“I don’t want to. Not tonight. Not any night again.”

His words were a balm that smoothed her raw nerves.

“I don’t want to ever hurt you again,” he whispered. “I know that can be hard to accept, but I hope you will. I want another chance. And I think you do, too. What we had never died. It was hibernating until our summer could come again.”

But what a long cold winter it’d been.

“I never stopped loving you, Tori. That’s the honest truth. If I could go back in time, I’d figure out a way to do right by both you and Eden. I was wrong to sacrifice you the way I did.”

“Shhh. Don’t talk about it. It’s long in the past and there’s nothing you can do about it now.” She didn’t like the distress in his eyes.

“I’ve thought about it for years. I’ve been haunted by it. I did the worst thing a man could ever do to the woman he loved—”

“You were young. We both were. You thought you were doing the right thing at the time. I forgave you a long time ago.” It wasn’t until the words were out of her mouth that Victoria realized how true they were. She had forgiven the young man who’d been driven by a sense of honor to take care of his daughter.

“I forgave you,” she repeated for her sake as well as his. “And you’re here now.”

He exhaled, and she felt his shoulders relax as he briefly shut his eyes. “You don’t know how much that means to me. I’ve felt like I’ve had a curse over my head for almost two decades.”

Victoria felt a weightlessness flow through her body. She’d been carrying the curse, too. He moved forward and kissed her again, pulling her tight against him. Current shot through her body where she pressed against him. Her mouth knew his taste and feel; it’d never forgotten. She sank into the kiss, almost giddy with the elation he’d caused. She and Seth hadn’t meant to be apart. The universe had realigned to place them together again.

Her house might be damaged, but she had her soul mate back.

Trinity woke, instantly alarmed and confused, blinking at her surroundings.

Katy’s spare room.

Katy had given Dr. Peres Trinity’s room because of the nice big bed. Trinity had slept on the daybed. She inhaled deeply and caught the scent of smoke. She pulled a handful of hair across her nose. Yep. Odors cling to hair.

How bad was Dr. Peres’s house? Were all her things ruined? How would they get the scent of smoke out of the home? Hair and clothes could be washed, but she didn’t think that would be sufficient for the carpet and furniture.

Poor Dr. Peres.

She’d spent a lot of energy reassuring Trinity yesterday. First after the shooting, and then after the fire. She’d talked about insurance and claims adjusters and companies who specialize in taking care of disasters just like her home, trying to put Trinity at ease as she worried for her neighbor.

A small vibration sent her hunting for her phone.

The sight of a text from Jason made her heart pound. Silly. He’s probably asking about Brooke. She opened the message.

R U OK?

He was asking about her? Her heart raced a bit faster as another text came through.

DID U SEE WHAT HAPPENED AT THE SERVICE?

She texted back. I’M GOOD. NO. RAN OUT. WHAT HAPPENED?

IDIOT WITH GUN. TRIED TO GET IT AWAY.

She sucked in a breath. Jason had been in the middle of that mess? And tried to disarm someone? Seriously? U DID THAT? WHY?

I’M WORRIED. I TOUCHED THE TRIGGER. DON’T WANT POLICE THINKING I PULLED IT.

Alarm rang in her head. He’d touched the trigger? What if he had actually caused the weapon to fire? DID YOU GO TO THE POLICE?

THEY BROUGHT ME IN. TOLD THEM. DON’T KNOW IF THEY BELIEVE.

Why was he telling her? Did he really have no one else to talk to? ARE YOU STILL AT THE STATION?

NO. AT A FRIEND’S. GOTTA GO.

Why was he at a friend’s at eight in the morning? If she’d been taken to the police station, Katy would have dragged her ass home afterward. Maybe he didn’t have a good home to go to. Trinity could sympathize with that. Her last two foster homes had been less than supportive. She’d been left alone to do as she pleased and had found the home atmosphere to be stress-filled and temperamental. She’d spent as much time at friends’ homes as possible.

She got up and wrapped a throw around her shoulders. Quietly opening the door, she peered into the hall. Listening closely, she heard kitchen-type noises. Someone was up. She padded to the kitchen.

Dr. Peres stood at the sink, her back to Trinity, filling the coffee pot. Trinity’s stomach rumbled. The woman didn’t look like a successful professional with a career in the macabre. Dressed in soft yoga pants and a thin long-sleeved T-shirt with her feet bare and her hair pulled back in a messy knot, she looked like someone’s mom.

“Mother” wasn’t a word Trinity would ever use to describe the doctor. Even when Dr. Peres had spoken at her school, she’d been the consummate professional.

Dr. Peres shoved the pot into the brewer and hit a button. Trinity cleared her throat, causing the doctor to immediately turn.

“You’re up.” Dr. Peres’s brown eyes widened and she gave a warm smile. “I woke at the crack of dawn and was totally restless, so I made scones. I don’t think Katy will mind that I invaded her kitchen.” She pulled a tray out of the oven and a delicious scent filled the kitchen.

“Ohh. That smells awesome.” It really did.