“There she is!” Brayden exclaimed, wrapping his arms around me as I entered the dining room of the restaurant that had been decorated in pastel blues and yellows. I blindly followed him as I approached each table, thanking everyone for coming. I tried to put on a smile, but my brain was elsewhere.

“Is everything okay, Mackenzie, dear?” Colleen asked, placing her hand on my arm as we sat eating lunch. I had barely touched the food in front of me.

“Hmm? What?” I responded, trying to snap out of my thoughts. I could feel the eyes of everyone sitting at our table, Olivia and Melanie included, on me.

“Are you okay?” she asked in a hushed tone.

“I’m fine. Just tired.” I continued to move my salad around my plate, a lump beginning to form in my throat.

“Does this have something to do with the reason my son’s not here?” she whispered.

I tore my eyes from my food and sighed. “I suppose.” I lowered my voice. “He asked me to move to Boston with him…”

“He did?” she replied in shock, her voice rising in pitch before she lowered it. “I had no idea he was thinking that. I thought he’d want to stay here.”

“Join the club,” I responded flatly.

“It threw you for a bit of a surprise, didn’t it?”

“Yes, but Brayden and Jenna smacked some sense into me after I told them I may have overreacted when he asked me. Now he’s just ignoring me.”

“Well, don’t worry. When I see him next, I’ll give him hell for missing this. He’s already missed so much of your pregnancy. Even if he is upset, he has no reason not to be here today.”

I placed a bit of lettuce in my mouth, a sick feeling in my stomach as I tried to swallow. I couldn’t shake what Jenna had said earlier. Tyler wouldn’t simply miss this. I never considered anything could be wrong, but I was now consumed with the idea that something had happened.

Our lunch plates were cleared and I proceeded through the spectacle of opening gifts in front of grown men and women, as if I were still ten and celebrating my birthday. Clothes, diapers, wipes, strollers, car seats… It was all there, and then some.

Finally, the guests began to trickle out. As grateful as I was to everyone for coming, all I really wanted was to go home, crawl into bed, and forget about the last two days.

“We may need a truck for all of this,” Brayden joked after the last guest had left and it was just him, Jenna, and me. I looked at the overflowing gift table. I had no idea where I was going to put it all.

“Do you want to keep all of it here for now?” Jenna asked. We shared a look and I knew she could tell I was having trouble reconciling why Tyler had missed today. “That way, you won’t be tripping over all this stuff at your place. The back storage room is empty, so we can just put it in there.”

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the exit. “Now, go home and relax.”

“But the gifts… I can help move them.”

“Not a chance in hell,” Brayden said. “The only lifting you need to be doing is that of your feet and a spoon as you gorge on ice cream.”

I stared at him, wondering how he knew what I intended to do when I got home.

“I know you, Kenzie,” he explained. “Since you can’t seek comfort in a bottle of wine right now, it’s our other best friends to the rescue.”

“At least Ben and Jerry have never stood me up,” I mumbled, grabbing my purse.

“I’m sorry, Mack,” Brayden said, planting a kiss on my forehead. “But don’t worry. When Tyler shows his face again, he’s going to regret missing today. You can count on that.”

“Thanks, boo.” I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek.

After making plans to get together at my place tomorrow to watch football, which was just an excuse to order pizza and check out built men with nice asses, I said my goodbyes and drove the short distance back to my condo.

As I walked into the lobby, I paused briefly when I saw Martin sitting at the security desk. I should have known he’d be there. He was there when I left earlier. However, at that time, I was under the impression Tyler would be attending my baby shower. Now, I needed answers.

“Where is he?” I asked, my eyes fierce.

“Who?” Martin replied in an uncertain tone. He tilted his head, his lips pursing as he studied me with a furrowed brow.

“Tyler. He was supposed to be at the baby shower today and he never showed up. What do you know? Is he still upset I didn’t agree to move to Boston with him? If that’s the case, I tried calling late last night and early this morning to talk about it, but he refused to pick up!”

“Wait. Slow down, Miss Delano,” Martin said, getting up from the desk and pulling me to a corner that led down to a back hallway. “You haven’t heard from him?” His eyes were intense, his grip on my arm harsh.

“No,” I replied, my voice softening. “The last time I saw or spoke to him was yesterday morning. Why? What’s going on?”

He released me from his grasp, his gaze intense. “All I know is he and Eli went to Florida yesterday to chase down a lead.”

My heart sank, a horrible premonition forming. “Do you think something happened?”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” he replied, his voice distant. Snapping his eyes back to me, he led me toward the bank of elevators and pressed the call button, the doors opening immediately. “Go upstairs and relax. I’ll do what I can to get in touch with him and make sure he contacts you immediately.”

“But–”

“Please, Miss Delano. Don’t stress about this. I assure you. I will let you know when I find out anything. Okay?”

I nodded just as the doors closed and the elevator whisked me to the twelfth floor of my building.

A thousand scenarios ran through my brain as I walked down the hall and into my condo, disarming the alarm. I fell onto the couch and closed my eyes, keeping my phone clutched in my hands, praying Tyler’s phone call would come.

~~~~~~~~~~

A LOUD KNOCKING ON my door startled me and I flung my eyes open, staring at my darkened living room. Slightly disoriented, I sat up on the couch, wondering for how long I had fallen asleep. The last thing I remembered was talking to Martin about Tyler, then going to my condo. I had planned to relax and watch some mindless television while I waited to hear from Tyler…

Tyler.

I snatched my phone off the couch, hopeful to see a missed call or text. When I looked at the screen and saw nothing, I grew more worried. The knocking at my door continued and I jumped up. I took several determined steps into the foyer and pulled open the front door.

“Did you find…?” I stopped short when I saw Martin standing there, panic in his eyes. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach, the fear that something had happened returning. I didn’t know Martin well, but I knew enough to sense that something had to be amiss.

“What is it?” I asked in a small voice.

He unexpectedly reached for my hand and clasped it in his, his expression soft as he looked down at my small hand enclosed in his.

“Martin, please…,” I begged.

He cleared his throat and met my eyes once more. “There’s been an accident.”

“An accident?” I shrieked, my hands beginning to shake as a chill ran through me. “What kind of accident?”

“It took a great deal of digging to find out what I could. Tyler and Eli went to Florida yesterday to question someone who may have been able to help with the case, someone who had apparently served with your father. I don’t know the details, but the house exploded.”

I gasped, letting out a loud sob as I clutched onto Martin’s arms, unable to stand.

“Where is he?” I asked through the ache in my throat. There were a million things I had left unsaid with Tyler and I had no idea if I would ever be able to tell him everything.