Chapter 12
Ryder stayed out of my life for the rest of the holidays.
Then two days ago, Dylan left for his Master’s program at Columbia.
At JFK, we held each other until the final boarding call.
I could taste the salt from his tears when we kissed goodbye.
He pressed his forehead against mine: “These three months with you were the best of my life.”
“Can I tell you something? I knew you were special from that first day at Barnes & Noble.”
My heart felt like it was breaking in slow motion.
I guess I’d been kidding myself thinking I could do casual.
I thought I was emotionally unavailable enough to handle a fling, but watching Dylan disappear through security destroyed me.
Still, I had work to focus on.
My publisher had entered my latest series in the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, and somehow I’d made it to the final round of judging.
I was in an Uber heading to LaGuardia when my phone started going off like crazy. After the tenth call, I finally lost it:
‘Ryder, what is your problem?!”
His voice sounded unhinged: “Jess, don’t get on that plane! Pull over right now!”
I thought he’d officially snapped until I checked the side mirror and saw his black Tesla weaving through traffic behind us like he was in some action movie!
‘Are you insane? You’re going to kill someone!”
He gunned it past a delivery truck: “Maybe! And maybe that’s what it takes to get your attention-”
The call cut out, followed by the horrible sound of metal crushing against concrete.
His car disappeared from view.
screamed at my driver to stop and ran back down the highway.
Miraculously, it could’ve been so much worse.
tyder had swerved to avoid hitting a family crossing the street and crashed straight into a concrete barrier instead.
called 911 and was about to get back in my Uber when he crawled out of his totaled car and collapsed on the pavement.
Blood was running down his face, but he grabbed my legs with shaking hands, looking up at me like some broken, desperate thing.
Jess, I screwed everything up. I’ve known it for three years.”
Don’t get on that plane. Please. Don’t leave me.”
