Page 114 of Everything We Found

Kristen beamed, then bit her lip. “One more thing. Would it be weird if we invited James too?”

Nadia’s brows shot up. She looked at Aimee, gauging her reaction.

“James?” Aimee repeated in a neutral tone.

“Nick really misses him,” Kristen quickly explained. “They’ve been texting, and James mentioned he might visit California soon with Natalya and the kids. Nick thought it would be nice to have everyone together. But if it’s too weird for you and Ian?—”

“It’s not,” Aimee said. “James and I are… we’re good. We talked. It wasn’t super comfortable, but it wasn’t awful either.”

“Okay, wow.” Kristen looked slightly stunned. “I didn’t expect that to be so easy.”

Aimee laughed, a genuine laugh that made Nadia’s heart soar. “Trust me, nothing about this has been easy. But I’m tired of letting it affect my life and our friendship. We’ve all been through enough.”

“We’ve earned some happiness,” Nadia said.

Kristen clapped her hands. “So, it’s settled then. As soon as Thomas is healed, we’re having a party. The whole gang.”

“The whole gang,” Nadia echoed, and gathered her friends up in a hug. She kissed their cheeks. “I’ve missed this. I’ve missed us.”

A month ago, she’d been certain she’d lost them both forever, ready to disappear and start a new life without them. But here they were, together. The way it had been when their friendship started. It was different now. But maybe, with time, it would be better, stronger.

38

NADIA

TEN MONTHS LATER

The late May sun cast a golden sheen over the Garners’ backyard, warming the concrete surrounding the pool to a temperature that made bare feet dance in search of cooler spots. Nadia paused just inside the gate, her hand settled on Thomas’s lower back. His muscles tensed beneath her touch, a subtle restlessness she’d grown accustomed to over the past months.

“You okay?” she asked.

He offered a tight smile. “Just haven’t seen everyone together like this in a long time.”

“Me either.” She could hear laughter and splashing from the pool. Ian’s deep voice bellowing “Marco!” followed by a chorus of high-pitched “Polo!” replies. Conversations overlapping in the casual cadence of longtime friends.

“They invited us.” Nadia squeezed his waist gently. “Everyone wants you here.”

He nodded, though the line between his brows didn’t ease. “Let’s dive in.”

Nadia took his hand as they rounded the house and crossed the backyard oasis, the sight before them overwhelming in itsnormalcy given the upheaval of the past decade. Ian stood waist-deep in the pool, blindfolded with a wet towel as he lunged with outstretched arms toward squealing kids. Nick manned the grill alongside James. Both had beers in hand and were deep in conversation. Kristen and Aimee moved between the outdoor kitchen and a large table laden with side dishes, paper plates, and plastic cups. Standing on the pool deck near the shallow end, Natalya bounced a sixteen-month-old Zelie on her hip, the toddler’s copper curls framing a face that was all her mother.

Thomas shifted his weight as they walked, a habit he’d developed since the shooting. There was a slight hitch to his gait now, only noticeable if you knew to look for it. The physical scars in his arm and leg still bore a pinkness, but the memory of those terrifying days they’d been on the run, and the first seventy-two hours after surgery in the hospital would always remain fresh in her mind.

Nick spotted them first. “Nadia! Tom!” He raised a spatula in greeting. “Get over here!”

Thomas hesitated, his hand closing tighter around Nadia’s.

“Go on. I’ll say ‘hi’ to everyone.”

“You sure?” he asked.

She kissed his cheek. “Positive.”

Nadia watched him walk toward the grill, noticing how Nick immediately pulled him into a side hug, as if the years of absence had been mere days. James hugged him next with brotherly pats on his back. The three of them, childhood friends now in their forties, stirred something bittersweet in Nadia’s chest.

She made her way over to Natalya, who brightened at her approach.

“There you are!” She greeted Nadia with a one-armed hug, the baby sandwiched between them. “I was starting to think you two got lost.”