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I’d breathed a sigh of relief when Jimmy dropped the subject. I needed to make my own decisions. I’d already adapted more than I wanted to admit to having him in my life.

Lisa shrugged. “That’s what you get for marrying an evolved man.”

“What do you mean, evolved?”

She snorted. “My husband might have agreed in similar circumstances, but there would have been a hundred percent chance of pouting.”

“Really? Randy? I can’t imagine him pouting.”

“Imagine it. He used to be a pro. Youngest sibling. Took me forever to break him of the habit, but he’s mostly reformed now.”

My phone interrupted us, and I glanced at the screen. The day of the move, Brenda, Mark, and I had exchanged numbers, and I was surprised to see Mark’s name on my caller ID. Why was Mark calling me during the day? Was he off and trying to set up a date night? I shot Lisa an apologetic glance.

“Hello, Mark?”

His tone sent a shiver down my spine. “Melena. Glad I could reach you. First of all, Jimmy’s been in an accident, but he’s alive.”

“What’s second of all?” I couldn’t control the alarm in my voice. Lisa glanced at me quickly.

“He’s at Tacoma General, and they’ve admitted him.”

“What happened?”

“Vehicle accident with their fire engine. Possible broken bones and concussion; I don’t have a lot of information yet. He was on the way to a call when it happened. I’m coming to pick you up. Jimmy said you were at home. Are you there now?”

I shivered. Mark said he was fine. But if he wasn’t calling me himself, Jimmy wasn’t fine. “Yes. I’m home. Thanks, I’ll be ready.”

I hung up the phone and rubbed my hands down my shoulders.

“What happened?” Lisa asked.

My voice tremored. “I don’t really know yet. Jimmy was in an accident at work. His lieutenant is picking me up to take me to the hospital.” I glanced at her distractedly. “I think you met Mark on moving day.”

She reached out and squeezed my hand. “I’m coming with you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know, but I want to. Come on, let’s get your purse and phone charger. I’ll follow you in my car, so we have a way home later.”

I went through the motions of getting my purse, and at Lisa’s urging, unplugged my phone charger and packed an apple for a snack.

“You don’t know how long you’ll be there,” she said.

I didn’t want to be there at all. That sounded wrong. I didn’t wantJimmythere at all. He was such a force of nature. I couldn’t comprehend a world where he was injured. Hurt. My life would never be the same without him. I’d kept almost everyone at a distance after my move from Colville, too focused on showing my family I could build something on my own. Jimmy had burrowed into the cracks, seeping into every moment. It should have made me weaker. But having him in my corner made me stronger. He’d fused perfectly, like gold leaf kintsugi, filling in the cracks and broken places. I couldn’t imagine waking up without him.

I looked around the kitchen. It was ourhouse. Our home. We had plans. Painting over the ugly hall color that shaded to sickly green under the lights next weekend. And Jimmy wanted to rehab a section out back into a firepit so we could enjoy crisp northwest evenings together. My hands clenched. Jimmy. Vibrant, funny, healthy. He had to be okay.

I waited at the window for Mark, standing on my tiptoes to see over the overgrown bushes. When he pulled up in a department SUV, Lisa got in her car, and I locked up the house with shaking hands and followed Mark to his vehicle.

Mark reached out to grasp my hand briefly after I got inside. His fingers were warm and dry in contrast to his worried expression.

“He’ll be okay,” Mark said.

“Do you have more news? Do you know for sure?” I asked with a catch in my voice.

He shook his head. Mark didn’t run his lights or sirens on our way to the hospital, but he drove faster than the posted speed limit. He was quiet, and I was afraid to ask questions I didn’t want the answers to.

He dropped me off up front when we arrived so he could go park. I walked up to the front desk I’d visited not long ago, but under very different circumstances. I remembered Jimmy claiming to be my fiancé and my lips trembled on a smile.