by Tori Fox
Copyright © 2020 by Tori Fox
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Editing/Proofreading by Ellie at My Brother’s Editor
Cover Design by Juliana at Jersey Girl Design
Table of Contents
1. Noah
2. Noah
3. Noah
4. Anna
5. Noah
6. Anna
7. Noah
8. Anna
9. Anna
10. Anna
11. Noah
12. Anna
13. Noah
14. Anna
15. Anna
16. Noah
17. Anna
18. Noah
19. Anna
20. Noah
21. Anna
22. Noah
23. Anna
24. Anna
25. Noah
26. Anna
27. Noah
28. Anna
29. Noah
30. Noah
31. Anna
Epilogue
Also by Tori Fox
Acknowledgments
About the Author
1
Noah
The hardest part about chasing after someone who runs for a living when shit goes bad is that they’re good at not wanting to be found. Or maybe I am just bad at finding them. Hell, it took over a year to find my wife when she ran from me.
I tried to get ahold of Anna for three hours. Her sister and her parents did too. I drove to the daisy field, which wasn’t far away, hoping I would find her there but no luck. We all figured she somehow got a vehicle because there is nowhere else she could have gone in this town.
I feel bad for ruining her sister’s engagement party, but Jessica took the high road. Well a road and blamed Becca.
I can’t believe Anna’s best friend was the one that her fiancé cheated on her with. Anna talked to Becca almost once a week and made no hints about it. Anna relied on that friendship with Becca. It gave her the support she needed when she felt that she was doing everything wrong with her life.
Becca had even sent Anna pictures of her kids, though she always hid their face enough you couldn’t see any resemblance to Kyle in her oldest. I know Anna is hurting badly. She was finally accepting the loss and moving on. But this must have thrown her back seven years.
“If you grip that beer any harder, you might break it.”
I look at my hand and see how white my knuckles are. It’s not until then that I notice the ache in my hand.
“She will call. Eventually.”
I look at Jessica and sigh. She has been optimistic the last few hours. And as I sit at her parents’ kitchen table, I can’t figure out why. It took her almost two years to get in contact with Anna after Kyle died. And after that, Anna talked to her a handful of times a year. They don’t have an easy relationship. Not like they used to when Anna was younger, or so Anna told me. Although, last night when we came here for dinner, it was like no time had passed between them.
“God, you know how to brood. Maybe that is why Anna is in love with you. She always likes the brooding type. Of course she could pull it off quite well too.”
I try to contain my anger. I know it’s just that I am worried about her but Jessica’s overoptimistic attitude isn’t helping. “She isn’t in love with me.”
Jessica snorts, and it pains me to hear it. Anna has the same mannerism. “Okay, you tell yourself that. But the way she looks at you, the way she talks about you. I am ninety-nine percent sure that is love.”
I shake my head and take a sip of my beer that’s gone warm.
A cold beer is placed in front of me by Jessica’s fiancé. He places a hand on her shoulder. “Jess, why don’t you just lay off it for a bit. Let him try to think.”
“Whatever,” Jessica huffs as she gets up and leaves the kitchen.
Connor sits in Jessica’s seat and takes a long sip of his beer. “I think she is projecting. Trying to remain positive. She doesn’t want to lose her sister again.”
“I know.”
“You don’t want to lose her either.”
I look at him and see something in his eyes that relaxes me. I grab the new beer he brought and chug half of it.
“I think Jessica is right though. She will be back. Or answer her phone. Finding out about the thing that ruined your life in such an abrupt way can be devastating.”
“She was finally getting over it. Learning to move on,” I tell him. Finally finding the words to speak after sitting for hours in silence.
“I didn’t know Anna. I wasn’t around when Kyle died. Hell, no one even knew about the affair—”
I cut him off. “No one did. She didn’t want to give him a bad rap after he passed.”
“She sounds like an amazing person. To keep that secret hidden. And with everything Jess has told me, damn, she went through the wringer.”
I nod. “How long has Jess known?” I can tell Jessica knew about the affair, didn’t believe Becca’s story of a one-night stand.
“Ever since Becca had the baby. Jess was friends with Becca and she knew Kyle really well. She grew up with him too. She was scared to tell Anna. Didn’t know how she would react. Jess finally told me after a few months of us dating. She had kept it secret for almost five years. I always wondered why she was so cold to Becca when we saw her at the country club or when her parents would invite Becca over. I don’t know how Becca convinced this whole town about her baby being the result of a trip to Anna’s college but it worked. Maybe because she married her husband soon after no one saw her as a bad person for having a child out of wedlock.”
I drink the rest of my beer. “It’s fucked up, man.”
“This whole thing is,” he agrees with me.
