Page 111 of Only Be Mine

This time, when I closed my eyes, they stayed shut.

Chapter 39

Cate

Present

Iwoke before the alarm, the pale gray light of morning filtering through a crack in the covered windows. For a moment, I didn’t remember where I was or why my chest felt so tight.

Then I saw the photo.

Silverpine. John’s arm around me. My smile wide and unguarded.

I sat up abruptly, the cotton of his t-shirt slipping from my grasp and pooling in my lap. I stared at the photo, really stared at it this time, and felt something settle deep in my bones.

I couldn’t wear the dress.

The thought came fully formed, solid and undeniable.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, moving on instinct before doubt could creep in. I grabbed my purse from the hallway floor and dumped its contents onto the carpet until I found my phone.

Amy answered on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Amy,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “I need your help.”

There was a pause. “Cate? Are you okay?”

“Yes,” I said, surprising myself with how true it felt. “I just need you to come get me.”

Another pause, then, “I’ll be there in fifteen.”

True to her word, Amy pushed through my front door minutes later. “Cate?” she called. “You here?”

“In the bedroom,” I answered, pulling my hair into a messy ponytail.

She stopped short when she stepped into the hall. “Did you… change your house?”

I followed her gaze. The blankets were gone from the windows. The blinds were open. Sunlight streamed in like it had every right to be there.

“I needed light,” I said simply.

She nodded, accepting it without argument. “You ready?”

I pulled on sneakers and grabbed my purse. “Yeah.”

The drive was quiet. Not awkward, just careful. Amy glanced at me more than once, like she was checking for cracks.

“Where are we going?” she finally asked.

“Something Borrowed,” I said.

She frowned. “Cate…”

“I know,” I cut in gently. “But I can’t wear that dress.”

She didn’t ask which one. She didn’t need to.