I take a deep, steadying breath, and although my heart doesn’t stop racing, the dark edges of my vision clear. It’s progress. And I’ll take every single inch of progress I can get.
“Let’s do it.”
She releases my hand, so I drop it and draw in a deep breath as I reach down to pat Delta. That’s how he knows I’m okay. A single pat will let him know I’m fine, whereas if I rest my hand on him, he knows I’m still deep in the struggle.
The fact that I was able to have that casual contact and didn’t go into a spiral is a miracle in and of itself. Even if it does seem like such a slight thing, for me, it’s a shift of my world. A crack in the walls I placed around myself.
She turns away from me and starts looking at the flowers.
All while my heart rate returns to normal, and I’m hit with a level of peace I haven’t had in as long as I can remember. Emotion wells up within me, an overwhelming avalanche of feelings that have nothing to do with my fear and everything to do with the feeling of her hand on my chest, of mine cradling her cheek.
A miracle.
That’s what it is.
And that can only mean one thing…right?
God, is that You?
Chapter 24
Emma
“You want to leave?” With a glass of Arnold Palmer in my hand, I shift my gaze away from the flowers we spent the afternoon planting so I can focus entirely on Dylan. I can still feel his hand on my cheek, just as I can still feel the hammering of his heart beneath my palm.
But he’d been himself the entire time. Proof that the monster he’s created in his mind doesn’t exist. That he may struggle, but he’s not lost.
Thank You, Lord. I smile, feeling God present with us right now. He’s always there, and that brings me calm in the midst of this storm we’re facing.
“I think it’s probably for the best,” Dylan replies, then takes a sip of his sweet tea. “Get some distance between us and this place. He won’t know where to find you then.”
“What about stopping him?”
“We can do that from a distance—we’re already doing it that way. And I’m no computer whiz like Tucker, or a strategist like Bradyn and Elliot. I’m the brute force that comes in behind them,” he says with absolute conviction and no arrogance. It’s a simple fact. “The skills I offer aren’t needed just yet.”
A shiver runs through me as his words settle in. Just what skills is he talking about? “What about Riley? Where does he fall in the skills category?”
Dylan smirks. “Riley has a bit of everything. He’s actually been to see Harlow and managed to get her talking a bit more. Nothing much, but he’s trying to make her comfortable in hopes she’ll have something else to offer.”
“Really? I don’t know why I’m surprised. I still remember him sweet-talking his way out of trouble when he accidentally drove his truck through Mrs. Perry’s flower bed in the eleventh grade.”
Dylan laughs. “Yeah, he’s got a gift, for sure. The point is, I think it’s best if we go. At least for a little while.”
“What about my cat?”
“My mom actually offered to take him in. If that doesn’t work, we can try to bring him too. It’s just a long trip.”
“Where are we going?”
“Better if I don’t say that just yet.” He sets his tea down and crosses his arms. “But it’ll be somewhere safe.”
I consider. “We just planted all those flowers.”
“They’ll be here when we get back. Automatic sprinklers,” he explains with a smile. “They’ll be fine.”
“What about Harlow?”
“She’ll remain here. I don’t think he’s after her—at least, not yet.”
