Page 73 of Everything We Found

“Tell me everything,” she insisted, intent on keeping Aimee talking so she wouldn’t.

Aimee told her about James’s condition, which was outlandish, while Nadia drove. He had dissociative fugue and went by the name of Carlos, and bits and pieces of what Thomas had shared with her these past months came together. He didn’t recognize Aimee.

Then Aimee told her about Thomas’s confession and Nadia’s heart rate sped up. She had the reckless idea that he’d told Aimee she knew about James to get back at her for not talking her out of going to Mexico. But he’d only given her a very generalized explanation about why he’d needed to fake James’s death. Nadia too only knew what Thomas had shared with her, which she was sure wasn’t near the whole truth. But it was more than Aimee knew.

“I don’t think he told me the full story,” Aimee said, as if reading Nadia’s thoughts.

“No?” Nadia asked through a tight throat. She wiped her damp palm on her jeans.

“I don’t want to know either.”

She doesn’t want to know.

If Nadia hadn’t already been invested in this conversation, that would have snagged her attention. She stared at Aimee. “You don’t?”

Aimee shook her head. “It would be harder to get over him if I knew everything. He isn’t totally out of danger. I think the less I know, the better off I’ll be. Safer, too. Don’t you think?”

“I guess.” Nadia shrugged, hoping she came off indifferent, objective. Inside, she was a wild windstorm of nerves and tension, sweaty palms with a sour stomach. A chaotically beating heart.

“Besides, he isn’t James anymore.”

“How do you mean?”

“Carlos is his own man with kids and a career. It took me a couple days?—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Nadia held up a hand. “Kids?” Thomas had not told her that.

“He married his physical therapist, Raquel, and adopted her son. They had another kid together, a boy. But she died in childbirth.”

Nadia’s body seized. “That’s so…”

“Tragic, I know. Everything about this sucks. I never dreamed of a life without James. But he, I mean Carlos, has kids. Who am I to ask him to walk away from that?”

“Someone who loves him?”

Aimee shook her head. “I loved James. He isn’t James anymore.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Nadia offered.

“I don’t think I would have been able to leave him behind if he was himself.” Aimee chewed on her bottom lip.

“What is it?”

“Ian told me he loved me.”

“He what?!” Nadia braked a little harder than usual at the light and they both leaned forward at the abrupt stop.

Aimee sipped her water, screwed the cap back on. “He didn’t tell you?”

“No. He failed to mention that epic detail when he called. That’s good, right?” Something finally lit a flame under that man’s ass. Nothing like a little competition for a woman’s heart.

Aimee put away her water, scrunched up her nose. “Maybe? I’m not sure. I like him, a lot. More than like him. But that was before…”

“Before what?” Nadia prompted, and when Aimee didn’t answer, she asked, “What are you going to do about him?”

“Nothing. I hurt him. Long story, but I doubt he’s interested in me anymore.”

Nadia gave her a look. Was she high?