“No offense, but I asked her the same thing, and she couldn’t answer me. I don’t know why she was so obsessed with you.”
“So, what happened?”
Lynn chewed on her bottom lip for a second.
“She called first, told me about how she wanted to kill me. She knew I was alone. She was already in the house, Aiden. I don’t know how she got in, but she boasted about disabling the alarm system.”
“Detective Holden said she came in through the sliding glass doors in our bedroom.”
Lynn nodded.
“She came in wearing a mask. I couldn’t see her face at first. She backed me into a corner in the kitchen, used a signal blocker so I couldn’t use my phone. I tried to reason with her, I really did. Eventually, I realized that she didn’t care one way or another, and that it was her or me. She was determined to kill me and get me out of the way so she could have you.”
The tears started again, and Aiden hurried to wipe them from beneath her eyes.
“The cops said there was an obvious struggle, is that how you got the bruises on your face and the gash on the back of your head?”
She slowly nodded, “At first, she had the gun and I knew I had to figure out a way to get it away from her. I attacked her with the cast iron skillet from the top of the stove. We fought, and eventually, I got the gun. But, then she stabbed me, and everything shifted. She played calm for a while, and we argued, and then she came at me one more time. That’s when I pulled the trigger,” She admitted.
Aiden sighed and kissed her fingertips, grateful that she was awake and talking to him.
“This never would have happened to you if it weren’t for me, Lynn.”
“Don’t. Don’t do that. It’s not your fault and I don’t blame you. We’re a team, we’re in this together.”
“I love you,” He told her.
She smiled sadly, her face bruised and swollen, her tiny body wrapped in blankets.
“I love you, too.”
Epilogue
Four Months Later
Lynn glanced at Aiden, who was preparing some burgers for the barbeque. Jessica held out a glass of wine to her, a smile on her face.
“Crazy how time heals almost everything, right?,” She asked.
“I’d say it’s crazy how time flies,” Lynn said.
Jessica watched the Pinot in her glass swirl around and around before she nodded.
“I mean, look at where you were a year ago. Look at where we all are now. After what happened with Amy, you were so worried nothing would ever feel right again.” Jessica was right, so there was no point in arguing.
“You’re right. I killed someone, and I thought I wouldn’t ever feel safe again. There was no slow build up to that, ya know? It happened so fast my brain couldn’t get a grip on it. I’m just glad it’s all over,” Lynn said as she took a drink of her wine.
“Anything from the detective?”
“Detective Holden checks in every once in a while, but after the case was closed, there was no need to keep in contact. I still can’t believe how certifiable Amy was, Jessica. Did I tell you that they found journals of hers detailing all the ways she wanted to kill me? Journals! It makes my skin crawl.”
“I bet! The entire situation was scary enough, but you never really think anything like that can happen to you until it does. Does Aiden ever talk about it?”
Lynn cleared her throat.
“He brings it up sometimes, but I think he still feels guilty. There’s no reason for him to feel guilty, but he does. I’ve tried my best to alleviate that, but it doesn’t really work out well. He’s determined that it’s his fault.”
“He really loves you, ya know.”
Lynn laughed, “I know…why do you say it like that?”
Jessica shrugged, but she had that signature smirk on her face.
“What do you know that I don’t?”
She slowly shook her head and sipped her wine.
“Not a thing, beautiful.”
Okay…
Lynn looked outside to see hers and Aiden’s family mingling in the yard. Kids were giggling, the sun was out, the breeze was balmy.
It was a beautiful day, that’s for sure. Lynn didn’t have anything to complain about. Amy was dead and even though that event in itself had prompted many months of therapy so far, she didn’t feel overwhelming guilt about the situation anymore. Amy would have done whatever it took to kill Lynn, and she knew that. She understood, but it still didn’t make her feel better about it.
Now, she was just…at peace with what had happened that night. Aiden and her did their best to pick up the pieces and move forward, because that’s all they’d ever done separately and together. Pick up the pieces and move on, keep going. Contentment tickled at the base of her spine, worked its way upwards until she was leaning against the counter with a smile on her face.
The last year of her life had easily been the hardest, scariest, most breathtaking year she’d ever had. None of it had been easy, except falling in love with Aiden, and even that hadn’t lasted long. That easiness, the smooth flow they’d started with. It was stolen by some crazy woman who had murder on the brain, and if it hadn’t happened to her, Lynn wouldn’t believe it herself.
Why do these things always happen to me?
Aiden looked up at her from the other side of the window and smiled. Her heart skipped a small beat before heading directly into overdrive.
If the man knew the kind of power he had over her with a simple smile, he’d be shocked. He probably wouldn’t even believe it, but she knew that either way, he wouldn’t ever take advantage of it.
She’d learned a lot just from spending time with Aiden. He was patient with her, kind, he made her laugh. They both loved to laugh together…he was her best friend.
She appreciated him so much more after everything she’d gone through, especially in the last year.
Her fingers itched to feel the warmth of his skin, so she stepped outside into the heat and made her way over to him.
“I think your apron says ‘kiss the cook,’” She said with a grin.
He wrapped an arm wound her waist and pulled her into his chest.
“I’m not wearing an apron.”
Her eyebrows hit her hairline as she pushed a long lock of dark hair out of his eyes.
“Really? I’m gonna have to get you one that says that, then.”
“Admit it, you just wanna kiss me.”
Without missing a beat she said, “I just wanna kiss you.”
He laughed under his breath and leaned down to kiss her, the ginger colored hair in his beard catching the sunlight as he did so.
“I love you,” She said against his mouth.
His cerulean eyes blinked as he smiled again, “ I love you, too. I’m gonna marry you someday, you know that right?”
Lynn smiled so wide her eyes crinkled at the corners.
“You promise?”
He eased her into his arms, nuzzled his nose against hers.
“Friends don’t lie.”
The End
Authors Note:
Thank you so much for purchasing my novel and supporting me. I hope you enjoyed the story, and that you’ll be back to enjoy more of my work!
Thank you, K. Ewald
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