I smiled and said, “Okay, honey. Have fun and kiss Layton for me.”

“Will do! Later, girl,” Whitley said as she started to giggle before hanging up.

I set my phone down on the kitchen counter and smiled. I was so happy for her. She finally had her happily ever after, and no one deserved it more than she did.

I opened up the music app on my phone and looked for the perfect song to cook to. I was making tacos for dinner tonight.

“Oh, yes! This is the perfect song, Lulu!” I said as I looked down at my new best friend.

I had been sneaking the dogs into bed with me each night, and the nightmares had seemed to stop when they slept with me.

“Oops! I Did It Again” by Britney Spears started to play, and I began dancing and singing along. As I cooked the hamburger meat, I shook my ass to the music and sang as loud as I could. I turned around and saw Reed leaning against the doorjamb, smiling at me. I made my way over to him and grabbed his hands. We began dancing together, and we both started laughing when he busted out singing. Before I knew it, he was picking me up and spinning me around. When the song ended, he put me down and pushed a stray piece of my hair back. I willed him to kiss me, and when he began moving toward me, my heart started pounding in my chest.

Then, my cell phone rang.

Fuck me.

He smiled and shook his head as he walked away. “I’m going to go shower really quick.”

“K,” was all I could get out.

I looked at my phone to see that it was my brother, Tyler, calling.

“Hey, Ty. What’s up?” I said, trying to sound chipper.

“Hey, baby sister. How is Texas treating you?” he asked, practically shouting.

I put my finger up to my other ear, so I could hear him better. “Tyler, I can barely hear you. Where are you?”

He laughed and said, “Hold on. Let me go outside.”

“Okay, hurry though. I’m trying to cook dinner.” I put the taco shells in the oven, and then I walked over to the refrigerator and took out the salsa.

“Are you sitting down, Court? I’ve got some huge news for you.”

“I’m not sitting down, but I’m sure I can take whatever you’ve got for me while I’m standing.”

He started laughing. “Okay, here I go…I’m getting married.”

I stopped in my tracks. “No way! Tyler, that is wonderful news, sweetheart! I’m so happy for you.”

He laughed again, but this time, it was harder. “That’s not the only news I have for you. I’m in San Antonio for a meeting, and I want my baby sister to come see me! I looked it up, and you’re only a few hours away.”

I started jumping up and down. “No way! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Texas?”

“I wanted to surprise you. Hey, guess who came with me?”

I reached up for a bowl to pour the salsa into as I smiled. I was hoping it was our parents. “Who?”

“Noah. He can’t wait to see you.”

My smile instantly faded as the salsa bottle slipped from my hand and hit the floor. I couldn’t move. No. Please, God, no.

“Courtney? Are you still there? Court, what was that noise? It sounds like something just broke. Court?”

“Um…yeah, I’m still here. Sorry, I thought you said Noah was with you.”

“Yeah, I did. Once he found out I was coming to Texas and I might be able to sneak in a visit with you, he asked if he could tag along. Ya know, Court, you broke his heart when you decided not to go to the prom with him. He really liked you, I think.”

I’m going to be sick.

“So, when do you think you can come see me, sis? We just flew in, and I’ll only be here for three days. We’re heading up to Austin, so Meg can go to some wedding dress shops there. She’s been in a pissy mood this whole trip.”

I tried to talk, but my voice cracked. I cleared my throat and asked, “Meg is with you?”

“Yeah. So, when do you think you can come down this way?”

“I, um…well, I don’t know ’cause I think I’m getting…I think I’m getting the flu. Maybe I shouldn’t go out. I’d hate to get y’all sick.”

Tyler let out a chuckle. “The flu, Court? Really? Do you just not like Meg?”

What? “What? No. Of course I do. I adore Meg. Listen, Tyler…I actually feel like I’m about to get sick. I’m sorry I can’t meet up with you, but can I call you back later?”

“Sure. You don’t sound so good, sis. Go take care of yourself, sweetie. Just call me later, and let me know how you’re feeling, okay?”

I nodded my head and fought like hell to hold in the tears. “Okay.” I quickly hit End and broke down crying.

Reed came walking into the kitchen as he said, “Hey, Court, I had a great idea—” He took one look at me and then down at the mess on the floor. “What happened? Are you hurt?” He ran over and picked me up before carrying me away from the broken glass and spilled salsa.

“The dogs! Oh, Reed, don’t let them eat it. There’s broken glass everywhere.”

“Lulu, Midnight, kennels!” he yelled.

Both dogs ran out of the kitchen and to their kennels.

For a few brief moments, I felt so peaceful in Reed’s arms before he put me down in the living room.

When he returned from locking up the dogs, he asked, “Angel, what happened? Why are you crying? Did you get cut or something?”

Noah is in Texas. He wants to see me. Why does he want to see me?

I flashed back to the last night he’d come into my bedroom.

The moment I felt the bed move, I knew it was Noah. For the last three months, he had been staying at our house more and more, and his nightly visits seemed to last longer and longer. I reached under my pillow and felt the cold metal. I opened my eyes and sat up.

“Get undressed, Courtney. We’re going to try something a little different, princess.”

I reached over and turned on my lamp.

“Turn off the light, Courtney. No one needs to know you’re awake,” he whispered as he took off his shirt.

After reaching back under the pillow, I pulled out the gun and stood up. I pointed it at him, and he jumped up.

“What the fuck? Where in the hell did you get a fucking gun, Courtney? Put it down before you hurt yourself.”

“Fuck off, Noah. I’m done being treated as your rag doll. This little game you’ve been playing is over. I don’t care if I spend the rest of my life in jail. You will never touch me again. If you so much as think of getting anywhere near my sister, I’ll make sure you pay for it. Your time with me is over, motherfucker.”