Chapter 36
Tyler
Tyler shifted his weight on the crutches and tried to find a comfortable position against Brooke’s kitchen counter. His leg was healing well. The bullet had gone clean through the meaty part of his calf without hitting bones or major vessels. But standing for long periods still made it ache.
Brooke’s living room was crowded. Gina and Nick had claimed the couch, each cradling a mug of coffee, while Steph and Joe sat together on the stools at the breakfast bar, talking softly.
The rest of the running club filled the remaining space, settling into chairs that had been dragged in or standing wherever they could squeeze in.
The atmosphere felt like a party, celebrating not just Brooke’s decision to register for the race but everything they had come through together. Surviving. Moving forward.
And they were doing it all before daylight on a Thursday. It was one of the strangest things Tyler had ever witnessed, and also one of the most wonderful. These were Brooke’s people. Even Phil showed up, grumbling about weird runners and their early morning hours, but he was there.
Brooke moved through the crowd with scones and pastries. Tyler watched her, marveling at how she’d bounced back. Not long ago, she’d nearly been strangled to death in her own living room. Now she was hosting a registration party as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She caught him staring and smiled; that genuine kindness still made his chest tight. He smiled back.
“Five more minutes,” Steph announced, checking her watch. “You ready, Brooke?” She pointed to the laptop already open and waiting.
“I think so.” Brooke set down the tray and wiped her hands on a towel. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
“You’re ready,” Gina said firmly. “Registration is the first step. You’ve got a solid training plan—one that’s not too crazy—to carry you through.”
“Not too crazy is the key,” Nick said, giving Brooke a wink.
Tyler knew about how obsessed Brooke had become when she’d tried to run the Moose Range Run before. And he knew she wasn’t sure about doing it this time. She waffled on whether or not to register.
After everything with Edi, after the attack and the confrontation and nearly dying, she’d told Tyler she wasn’t sure she could commit to the training. Wasn’t sure she had it in her. And if she did commit, she wasn’t sure she could keep her sanity.
Tyler had promised to help however he could. Bike alongside her on long runs once his leg healed. Drive support on training days. Whatever she needed. They’d spent many hours on the computer building a training schedule that felt reasonable.
Gina and Steph had both looked it over and agreed it made sense. Steph said it was enough to give her the miles she needed to complete the distance, and Gina thought it seemed sensible for maintaining her mental health. Plus, it provided some flexibility in case of weather or other issues.
She’d been open with all her friends about what she was facing. About the doubts she had and the toll the training—and the race itself—might take on her. The running club had rallied around her, offering encouragement and practical help.
The support had made the difference. Brooke had gone from “I can’t” to “Maybe I can” to “I’m doing this” over the course of a week.
Tyler was proud of her. More than that, he was grateful to be part of her journey. Part of her life.
The coffee shop had seen a surge in business after everything came out. People apologized and showed up to support Brooke. She handled it all with grace and focused on the people who’d stood by her from the start.
Tyler had been in regular contact with Robert and Sue.
They’d apologized for ever doubting him, though Tyler waved off the apology.
They’d supported him when it mattered. He felt a little bad for ever thinking Robert might have been behind the murders and figured some day he might even tell him about his suspicions.
Then again, maybe not. Phil had been right about it never being a good idea to accuse your boss of murder if you wanted to keep your job.
They were holding his position for him. The doctor said another two or three weeks, and he’d be cleared for light duty. Robert assured him he’d find something for him to do, even if it was sitting on a stool and organizing tools. Tyler was looking forward to it. The routine. The normalcy.
Edi was in a mental health hospital after being declared currently incompetent to stand trial. Tyler didn’t know if there would eventually be a trial once she stabilized, or if she’d spend the rest of her life in treatment.
He was okay with either outcome. What Edi had done was unforgivable, but she clearly wasn’t in her right mind and hadn’t been for a long time.
Tyler wanted justice. He wanted Edi to face consequences for what she’d done. But not until she was capable of understanding those consequences. