bystanders.
Neither of them said anything, but it was understood that they would share a hotel room, and a bed.
They lay together, kissing gently, Sarah down to her bra and panties. Then the look of sadness from the support group appeared, and she pulled away from him.
“I’m sorry, I…you understand, right?”
“Of course I do.”
They held each other all night.
The music festival got rained out, so they spent the day singing in the hotel room. They kissed some more after darkness fell, and she said that she was ready.
Then she warned him that she was ending a dry spell of several years and that he might be in very serious danger.
Somehow, he survived.
1986
“What if we got married?” Sarah asked.
“Um, are you proposing to me?”
“No, I’m not trying to steal your thunder. I’m just throwing the idea out there. I love you, you love me, we want babies someday, so let’s make them legitimate before they’re accidentally conceived.”
“Wow.” Toby kissed her. “That’s the most flowery, poetic-”
“I know, I know. But I’m serious.”
“-heartfelt, romantic-”
She punched him playfully on the arm. “Enough! You know what I mean. Let’s do it. We’re not getting any younger.”
“So, what, do I just drop to one knee?”
“No. You should get a ring first.”
“How do you know I don’t already have it?”
“Do you?”
“Yes. It’s back at my place. If you’d been considerate enough to start this conversation there, I could’ve run into my bedroom, brought it out, and it would’ve been this great big romantic deal. But instead, we have to drive eight miles.”
“You’re joking, right? Do you really have a ring?”
“Yes.”
“Seriously, Toby, don’t kid around. You really truly bought an engagement ring?”
“Let’s go get it.”
He’d decided to buy a ring the weekend after they made love for the first time. He knew it was too soon, way too soon, and that he might never get to give it to her, but he wanted to have the ring.
Owen had helped him pick it out. Toby had brought pictures of the top three possibilities, and Owen had tapped his talon against the princess-cut diamond, which was Toby’s first choice, too. If he asked again with the same three pictures, Owen would probably point to something different, but that was okay.
He also had his mother’s engagement ring in his top drawer. It was a beautiful ring-much more expensive than the one he bought for Sarah. But he couldn’t give his future wife a ring that came from the finger of a woman who slit her wrists. He just couldn’t.
As they drove toward his home, Toby wondered about the impact of his marriage on Owen. They’d have to move into a new home-his house was okay for himself, maybe for the two of them, but definitely too small for an expanding family.
She knew he loved the forest. He’d just have to insist that they get a home in the same general area. He’d start researching possibilities.
He made Sarah wait in the living room, then went into his bedroom and got the ring box. He walked back to her, got down on one knee, and took her hand.
“Sarah Habley, will you marry me?”
“Oh my God! You had the ring!”
“I wouldn’t lie about something like that. So will you?”
“Yes!”
They kissed.
It was going to be wonderful. They’d get a new house, stay near the forest, and nothing would change. Maybe he’d have to visit Owen less often, but that was fine-Owen would just have to understand. He wouldn’t abandon his friend. Not ever. Nothing would change.
Nothing changed after the wedding. They bought a wonderful little house at a great price, not as close to his old place as Toby would have liked, but still acceptable. While Sarah went to classes at night, Toby spent time with Owen. He and the monster weren’t too old to make up new games, even if there was much less running around involved these days.
They’d planned to wait a couple of years before having kids. Not too long-they didn’t want to be parenting from a nursing home-but long enough to give themselves time to travel the world and for Sarah to get her degree.
One positive pregnancy test and some quick calculations showed that she’d gotten knocked up during their honeymoon.
Things did change after that. Toby didn’t go out to visit Owen on weekends-well, not every weekend. Owen understood. There were no more jealous rages.
Love her?
“I do. Who would’ve thought that a loser like me would ever get married, huh?”
As her belly swelled, Toby grew less comfortable leaving her alone. He still visited Owen, just not as often. He brought him extra treats to make up for it. Life was good. They were still best buddies.
The night Garrett Andrew Floren was born, weighing six pounds, three ounces, Toby held his son and vowed that nobody would ever harm his child.
Nobody.
For all these years, he’d allowed a monster to live in the woods outside of his house.
Not anymore.
C HAPTER T WENTY-THREE
1987. 42 years old.
“He doesn’t have either of our eyes,” Sarah said, taking Garrett back from Toby. Toby and Sarah both had brown eyes, but Garrett’s were a beautiful shade of blue.
“Recessive traits.”
“He does have your nose, though.”
Toby scrunched up his nose. “I don’t think so.”
“Yes, he does.” She gently stroked the newborn’s forehead. “He’s so precious. Can you believe I’m sitting here saying things like ‘He’s so precious’? That’s not like me. Do you think we’re going to become those parents who show pictures of their baby to strangers and tell everybody that he’s the most beautiful baby boy in the entire world?”
Toby gave her a kiss. “I hope so.”
He walked through the woods with a clarity of vision. He’d lived a confused life-a mixed-up, crazy, confused life, but he wasn’t confused now.
Sarah had been nervous about having a gun in their house, even an unloaded one, so she’d insisted that he
