Page 86 of No More Words

“It’s only been a few days,” he reminds her. “And that Glenny woman thought she was out of town. Lily’s friends probably think the same.”

“Where could she have gone?” she wonders out loud. Tears fill her eyes and she quickly wipes them off. Josh is depending on her; she needs to keep her shit together.

Blaze fits his hand to her cheek. “You’ll find her.” His touch is comforting, his voice reassuring.

“Hope so.” She owes it to Lily for not helping her when she needed it. For not seeing how difficult her childhood was compared to Olivia’s. As much as she wants to find Lily for Josh, she wants a chance to make amends. Now that she’s opened her heart to Blaze, she recognizes there’s love in there for Lily, too. Always has been. She wants her sister back in her life.

His thumb wipes off a tear. Her breathing evens, and sleep starts to pull her under. He gently kisses her lips, then starts to get up, rousing her.

She grabs his arm. “Don’t go.”

“I was going to sleep on the couch. Josh—”

“Please?” She doesn’t want to be alone; nor does she want to sleep without him. He’s too much a part of this new world she’s building for herself.

Their eyes meet and hold. The whites of his shimmer in the faint moonlight coming through the window. He stands and strips to his boxers, then slides under the covers with a contented sigh.

“Roll over,” he murmurs. She gives him her back and he aligns his body with hers. His fingers caress her arm. His breath warms her neck.

A sob builds in her chest but she locks it up tight. She needs to tell him something she didn’t get around to saying last night.

“I shouldn’t have broken up with you.”

“Which time?” His voice rumbles with a note of humor.

“Both, but I meant the first time. You tried to talk to me and I shut you down every time. I left at the worst possible time.” Harold and Rhonda had finalized their divorce and Harold moved out of town. Blaze rarely saw him. Rhonda was just diagnosed with lymphoma.

“I messed around with Macey because I was screwed up. And—” He heaves a sigh like he’s reluctant to share what he has to say next. “I was mad at Charlotte, not you.”

“My mom?” she asks, surprised. She twists around to face him. “What does she have to do with it?”

He lifts his head and peers down at her. “You don’t know?”

“Know what? What are you talking about?”

“She slept with my dad.”

“She what?” she says, appalled.

“I can’t believe you don’t know.”

“Of course I don’t. She wouldn’t—” She stops. She was about to say Charlotte would never cheat on Dwight, especially since she swears he’s the one sleeping around. But didn’t Olivia wonder about Charlotte just this morning? She swears her mom had a visitor. Someone was in her parents’ room. Charlotte was flustered when Olivia arrived. She wasn’t as put together as normal. Her skin had a slight sheen.

Olivia cups her mouth, mortified. “Oh, my god. I had no idea. I’m so sorry she did that to your family.”

“She didn’t do it alone. Takes two to fool around. My parents were already on the outs.”

“But my mom was the tipping point, wasn’t she?”

Blaze nods slowly.

“She’s the reason summers stopped at the lake.” Olivia is floored.

“One of them.”

“All this time ...” She stops. Guilt pulls her deeper into the mattress.

“All this time what?”