Page 114 of Healing the Heart

“Will this require me asking my husband to kill him?”

Fiona made this bizarre noise, a mix of laughter, tears, and a sad, pitiful moan, which proved she was a hot mess emotionally.

“You don’t have to answer. Get here, Fi. Then we’ll deal with the rest.”

Somehow, she’d packed, scheduled a flight out, and gotten to the airport on time.

In San Antonio, when she saw her friend, she collapsed into her arms. “I’m an idiot. They told me not to fall for him, but I did, Lex. I did so hard.”

Jonas had already put her bags in the back of their Denali when Lexie squeezed her into the third row, and, with little Jeremiah in the second, peacefully sleeping in his car seat, followed her in.

A shadow passed over her. Putting her hand up to block the intensely bright South Texas sun, she squinted up at Lexie standing over her, holding Jeremiah. She yanked on the cord, and her earbuds slipped out.

Lexie picked up her phone, looked at the screen, and grimaced in disgust. “‘Torn’? Seriously, Fi. Why can’t you listen to something cheerful?”

“I am. Until today, it was ‘Without You’ by Harry Nilson and ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ on repeat.” She retrieved her phone and swung her legs over the side of the chaise, sitting up. “Besides, sad breakup songs are supposed to help mend a broken heart. They’ve done studies.”

“How’s it working for you so far?”

“It’s not.” She noticed the flower she held. “What’s that?”

She held it up, along with an envelope, while bouncing and jiggling Miah who was starting to fuss. “I’m not sure I want to give it to you.”

“You have to. Tampering with the US mail is a felony.”

“Not if it didn’t come in the mail.”

“Lex!”

“All right,” she replied, handing over the single, long-stemmed pink rose and plain white envelope, although she didn’t look or sound happy about it.

Accepting both, Fiona examined the letter-sized envelope, flipping it from front to back. There wasn’t an address, postage mark, or stamp, only her name.

“How was this delivered?”

“In person, by Noah.”

“He’s here? In Texas?” she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and heading inside.

Lexie caught her hand. “He left. I was feeding Miah and couldn’t get to the door.”

She looked down at the earbuds dangling over her shoulder, the reason she didn’t hear a knock or the doorbell. “Do you think he wants me back?”

“That’s my guess after flying 1300 miles to get here.”

She collapsed onto the lounge with a weary sigh, her emotions a jumble of disappointment and relief. “Maybe it’s best I didn’t hear the door. The way I feel, I’d have done something stupid like dropping to my knees at his feet and professing my undying love for him.”

“Only to have to go through what you have these long, excruciating three weeks when he does it again? No, Fi. I couldn’t bear to watch it. You’ll have to be strong if only to spare me.”

She stared down at the envelope. “I don’t know if I can open it.”

“Good. I’ll throw it out.”

Fiona jerked it away when she reached for it. “Don’t hate him, Lex. I should, but I don’t.”

“I try not to hate anyone. But I strongly dislike a man who professed to care for you then walked out just days after a serial killer cut you and threatened to—” She stopped mid-rant short of saying the awful R-word and took a deep breath. “You don’t need me to tell you what that animal did. Neither does Noah, since he had to sit and watch. Suffice it to say, he will never be my favorite person, and I’d be deliriously happy if you never saw him again.”

With curiosity eating at her, Fiona broke the seal on the envelope with her thumb.

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