Page 52 of (My Accidental) Killer Summer

“You left. They stayed.” She shrugs. “Sounds like giving them up to me.”

“Ames, you and I have been friends a long time. Whose side are you on anyway?” I ask, genuinely curious.

“There are no sides,” she says. “But if there were, I’d be in the middle, like Switzerland.”

“You think you’re being neutral right now?” I ask, crossing my arms.

“Sure, let’s go with that,” she says with a smirk.

“Where is she, Amy?”

“She ran to the school to pick up one of the twins,” she explains.

“Which one? Is everything okay?” Panic starts to creep into my voice.

“If I knew which one, I would have used their name. I am their godless mother after all,” she quips. “And I’m assuming everything is okay. It was one of those automated calls – please come pick up your child.”

My heart sinks at the thought of something being wrong. I take a deep breath, to try and calm my newly accelerated heart rate. “Do you know what happened?”

“Like I said, it was an automated call. I’m sure it’s nothing serious or they would have had a live person call.”

I nod. “That makes sense.”

“Don’t worry,” she says.

“I’m their father, I’ll always worry.”

“Noah, you haven’t been their dad for over two years.”

And the hits just keep coming.

“Let’s get one thing straight, Amy.” I snap back before taking a breath to steady myself. “I will always be their father, no matter what.”

Amy studies me for a moment, her expression softening again. “Okay. But you need to understand that things have changed.”

“I know they have,” I reply quietly. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be involved.”

Dying to be involved.

She sighs and leans against the doorframe. “Look, Noah. Elle is trying to figure things out too. You coming back into her life—into their lives—might complicate things more than you realize.”

“I’m not trying to complicate anything,” I insist. “I just want to be there for them.”

“Then maybe you should start by respecting their space,” Amy suggests gently.

“You’re right.” I want to argue, to push harder for more information, but something in Amy’s demeanor tells me this isn’t the moment for it. Instead, I nod slowly, frustration simmering beneath the surface and turn to head back to my SUV.

“And Noah?” Amy calls.

I turn back, hope blooming in my chest.

“Whatever she tells you, if she tells you anything at all, remember that you are the man who loves her. At one time in your life, you vowed to protect her above all others. Make sure you’re stillthatguy.”

I really want to ask what she means by that, but I have a feeling I know on some level. Instead, I turn to leave, deciding to stop by the school to see what’s going on. After all, they’re my kids too. But as I drive away, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re standing on the edge of something dark and dangerous. And I’m not sure if I’ll be able to pull Elle back from it before it’s too late.

twenty-six

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