Elijah yawned, beyond tired as he steered his truck down the dark streets toward home. Nothing like working forty-eight hours straight… A long forty-eight hours shift… Between Bobby Sutton’s disappearance and a pop-up meth lab tip, he’d driven over most of the county and turned up nothing but an abandoned barn and cold trails. He’d busted two teens selling pot at a corner store but lost another in the park. At least he hadn’t spent much time at his desk. Nothing like sitting underneath humming fluorescent lights to make a man doze. Being up, out, and adrenaline pumping kept him sharp and focused. He hadn’t been slated for the shift, but when his coworker’s wife had gone into early labor, he’d volunteered to cover the man’s shift. Unlike the vast majority of the Smithville force, he was… single. Had Starlight noticed he was gone? Missed him at all? Elijah blew out a deep breath. Dammit, he’d thought about her a hell

          Elijah shifted the large Crock-Pot he’d picked up for the happy couple and opened the door of ‘Tucker House’.“You look wiped, dude,” Edward said, giving him a one-armed hug.“Skeleton crew means extra hours,” he said, hugging Harper. “You look pretty, sweetie.”          Harper smiled at him and patted his shoulder.“Thank you, EJ. So kind of you to say it.”“Where’s the happy couple?” Elijah asked, assessing the crowd.          Chances were he could put in an appearance and sneak out. He needed sleep. Like an entire century of sleep… He’d been called in to work and left Starlight sleeping, warm and soft in his bed.          Leaving the woma

         Elijah held her against him. He’d scarred her. Left her broken… ‘damaged’ her, as she was saying…“I’m sorry, Star. I’m so damn sorry.”          Starlight stared up at him but said nothing.“I did what I thought I had to do,” Elijah said.          This time, she frowned then confusion appeared in her green eyes.“What… What are you talking about?”“I should’ve said this to you a long time ago… I should’ve looked for you and let you know why I did what I did… to you…”“Elijah… I don’t understand… You’re not making sense…” Starlight told him slowly.“Star, I… I hurt you when I should have fought for you,”

          The next day, Meghan came over and helped her weeding through her old things. It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. There were three large boxes that she and Meghan tackled together.          But there wasn’t much. Mostly pictures and keepsakes gathered from before her father had left them. Nothing from her high-school years, or her life with Daniel… They hauled the boxes onto the front porch.“I can call James…” Meghan offered. “My brother has a truck.”“No, Megs… After what I did at the party... I can’t keep leading your brother on.”“Girl, you just kissed him under the mistletoe,” Meghan said, nudging her. “I didn’t see tongue, or groping…”          Starlight laughed.“Be

Starlight turned the moment Meghan was entering the room. Her face was pale. “Aunt Hazel called…” she whispered. “Elijah?” Starlight asked, already knowing the answer. Meghan took her hands. “He’s okay, sweetie.” “What happened?” she asked, her voice trembling. “Don’t freak out, okay? He was stabbed…” “What?! No!” Starlight yelled. “He’s in stable condition.” Meghan hurried to the door. “Where is he?” Starlight asked. “Saint Croix Hospital…” she said then paused. “But... EJ said for you not to come.” Starlight frowned. “Oh…” “I need to take Aunt Hazel. She can’t drive on the ice, too jumpy,” Meghan replied, hugging her. “I’ll let you know as soon as I know more.” “Okay,” she whispered, feeling numb. After closing the door, Starlight stood still, like a statue. The man she loved was hurt… But he was stable enough to tell her not to come. Starlight hugged herself, hating how cold she felt. “If he doesn’t want me there,