I grab us two more beers. I don’t give a shit how much I drink tonight. I just want Anna to call me back.
A knock on the door causes us both to jump. But I know it’s not her.
We hear Jessica answer it before she starts yelling.
“Fuck,” Connor and I say in unison.
We both bolt for the door as Jessica pushes Becca hard against the chest causing her to stumble down the front stoop.
“I told you to leave her alone. I’ve been telling you for years. Yet, you had to talk to her constantly, feed her lies, drive her away from her family. You are a bitch and you need to get out of this damn town. Everyone knows what you did. You know how quick news travels here. And there isn’t one goddamned person who wants to see your face again.”
“It wasn’t like that. We—”
“Stop with your bullshit excuses!”
Connor grabs Jess before she can throw another punch at Becca. But she pulls away, her anger fierce.
I step between her and Becca, Jess’ body presses against my chest, peering around my shoulder. “You should have told her.”
“Why didn’t you?” Becca hisses.
The one statement causes a sadness to fall over Jess’ face as she takes a step back.
“That’s right. You didn’t want to be the bad sister, the bad friend. Let her know the secrets you’ve known for years. Isn’t that right?”
Jess stumbles back into Conner’s arms.
“He told me,” Becca sneers. “He told me everything. How you caught him years ago with another woman. How you tried to tell Anna but she wouldn’t believe you. How he made a move on you.”
Jess shakes her head. “T
hat’s not true.”
“Which part, Jessica? It’s all secrets and lies. Things you should have told your own blood. But Kyle told me everything. How that one night Anna was too busy to go to that party because she was writing music. But you were there, and Kyle said he always thought you were the pretty one. He told me how he dragged you into that room. How his fingers slid up your thigh under that pink dress you had on. How he fucked you with his fingers before you passed out on the bed.”
A shiver runs down Jess’ arms. “I was drunk.”
“You wanted it.”
“I didn’t—I didn’t know it was him. I was so drunk. I could barely stand.”
“All lies. You can pretend you didn’t know it was Kyle. But you and I both know you knew the truth. You are just as guilty as I am.”
Tears pour down Jessica’s face. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know.” She falls to the ground and Connor wraps his arms around her before picking her up.
“I think you need to leave, Becca,” Connor says before he carries a bawling Jess into the house.
I turn to Becca, shocked over her words. “Leave,” I command.
Becca crosses her arms over her chest. “Anna deserves to know the truth. And now you will be one more person she loves that will keep it from her. Such a pity.”
“Get out!” I shout, trying my best to maintain my composure as I tower over her.
She takes a step back before turning around and walking to her car. Before she gets in she says, “I would have told her, you know. Eventually. When I was sure she could handle it.”
“Then why did you show up today?”
She shrugs. “I don’t really know.”
I watch her as she backs out of the driveway and drives down the street. My hands clenched in fists. I need an outlet for all this anger. To break away the pain I know Anna is feeling and the revelations that will hurt her more. I just need her. And I know she needs me too.
2
Noah
I pour a cup of coffee for Jess the next morning. Her eyes are red rimmed and raw, no doubt from a night of crying. Connor and her parents had to leave for work, so it’s only the two of us in the house. She hasn’t said a word since she came down the stairs twenty minutes ago. And I don’t know how to start the conversation.
I set the cup down in front of her and take a seat across the table. She takes a sip of the coffee before speaking. “Thank you.”
I nod at her and go back to looking out the window, trying to piece together all my memories of Anna. Looking for any clues in anything she could have said to me. I’m startled when Jess speaks.
“I didn’t know. I swear to it. I don’t want you to think that I am as bad as her.”
I look over at her, confused.
“That story Becca told. I swear on my life, I had no idea it was Kyle that night.”
I nod, not really knowing how else to answer. Do I think it’s shitty that Jess messed around with Kyle? Fuck yes. But from the look on her face, I can tell she didn’t even know it was him until last night.
“God, I was so drunk that night. I don’t even know how it happened. I only had one drink when I got there, but it was strong.” She sniffles as she circles her finger over the wood of the kitchen table. “I started dancing with my girls and then got super dizzy. Someone wrapped their fingers around my waist and I just followed them… fuck, I am such an idiot.”
My body stiffens as I hear Jess retell the story. A story I’ve heard one too many times as a cop in a college town. One I’ve heard from my sister. “Jess.”
She looks up at me as tears leak down her cheek.
I stand up, grabbing a tissue from the box on the counter, and squat in front of her. “Jess,” I whisper as I hand her a tissue. “I think you were drugged that night.”
Her quiet tears become more audible as I speak. “I’ve seen it happen a lot. And everything you just said sounds like every other case I’ve had.” I grab her hands. “It wasn’t your fault. If Kyle did that to you, he is worse than I thought he could be. If Kyle did that, Anna will forgive you.”
