My fingers shook, I couldn’t speak, so I just handed her the bag like an idiot.
She took it, opened it up, peered inside at Colin’s wallet and shoes, and then sagged against the door.
That’s when I blacked out.
Ashton
I came to in the hospital. The beeping noises, bright lights, people rushing all around me, it was chaos. There was a deep throbbing pain in my chest and I felt so lightheaded I thought I might float away.
Gran’s worried gaze swam into view as she clutched her purse to her chest.
“Ash,” she sobbed.
“Ma’am, we need to get him into surgery.” A nurse held Gran back as they wheeled me past.
At the word “surgery,” I remembered the accident. The way the tree stump had impaled my chest, the way…
“Jenna!” I screamed, trying to sit up as I remembered her flying across the road with no seatbelt on. But moving made the dizziness worse and now I felt like I was going to throw up on top of it.
“Gran! Jenna?” I looked at my grandmother as they wheeled me through the double doors.
She just shook her head.
Everything inside of me died in that moment. It just went dark. I went dark inside.
When they put a mask over my face and started to sedate me for surgery, I had one wish.
Don’t let me wake up, I don’t want to wake up in a world without my twin sister.
Chapter 2
One Year Later
Millie
Julie sat across from me in her nursing scrubs as we grabbed lunch at the Chinese place near the hospital. This place was loud and I wasn’t in the mood to “people” today, but I would never pass up a lunch date with my bestie. I wouldn’t have survived the past year without her. I could almost smell the MSG, but this place was so good it was worth the food coma I would get later on.
“So, John has been acting weird. I think he’s cheating,” Julie confessed. Her brown hair was tied into a top-knot as she scowled down at her fork, twisting lo mein noodles onto the tip.
“John? Cheat on you? You’re crazy,” I assured her. John was so far from cheating on her it wasn’t even funny. I knew he wasn’t cheating, he was getting ready to propose. I’d helped him pick out the ring last week, but I needed to play it cool or I’d ruin the surprise.
Julie leaned forward and lowered her voice. “He’s all cagey and secretive. The other day I went to look through his gym bag for my yoga mat, and he freaked out.”
Fuck. He probably hid the ring in there.
“John’s not cheating,” I assured her again, making my voice a bit firmer than I probably should have.
Julie crossed her arms, glaring slightly at me. “You can’t possibly know that.”
I shrugged. “True, but I’m ninety-nine percent sure.”
Let it go, woman!
Julie furrowed her brow. “Now you’re acting weird. You’re normally super protective of me and would be offering to snoop on him. What’s going on?” She pinned me with a glare.
A grin tugged at my lips.
She was too smart to hide anything from.
“You caught me. John and I are hooking up.”
Her smile grew wide as she giggled, knowing that wasn’t possible, for many reasons.
1. I would never betray my best friend.
2. The last man’s lips to hit mine had been Colin’s.
“Seriously though—” Her face drained of color. “Ohmygod, is he going to propose?”
Dammit.
I put my head in my hands. There was no surprising this girl.
She squealed so loud that everyone stopped their lunch and stared at her.
Pulling my head from my hands, I looked at her. “Dammit, Julie, why can’t you just leave things be? Why do you have to play detective?” I snapped, tossing an edamame bean at her face. She dodged it and chewed her lip, bouncing in her seat, grinning.
“When is he doing it? Is the ring big? I mean I don’t care … I love him either way, but I’ll bet it’s big.”
A smirk pulled at my lips. “I’m not saying shit.” I crossed my arms.
Julie scowled behind her lo mein. “Excuse me? Best friend? You will tell me so I can make a waxing appointment and be sure to wear a sexy dress that night.”
She was right. No one wanted to have hoo-hah stubble on the night they got engaged.
I sighed. “Fine. Tomorrow night on your four-year anniversary and you better fucking act surprised.”
She bopped up and down in her chair, eyes alight with joy. “I totally will. Super surprised. So, it’s big right? Because these bitches at work all married surgeons and have rocks the size of cars on their hand.”
I chuckled. John was a corporate litigation attorney, junior partner at the firm. It was big.
“It’s decent.”
Her face fell. “Decent is fine. I just love him.”
Laughter pealed out of me. “Girl, it’s huge. You’re going to have to hire a bodyguard to walk you to your car.”
“Really?” Her face lit up again, and for the first time in a long time happiness exploded in my chest.
For like five minutes, I’d forgotten about Colin. I’d forgotten that I was a tragic twenty-seven-year-old widow. I’d allowed Julie’s happiness to make me happy. But then my fingers came around the chain at my throat, the place where Colin and my ring hung together right over my heart.
Julie noticed the shift in my face. “Mill, I know this must be hard for you. The one-year anniversary of Colin’s death is tonight and with my—”
I sighed deeply. “And nothing. We’re going to get shitfaced and watch Netflix and I’m fine.”
She nodded. “Yes, we are, but it’s okay if you’re having a hard time with me and John…”
I waved her off. “I’m not. I’m really happy for you. He’s amazing … for a Republican.”
We both laughed at that, and then the conversation navigated to equally choppy but different waters.
“So … closing the cupcake shop?” She winced and looked down at the paperwork stack that I had perched at the edge of the counter.
We hadn’t
