Page 107 of Push

Whatever he was about to tell me was serious.

I tried lightening the mood Toby style. “You got a bomb in that bag?” I joked.

“Basically.” He looked like he was about to puke.

The thread of resilience holding me together frayed at the edge, but I needed to do this right. Patience. Listening. My mouth clenched shut to stop myself barking the conclusions twisting together in my mind.

I stuck my foot out and dragged the highchair closer. By the time Noah was safely strapped in his seat and smacking the tray with his chubby hands, Toby had a peeled banana and a bowl of yogurt waiting. He didn’t bother handing over a spoon. Noah never used one. Fists were tastier.

“What do you need to tell me?” I asked Toby, no emotion clouding my voice.So far, so good.

He took a deep breath. “Um…” His head drooped. “Kayleigh’s following me.”

I wasn’t sure what I expected Toby to say, but it wasn’t that. Too many emotions battled inside. I wanted to laugh. Anger urged me to ball my fists and pound something until I collapsed, exhausted, on the floor. More than anything, I wanted Kayleigh gone. Toby was mine. My man. My protector. The father of my son. That little tramp could go to hell.

I almost kept my face neutral, but the frown was impossible to hide. “Toby, I’m going to ask a lot of questions now.” Getting lost in the details was safer than dealing with a blur of emotions inside me. “I don’t want you to feel like this is an inquisition. I’m asking to understand what’s happened and figure out what to do next, okay?”

His hand reached for me, and relief lit up his face when I didn’t pull away. “No secrets, Gwen.” He stared at the sight of our fingers laced together. “I’ll tell you everything.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“A few weeks.”

My nostrils flared with my sharp breath in.A few weeks!The world wobbled, unsteady, even though I tried to blot out the sting of the latest hit. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. I needed to focus.

“She’s turned up at a few places.” Toby sighed. “The gym. When I met up with Zach. Buying groceries. Dropping by the hardware store. She was waiting outside the pharmacy this morning. Somehow, she always knows where I am. She leaves notes.” He swallowed and nodded at the bag. “Gifts.”

“Gifts?”

“Flowers and, um… I think photos. I didn’t open any of the envelopes she left.” His eyes dropped, heavy with guilt. “Gwen, I’m so sorry. I know I asked you to trust me and stop reading her posts. This is something I should’ve told you about straight away.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“There was so much happening. The first time Kayleigh popped out of nowhere was when Zach and I met up for a run. I told her I had nothing to say to her. Then she left a note when my car was parked at the clinic…” He sagged against the counter. “That was the morning I confronted Ian. I was going to tell you, I swear. Everything was completely out of control. My head was all over the place. The absolute last thing I was thinking about was Kayleigh.”

Nodding slowly, I let the details sink in. “Has she had access to your phone?” An ugly laugh echoed in the back of my mind. OfcourseKayleigh’s talons had been hooked on his phone. How many times had she answered it for him at the clinic? Too many. “Does she know your passcode?”

Toby’s answer was barely a whisper. “Yes.”

“Okay.” I was surprised at how even my voice was despite the hurricane of emotions inside me. “Kayleigh might be tracking you via your phone.”

He shook off the shock and squared his shoulders. “I’ll get a new phone today.” He nodded as if confirming an order to be obeyed. “I’ll change all my passwords. Whatever it takes.”

“She might be tracking your car, too.”

“My…” He let out a rough breath. Realizing how serious this was seemed to hit him all at once. “What have I done to us? Gwen… Shit…”

“And what’s in there?” I nodded at the duffel sitting on the counter. “The notes? Can I take a look?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Toby seemed reluctant to let go of my hand, but after our fingers untangled, he hopped off the stool and unzipped the bag. I peered over his shoulder. A mess of white paper and wilted flowers was stuffed inside. I spotted the unopened envelopes. He stepped back like he couldn’t escape the bag fast enough.

I opened the cabinet underneath the sink and crouched to rummage through all the junk. My pink dish gloves were neatly folded in the back.

Toby’s brows furrowed. “Doing a bit of frustration cleaning?” His lips almost tipped into a smile.

“I don’t want to contaminate anything more than I have to.” I stuck my fingers in the gloves and snapped the ends around my wrists. No doubt, I looked ridiculous, but there weren’t many options. “This”—I waved a pink glove over the open duffel—“isallevidence.”

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