“Stay on the phone with me, Tate. I’m here, okay? Everything in there was replaceable. I will replace it all, I promise.”
I nodded even though I knew he couldn’t see me. I just couldn’t find the heart or the words to tell him that nothing was replaceable because most of it had been Mom’s.
The police came.
Millie came.
Neighbors popped their heads out to see the commotion.
At the end of the day, it had been written off as a burglary because some money was missing, as well as some jewelry.
Millie helped me change the locks, and together we spent the evening cleaning the mess, but a sickening feeling kept twisting my gut.
I just knew it wasn’t a burglary.
I called Dustin back after Millie had finally left, half of me not even expecting him to answer due to the late hour, and the other half praying he would.
“Everything okay?” His voice was weary, laced with confusion and concern.
“Did I wake you?” I asked, settling onto my bed. My fingers traced the frame of the last picture taken of the three of us: Dustin, Mom, and me before everything changed. It was after Dad left, but before Dustin chose him.
“Maybe, but it doesn’t matter. Are you okay? You never call.”
A lump formed in my throat. “Tonight was really scary,” I admitted softly, wishing he was here, that he was in the other room, that I wasn’t alone.
Dustin was quiet for a beat. “What did the cops have to say?”
“They filed a report, but they basically told me not to hold my breath. No security footage. No real leads. Just…bad luck.” I swallowed hard, forcing a small, bitter laugh. “Lucky me.”
“Tate, you should come stay with me for a bit. Just until things settle.”
I hesitated, running a hand over my face. Dustin and I were working on things, but the idea of stepping into his world, the one he had chosen with Dad and his new family, made my stomach twist.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, though I wasn’t sure I believed it.
Dustin exhaled heavily, like he wanted to argue but knew better. “At least promise me you’ll look into getting better locks. Maybe a security system?”
“Yeah, Millie and I changed the locks already.” I forced a small smile, though he couldn’t see it. “I’ll add security to the long list of things I can’t afford.”
He chuckled, the tension easing just a little. “I’ll help.”
The offer caught me off guard, but I didn’t argue. Maybe I was too tired to fight him on it. Or maybe I didn’t want to.
Silence stretched between us, comfortable but fragile, like we were both trying to figure out how much space we were allowed to take up in each other’s lives.
Then Dustin spoke again, quieter this time. “I told Dad about the break-in.”
My stomach clenched. “Oh.”
“He…” Dustin hesitated, like he was choosing his words carefully. “He’s worried about you.”
Something inside me recoiled, like it always did at the mention of him. “Great,” I muttered. “That makes up for everything.”
“Tate.”
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Sorry.”
I wasn’t, not really. But Dustin was trying, and part of me—maybe a very small part—wanted to try, too.
