Page 14 of Push

I spared Marnie any more of my inner turmoil and sipped my coffee in silence.

My nerves had only slipped a few notches down the panic scale when the doorbell rang.

I launched forward, but Marnie’s hand landed on my shoulder, encouraging me to stay back.

“Let me get it.” She tried to hide her worry behind a shaky smile. “Stay here.”

The flutter of her skirt disappeared around the doorway.

My foot tapped a beat faster than my heart. An unexpected knock on the door was never a good sign. There was always a police officer waiting on the other side. Growing up, I’d pried open the door to more than my fair share.

The officer would take off his hat, crouch down, and ask, “Is your mum at home?”

And I’d always lied and said, “No, sir, she’s working,” knowing full well she was passed out on the threadbare sofa just out of sight, too drunk to handle another trip to pick up my brother from the station.

The police visits had slowed as the years went on. Not because Liam had changed, but because he’d learned better tricks to avoid getting caught.

Was that happening now? Was a police officer waiting on the other side of my front door? Would he frown as he removed his hat and delivered the type of news no one ever wanted to hear?

I wrapped a protective arm around the back of Noah’s highchair. Instinct. My little boy didn’t have a care in the world. He babbled away as he squished blueberries in his fist and stuffed them in his mouth.

Muddled footsteps echoed from the hallway. Marnie reappeared, but the man behind her wasn’t a police officer.

It was Ian.

She blocked the doorway, but he ducked through the gap to cross the kitchen in three quick strides. My nails bit into my palms. I wasn’t sure if his being there was better…or worse.

“Gwenny.” His arms wrapped around me so tight my hands were stuck useless by my sides.

Over his shoulder, I caught sight of Marnie hovering by the doorway. Her head was cocked, eyes on Ian, tracking his every move. My own thoughts whirred. Why was he here?

Ian stood back. His hands clasped on my shoulders, and he scanned me up and down, a line pinched between his brows. “Are youreallyokay?”

I waved him off. “I told you last night I’m fine. Noah’s fine. The insurance and a rental car are already sorted.” At three in the morning, doinganythingwas a better way to occupy my mind than imagining Toby’s body sprawled on top of another woman.

Ian smiled down at me, but he seemed rattled. His hand lingered a little too long on my shoulder before he slid it away to wave hello at Noah. After that, he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. He picked at the cuticle on his thumb, and the dartof his eyes—to me, to Marnie, and back to his hand—made that twitchy energy sizzle my nerves again.

“Gwen… I… There’s something I need to tell you. Can we talk?” He glanced over his shoulder to the doorway where my best friend’s eyes were still zeroed in on him. “Maybe…in private?”

Marnie snorted. “I’m not going anywhere.” She folded her arms across her chest to prove her point. “Say what you came to say and shove off, Ian.”

His jaw clenched, but he said nothing. He wasn’t going to be derailed by Marnie. His focus stayed on me. “I need to talk to you about Toby.”

My stomach plummeted like a skydiver without a parachute. “Is he—? Ian, if something’s wrong—if Toby’s hurt—”

“No, he’s…fine…” Another nervous look turned over his shoulder.

“Just tell me what’s going on.”

Ian took a deep breath. “Gwen, you have to understand… Toby’s my best friend. Jesus, we’re closer than friends. Basically, we’re like…like…brothers, right? But…” He tugged a hand through his hair and dropped his eyes to his shoes. “I lied to you last night.”

I rolled my eyes for Marnie’s benefit.Tell me something I don’t know. Lounging against the archway, she smirked.

“Toby wasn’t at your place?” I asked him.

“No…he wasn’t… And when I think about what you and the little dude went through in the accident… I just…” The shake of his head was slow. “I can’t keep covering for Toby.”

I leveled my gaze on him, unblinking, my heart hardening each time I repeated his words in my head.

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