Page 35 of Falling Stars

My heart sinks. His pain is worse than I realized. He takes a wobbly step before he lets go of my hand and manages to walk straight.

I don’t know why I didn’t notice his uneven gait before this. I guess I’ve been overwhelmed just being around him again.

“Are you taking any painkillers?” I ask as we make our way to the porch.

“Some over-the-counter stuff.”

“I have some CBD you can try. When I’m sore from work, I rub it into my shoulders, and it helps.”

“As long as it’s THC-free. I don’t wanna flag a drug test.”

“I’ll double-check, but I think that’s what I have.”

He takes the steps slowly, but with his hand on the rail, he doesn’t have any problems.

I unlock the door and flip on the light. “My stuff’s in my bedroom.” I point toward the hall, which is dumb since Maverick’s been here a million times. “This place is eerie and sad now that it’s empty. My sister took all of the furniture. That’s why I needed to stay somewhere else as soon as Amara moved to Amarillo.”

“I wouldn’t want you to be by yourself. Especially now that you have Leo.”

When I turn on the light in my room, Maverick lets out a curse as I gasp. “Oh my God.”

Blood roars in my ears as my gaze darts around the room. The gifts I received for my baby shower are lying in filthy heaps on the floor, shredded. I spot the beautiful embroidered blanket my mom made Leo, sliced to ribbons.

Panic builds as I reach for the closet door, ripping it open.

It could be a murder scene, but instead of coagulated blood, it’s bright red paint dripping across every item of clothing. Even my shoes are full of the thick latex.

“What the fuck?” Maverick growls as we take in the mess.

“Why would anyone do this?” I cover my mouth.

A strong arm wraps around my shoulder, and I press my face to Maverick’s chest. “It’ll be okay, Bay. We’ll figure out who did this.”

“I can’t afford to replace Leo’s things. Those were gifts frommy baby shower.” That asshole even took the Pack ’N Play out of the box and shredded the netting. It’s useless now.

“I got you. Don’t worry about that.” He holds me until I calm down. “Let’s call Reynolds so he can make a police report.” Because that’s so effective.

Twenty minutes later, the sheriff pulls up. When I open the front door, he tips his hat at me. “You havin’ more problems, Baylee?”

“More problems?” Maverick turns to me. “What else has happened?”

I sigh. “Someone threw a rock through the salon window last summer. Probably just dumb kids out joyriding.” I mean, that’s what I figured since the police never came up with any leads.

The sheriff hums as he smooths down his mustache. “I’d agree with you, except didn’t that rock call you something nasty? And don’t forget, your tires got slashed.”

“What the fuck?” Maverick’s face is thunderous. “Why didn’t you say anything or let me know?”

Hmm. I wonder why. “Why didn’t you return my calls after you landed in the hospital? I left you five thousand messages,” I shoot back. We glare at each other, and then I poke him in his pec. “Pot meet kettle.”

“It’s kettle meet pot.” He chuckles, then grabs me in a headlock and gives me a noogie. “Always such a little pain in my ass.”

Shocked I can laugh right now, I shove him off and turn to find the sheriff staring at us with a smirk. “Okay, kids. Show me what happened.”

That wipes the smile off my face. When I show him my bedroom, he whistles. “Son of a gun. Someone went to town here.”

“The paint’s still wet, so this has to be recent.”

He takes out his phone and snaps several photos. He mustnotice the shredded wrapping paper because he turns to me with sympathy in his eyes. “Are these from your baby shower?”

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