelming. I’d pretty much been hiding since everything had happened at the school. None of our friends had thought I’d done it, but I was still raw.
I wasn’t quite over the need for people to see me as the sunshine girl, and I never wanted to be seen as a victim. Sighing, I made a mental note to call Dr. Rayne as soon as I was out of the hospital. Evie was right; I needed to talk to someone about that. About everything, really. I already had nightmares, and another near-death experience wasn’t going to make them easier.
Still, I wanted to see my friends. “As long as you stay with me, I’ll be okay.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Lena.” He leaned forward and whispered the words in my ear. “Ever. I promise. I’m staying with you forever.”
Epilogue
Lena
Five Months Later
My stomach was filled with butterflies. Everything was shining and new, and the smell of fresh paint hadn’t quite faded from the interior of Deja Brew.
The day was absolutely perfect, and people were lined up outside, but I was still more nervous than I could ever voice out loud.
The grand reopening had been a long time coming and had taken a lot of planning. But that was after Jude swept me away for a New Year’s vacation on the beach, then moving in to his house and starting to turn it into a home we both adored. It wasn’t a place with bare white walls anymore, and Jude had built a new bed for us with everything he’d promised.
I’d never really taken a vacation, and almost being murdered seemed like a good excuse to take one. It had done me good, taking time to breathe, plan, have sessions with Dr. Rayne, and go home to Jude every night, ready for him to leave me breathless.
When I’d finally had the window in Deja Brew replaced earlier in the spring and began rebuilding, people had started to reach out. Time had cooled passions, and both Charlie and the local news had done a good job repairing my reputation.
Of course, hearing it all from Ben’s lips and exactly how he’d sabotaged everything did wonders. The town was down a mechanic, but that was a solvable problem.
Even Allison DeVries was on my side. As soon as everything about Ben came out, she’d begged Charlie for my number and apologized. She saw how everything looked, and ruefully admitted how easy it was for Ben to charm her into letting him close to her. It made it all too simple.
She didn’t even blink when I asked her about the barn, and then I felt a little foolish—though nothing had felt foolish in my desperation. Allison was growing her own coffee plants. They took years to mature, and they were just starting out, but she had dreams of starting her own coffee line. The farmer had the extra room to help and was a family friend. In spite of everything, we’d started chatting, and I had hopes she could be my friend too.
Lucas and Evelyn’s wedding next month would help in the rebuilding process, but right now, I was only thinking about the people outside who were waiting to come in and try the veritable mountain of baked goods Evie and I had made over the last couple of days. Jude and every other person in the Resting Warrior family had been in and out, testing the food and making sure I wasn’t going crazy when I wondered if it was good.
“Lena, stop pacing. You’re going to make people think something’s wrong.” Evie stood in the door to the kitchen with one brow raised. “Do I need to send you out back to run around the block?”
I shook my head. “No. I just—”
“If you tell me you’re worried one more time, woman, I am going to smack you. Everything is perfect, and everyone is excited. Do you see that crowd?”
“They could be here to throw tomatoes at me,” I muttered.
That wasn’t true, and I knew it, but I couldn’t shake the fear that gripped my stomach. Until I saw people’s reactions, I wouldn’t be calm.
“Hey.” Arms came around me from behind, pulling me against him. “Everything is beautiful, and everything tastes amazing. I definitely did not just sneak some more of the chocolate frosting.” Jude leaned down and kissed my cheek. “Breathe for me, sweetheart.”
“I’ll try.”
If anything, everything had simply gotten better between us. With Ben gone and us living together, we were making up for lost time. Not once had I gotten tired of being close to Jude, and I knew he felt the same.
Even now, his holding me was easing my nerves and making me feel better. I could stand here forever and forget about the people outside. That would be fine with me.
“How long are you going to make them stand out there?” he asked, though I could feel him smiling.
“Forever. Let’s cancel it.”
“Stop stalling.”
