I spit, lifting back up to say, “Well, it’s from a car accident, so it’s not going to look great. I’ll be fine. Just a little road rash.”
A doorbell rang out downstairs, and she twisted her mouth in thought. “Are you expecting anyone?”
I thought of Gina, who’d dropped me off the night before. We hadn’t made plans to meet up again, but it was entirely possible she’d come back. Then, without warning, my heart plummeted, worrying it was Peter.
No.
No.
It wasn’t him. It couldn’t be.
Would it always be that way? Would I worry every phone call or doorbell for the rest of my life would be him?
I shuddered. “I don’t think so.”
“I’ll get it. There are some of your old clothes still in the dresser. You’ll probably still fit in them.”
Ignoring her underhanded comment, I dug through the drawers, pulling out a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt to cover the scrapes on my wrists. It was going to be bad enough flying with my face as banged up as it was. I didn’t need to give anyone any further reason to notice me.
Once I’d gotten dressed and brushed my hair, I made my way down the stairs. Halfway down, I could hear my mother’s laughter from the kitchen. I rounded the corner and gasped at the sight of Matt, who looked equally horrified to see me.
Or rather, to see my face in its current state.
“Jesus, what happened?” He moved toward me quickly, his hands outstretched as he examined the wound. He examined me with such tenderness, I suddenly felt tears stinging my eyes.
“Car accident.” I carried on the lie I’d told my mother and the one I’d tell my children as I pulled out of his grasp.
“When? Is that where you were last night? I came by your hotel room, but I thought maybe you’d gotten freaked out because…well…because of what happened.” He cast a wary glance over his shoulder, obviously trying to decide if I’d told my mother about our night together, though at that point, it was the least of my concerns.
“No, I’m sorry. I wasn’t standing you up. I was in an accident and came here after. I completely forgot about—”
“Sure. Yeah…” He was still studying me with a pained expression. “My gosh… It looks really bad. Did you go to the hospital? You could have a concussion. I can drive you if you want.”
I waved off his concern. “I’m fine. It was minor.”
“Ainsley, I know I have no right to tell you what to do, but as a medical professional, I feel like I need to insist that you go get checked out. You have a pretty serious road rash. Were you thrown from a vehicle? That doesn’t sound minor.”
“I’m fine, I swear. It looks worse than it feels.”
“Do you think she’ll be scarred, Matt? Will it heal okay?” Mom asked from across the room.
“It’s hard to say,” he admitted, still scrutinizing me. He moved the collar of my shirt and lifted my chin with his finger, checking my neck to see where the wounds ended. I pulled away self-consciously.
“I swear I’m—”
Mom’s phone began to ring from where it lay on the counter, and she picked it up, looking at the caller ID. “Oh, honey, it’s Glennon. Want to take it?”
I’d never in my life heard my mother call me honey, but I reached for the phone anyway. “Hello?”
When I’d returned to the house without a phone, I’d called Glennon to let her know what was going on and arranged for her to pick me up from the airport this evening. She’d been worried sick after my abrupt hang up on Maisy, and I imagined she’d be calling me frequently until I arrived.
“Ainsley, I—I don’t know what happened. He was here and then he was gone, and it all happened so fast and he must’ve gotten ahold of a credit card, but I don’t know how because I’m always so careful with my cards and Seth never leaves his wallet out and—”
“Wait, what?” I interrupted, trying to make sense of her frazzled words. “What are you talking about? Who’s gone? What happened?”
“It’s Dylan,” she cried. “He booked a flight to Nashville. He must’ve left overnight. He’s gone, Ainsley. He’s just gone.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
PETER
“Hey, Dad.” Dylan threw himself into my arms, patting my back with a hug that said he missed me as much as I knew he must’ve.
I pulled back, taking a closer look at him. “Hey, bud. I’ve missed you.”