“Are you sure?” she squeaks out.
“Anna has the biggest heart in the world. She would never blame this on you.” I sigh before I continue. “And who knows if it was him. Becca hasn’t proven herself trustworthy to me at all. She could be lying.”
“B-b-but I was wearing a pink dress the night it happened.”
“And Becca was at the party. She could have easily known what happened to you and made that whole thing about Kyle up. From everything I know about her, she seems like she has been jealous of Anna her whole life. And she will do what she can to tear her world apart.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I’m a cop. I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count.”
Jess squeezes my hands back before letting go. “Thank you. I needed that. That night has been burned in my brain since it happened.”
“You were assaulted, Jess.”
She shakes her head. “I knew what I was doing. Kinda.”
“It’s assault if you’ve been drugged.”
She nods. “I guess I never thought of it that way. I never reported it.”
“Most don’t,” I say quietly as my thoughts race back to my sister.
“God, this is all so fucked up. Kyle never deserved my sister. He was a piece of trash.”
I look at her confused. Everything I know about Kyle I heard from Anna so I don’t know the other side, don’t know how others viewed him. But Anna made it sound like he was the boy next door, the hometown hero.
“He never loved her like he said he did. He had this whole town and everyone that knew them playing the fool. The summer after they started dating, I walked in on him fucking some girl we went to high school with. When I brought it up to him, he played the whole thing off like it wasn’t his fault. He was such a fucking dick. Said he needed better pussy sometimes. Wanted to wrap his hands around a girl, not lose his grip in her fat.”
I shudder at her words. Christ, this guy was a dick. If only Anna knew before he destroyed her life. “Why didn’t you tell her?”
She snorts. “Because that girl was head over heels. I tried to tell her but she just wouldn’t listen.” She takes a sip of her coffee as she tries to find her next words. “I don’t even know why he proposed. Maybe things changed over time. I stopped talking to him after I confronted him. Only words I exchanged were cordial ones at family gatherings. I should have pushed it on Anna again. But she was so in love. And I thought he might have changed. Realized he truly loved her and not what he could get on the side. I was wrong.
“And Becca played that damn one-night stand lie so well.” Jess looks up at me as she talks. “That’s what she told everyone when she got pregnant. Even Anna thought it was true. Anna was there holding Becca’s hand when Becca had to tell her parents. Breaking the news she had sex out of wedlock. Anna even let Becca crash at her and Kyle’s place when Becca’s parents kicked her out.”
Fuck, this shit gets more fucked by the minute.
“I can’t even imagine how much those two fucked behind Anna’s back while she wasn’t home. I bet you anything that is why Kyle quit playing music with her. It was around the same damn time Becca moved in. Eventually Becca’s parents agreed to let her move back home. It was a few weeks before Anna and Kyle were supposed to get married. And then we all know what happened.
“I feel so bad for my sister. That this was all happening under her nose. I waited for years for her to tell me but she never did. I thought maybe she never knew. But after seeing her face when she saw Becca’s kid, I knew she knew an affair had happened.” She rubs her hands over her face and takes a deep breath. “I wish I had been honest with her sooner.”
“I think you both could have been.” I think back to Rosie and how I wish she had told me or Carson or Everett about what she was going through. Opened up to us for support rather than tumble down a dark path. “But you two are still here, you two c
an still make amends over the secrets you kept.”
“I hope so.”
I give Jess’ hand one last squeeze before rising from my chair. “I’m going to make some phone calls. See if I missed anyone that might know where she is.”
3
Noah
I take a seat at a local bar in town just in time for happy hour. The first one goes down easier than I expected. I don’t even think as I order my second, foregoing my rule of one beer in public. I press my face into my palms and groan. I feel like I have gone through every resource to try and find Anna.
Seraphina hadn’t heard from her but checked on all the places she thought she might go. Luckily all her stuff including her car was at her house, so she didn’t up and run.
Mason said she hasn’t been by the studio.
I was even able to get ahold of her friend Liam from The Beer Garden and he hadn’t heard from her either.
The police here in Hartswell can’t help because they don’t think she is a missing person. Which I have to agree with.
But I just want some clue, some kind of answer that can lead me on the path to her. I don’t want to outstay my welcome here but I worry if I go back home to Asheville, I’ll miss her along the way.
I just don’t know what to do. I’m torn inside, not over just Anna but my past. I don’t know what to think. The effort I have spent looking for her is more effort than I feel like I put in looking for my ex-wife. I don’t know what that says about me. Are my feelings stronger for Anna than Claire? We haven’t been together that long. Should I be feeling this way? Is it too soon?