Page 146 of What We Become

I chuckle, pull off my jeans, and slide in behind her. My arm goes around her waist. She shifts back into me, aligning our bodies with that instinct she has, the one that finds the closest warm thing and claims it.

Her breathing evens out again. I press my mouth to the back of her neck and close my eyes.

The bedroom is quiet. The house is quiet.

For ten minutes, I let myself have this.

Then Sage’s phone goes off downstairs.

She doesn’t wake. I slide off the bed, heading downstairs to silence it before the next buzz. But when I reach for it, the screen lights up. I read the exchange once. Then read it again.

Sage:

Thank you for the flowers, baby! They’re beautiful

Micah:

Hey baby girl. What flowers? I didn’t send any. Did one of the others? x

The sunflowers. On the kitchen counter. Fresh, bright, sitting in the vase like they’d been there forever. I’d assumed they were from Micah. Sage assumed. Nobody questioned it because nobody questions flowers. They’re the most harmless thing in the world.

I pick up my phone and text the guys’ group chat.

Me:

Who sent the sunflowers?

Holden:

What flowers?

Milo:

Oh cute! Who got flowers? Take a photo. I wanna see.

Micah:

I already texted Sage that it wasn’t me.

Knox comes down the stairs, phone in hand. His attention goes straight to the flowers before he looks at me.

I stare down at my phone.

“I think we have a fucking problem.”

THIRTY-FOUR

MILO

Eli:

No one sent them. Get home.

There isn’t even a courtesy please, which is how I know this is serious.

I’m halfway through reorganizing one of my server indexes when the message appears. I don’t waste any time, just grab my laptop and keys, then make it through nine deadbolts and halfway up the basement stairs before my brain starts fully processing.

Someone sent Sage sunflowers.