Page 52 of Starcrossed Colorado

“I feel guilty. That’s why I’m confessing.”

“I forgive you.” I opened my eyes and turned my head. Emma was looking at me. Blue, blue eyes. So fucking pretty.

There was a lot I would forgive her.

“What did this article say?” I asked.

“That she was hit by a car on the highway. She ran into the road. But Piper said it was definitely an accident.”

I hesitated.

“It was, right?” Emma asked.

“The elderly woman who hit her couldn’t stop in time. Lori had parked at a nearby trailhead, and she walked the trailthrough the meadow there. It was summer then, so it was probably full of wildflowers. Like it is now.”

I pictured how those fields of flowers had looked a couple of weeks ago. The day I had met Emma.

“She stopped at an old abandoned cabin,” I said.

“I think I saw it from the road.”

“It’s on the trail. She dropped her phone nearby. After that, why she was there after dark and ran onto the road, nobody can say. But the elderly woman who was driving the car claimed she sawtwopeople by the highway. Someone else was with Lori. And the driver said… She said this other person pushed Lori into the road.”

“Oh my God. Did the police find any evidence to support that?”

“No. Nothing. The driver’s glasses prescription was out of date, and it was dark out. The police thought she was either confused or saw a double image. But I don’t know. I still have Lori’s phone, and I’ve gone over what’s on it a hundred times with no luck. If there were incriminating messages, she must’ve deleted them. I knew she was keeping secrets from me.”

“What do you mean?”

“A feeling I had. I was going to ask her about it. Didn’t get the chance. I wish I could force it all to make sense, but I can’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Emma said again.

“Me too.”

I looked down at her big blue eyes. And suddenly, I was leaning in. My nose brushed the side of hers. I wanted desperately to kiss her. Press her down to the bed. Take comfort in her, and let her take comfort from me. Take anything she wanted.

The hell is wrong with me?

She was sick, and I was thinking about stripping her naked.

“Close your eyes,” I whispered. “Get some rest. I’ll be here.”

Emma took a deep breath, exhaled, and put her head back on my shoulder.

The alarm on my phone blared. I rubbed my face, and Emma stirred beside me. We’d fallen asleep.

“You need to go?” Emma asked.

“I do.” Didn’t want to, though. I’d been comfortable. Couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken a nap. “Dixie’s going to bring Maisie over before the kids’ jiu-jitsu class. I need to get things ready. You need anything?”

“Could you take Stella out for me?”

“Of course. Anything else?”

“Not right now. The ice cream helped. And the sleep.” But when she sat up, her mouth twisted like she was still hurting. “Maybe Dixie could come up while she’s here. I need to ask her about her friend’s spare room. See if it’s still free.”

“You’re settled in here. Why not stick around?”

---