Page 106 of Only Be Mine

Seth sucked in a breath beside me.

The detective made a note and set the phone aside.

Next he pulled out a wallet.

Brown leather. Soft with age. A faint crease where John always bent it when he sat.

I pressed my lips together so hard they went numb.

He opened it methodically.

Credit cards. Business cards, names I recognized. People John worked with. People he trusted.

Then the driver’s license.

John’s face stared back at me - younger, smiling slightly, eyes bright.

My vision blurred.

I reached out without thinking, then stopped myself, hands hovering uselessly over the table.

“May I?” I asked.

The detective hesitated, then slid it toward me.

I picked it up like it might disappear if I didn’t hold it just right.

“I know this picture,” I said softly. “He hated it. Said it made him look smug.”

Seth let out a sound that might’ve been a laugh if it hadn’t broken halfway through.

The detective cleared his throat. “There were also photographs.”

He turned the wallet, and I froze.

John and Seth when they were younger, arms slung over each other, drunk and grinning.

John’s parents.

And then…

Me.

John and me in Silverpine. Snow everywhere. My hair a mess. His arm tight around my waist like he was afraid I’d vanish if he let go.

My breath left me in a rush.

Chapter 36

Cate

January - Ten Years Ago

The truck climbed the mountain road too fast for my comfort, and I grabbed the door handle like it might save me.

“John,” I yelped, squeezing my eyes shut as he rounded another sharp turn, “watch out!”

He laughed, warm and unbothered, one hand steady on the wheel, the other briefly brushing my knee. “Relax. I’ve driven this road a thousand times.”