Page 1 of Push

Part 1

We All Fall Down

1

She Saw a Photo

Gwen

“I don’t know whereToby is.”

Judy babbled on, but I barely heard a word. I pressed my phone harder against my ear, clutching so tight my fingers burned. Not that it made a difference. Every croak of the woman who managed my husband’s dental clinic was smothered by the roar of a truck blasting past me on the bridge.

Blonde hair whipping across my face, I wedged closer to the steel barrier as if another two steps would dull the noise. Judy probably couldn’t hear me over wave after wave of traffic, but I needed to try. I was running out of options.

Frantic words tumbled out. “Doesanyoneknow how to get in touch with Toby?” I flicked a glance over my shoulder at the chaos swarming behind me. “It’s an emergency.”

That was an understatement. The Sydney Harbor skyline was on fire with flashing red and blue lights. Three cars had been written off, and the road was crammed with tow trucks,paramedics, and police directing the traffic and talking to witnesses.

What a shitshow.

And then there was me, the blob of athleisure, huddled off to the side. There was no sign of the ass-kicking prosecutor I used to be. I was peak suburban housewife, rocking sparkly flip-flops and yoga pants, bouncing an overstuffed blueberry on my hip. Noah was safely bundled in his puffy coat. Still, he was restless, kicking his chubby legs.

We’d been stranded too long.

I wished the old me were there. She’d never act so damn helpless. She’d take control of the situation. Figure out a solution. Make shit happen. But that woman was long gone. She was off licking her wounds because her career—hell, almost everything that made her tick—was buried under a pile of dirty diapers and endless household responsibilities.

Judy started talking again. “Toby—” A horn blared. “Five—maybe—”

The steady whoosh of headlights turned fuzzy. Tears of frustration almost made their way down my cheeks, but I quickly swiped them away with the back of my hand. Talking to Judy was a waste of time. I needed help. No, screw that. I needed help an hour ago.

“Tell Toby to call me,” I said before my thumb hit the screen to end the call. I jammed my phone back into the waistband of my yoga pants and darted a look around the bridge.

WherewasToby?

I had no clue. Every one of my panicked calls had gone straight to voicemail. I’d fired off message after message letting him know I was stranded with Noah after some moron had cut me off, and…nothing.

Toby should’ve clocked off work at least an hour ago. Even on the nights he was on call to handle emergencies, he always camehome first. He should’ve been walking in the front door right about now, ready with smiles and kisses, growling something silly but so perfectly him, like, “We meet again, my fair Lady Gwendolyn.”

Wasn’t he worried we weren’t at home? Why wasn’t he answering his phone?

Worry twisted my stomach into a knot.

WasTobyokay?

Fate couldn’t be cruel enough for us both to be in an accident on the same night, could it? God, anything could’ve happened. Maybe Toby was hurt. What if he—

I slammed the brakes on those thoughts faster than I had in the accident. This wasn’t the time to panic. Noah needed me. We weren’t going anywhere if I collapsed into an emotional black hole.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and focused. For one magical second, I was free. Everything vanished into the silent black. The accident. The red and blue lights. The city. What was left? My hair still lashed my face, and the frosty night air kissed my cheeks, but Noah was warm and safe, bouncing on my hip.

I’ve survived worse. Think, Gwen.

Time to call a taxi. Snapping back to the real world, I grabbed my phone. But headlights swerved off the road. Squinting, I shielded my hand over my eyes.

What fresh hell is hurtling for me now?

The familiar pink and white van rumbled to a stop, and the door flew open.

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