Page 26 of October

“Uh, that’s Wren. She is part of our family.”

My stomach sinks and my heart contracts.

What in the hell am I doing? To my earlier point… I’m so fucking stupid.

“You’re right. She is.” I take the picture and look at it closer.

Like a montage at the end of a romcom, I relive some of our moments together in my head. The good, the funny, the sexy, and even small things from before the night in the motel room.

I want her. I love her.

She belongs in our family.

“Casey, we need to talk about something important.”

Chapter 15

Wren

It took everything Ihad not to send him a text message telling him I was sick and couldn’t come in to work today, but I’ve missed Casey.

I want to hang out with her and hear all about her time with her grandma.

So, I put on my big girl panties and came in to work like a grown-up. If my calendar is right, he’s going on shift this afternoon, so it’ll just be Casey and me for the next couple of days.

I’ve got my overnight bag packed and I’m ready to go be a professional.

Even though my boss climbed into my soul, and body, in a way no one else has before and absolutely shattered my heart.

Stop it.

With a deep breath, I leave my car and use my key to slip inside.

It’s quiet at first and gives me a chance to look around, only to remember the ways I spent time here in the last week. I’ll never be able to view it the same way again.

“WREN!!” I hear Casey shout from the living room before she barrels down the hall and hugs me tight. “I missed you!”

I squat down to her level and squeeze her tight. “I missed you too, kiddo, more than you know.”

She pulls away quickly and smiles wide. “Stay right here. I have a present for you. Close your eyes. No peeking.”

“Okay,” I say, confused as ever, but I close my eyes.

I hear her walk away for a minute before coming back. “Hold out your hand.”

I do, and she lays something small and square in my hand. “What is this?” I ask, eyes still closed.

“Open up and find out.”

I blink my eyes open and see the envelope from Clue in my palm. “You want to play?” I ask.

“No, silly. You have to open it,” she replies. “Hurry, hurry!” she says excitedly, looking over her shoulder every once in a while.

“Okay, okay.”

I drop my bag to the floor then stand upright, pulling the tiny envelope open to find three white cards inside.

Each scribbled with something different on the front.

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