Page 39 of The Route to You

To scream.

To stomp.

How dare he?

How fucking dare he?

She sat there, shaking, stunned by her own intensity.

But somehow, letting all of that out made her feel absurdly better.

“You know what I feel like doing?” she asked, hands shaking.

“Killing someone?” Kyle deadpanned, not skipping a beat.

A bubble of laughter rippled through her without warning. “Yes.” She shook her head. “But that’s not what I meant.”

Kyle’s mouth curved, like seeing her laugh physically relieved him. “Okay. Then what?”

“I feel like skiing,” Sloan said, and the words surprised her even as they came out. “Just to spite him. He was always begging me to go out there with him and I hated going and it made him furious. And he wanted to spend the morning of our wedding skiing. So . . . fuck him. I’m going to do it without him.”

Kyle gave her a look of confusion. “You want to go skiing right now?”

“Yes.” She exhaled. “But not here. I don’t want to run into anyone here for the wedding.”

Kyle ran his hand through his hair, as though he was half tempted to pull it out. “I—” He glanced at her, cautious. “Okay. My buddy Dean has a place in Breckenridge. He could probably lend us gear, too, so we don’t have to rent it and show ID.” He paused. “It’s about a forty-five-minute drive, if you want to go.”

“Perfect,” she said, settling back in the seat. Then she added quickly, “If you don’t mind.”

“What about your dog?” he asked, raising a brow.

The thought clouded her heart. But it wasn’t like Sadie was in danger or anything, either. They’d hired a trusted dogsitter to stay at the house with her for the wedding. And, truthfully, Evan probably wasn’t even thinking about Sadie. He barely tolerated her . “She’ll be okay for now,” she said, forcing steadiness.

He frowned, maybe wondering if she’d been exaggerating anything before.

“I don’t think Evan will steal her.” But that doesn’t mean he won’t weaponize her, either . She swallowed. “I just . . . want to get her before he thinks of doing something petty and stupid.”

Kyle’s arms flexed, protectively. “Breckenridge,” he decided, shifting the car into reverse. “Then we figure out the dog plan.”

She nodded, staring out the windshield at the bright, ridiculous day.

He shifted the car into reverse. “Sounds like a plan.”

“You’re still on my shit list,” she said. “Sort of.”

That finally cracked a real smile on his face. “Noted.”

The warmth of that smile did something inconvenient to her stomach.

Then she added quietly, “But thank you for not lying to me. It means a lot.”

More than she’d realized it would.

Kyle’s gaze flicked to her softly and he nodded once.

She turned away fast, catching her reflection in the window, thinking about Kyle’s words.

“That’s why I’m telling you the truth now, rather than waiting until the lies pile up, leaving you feeling even more betrayed.”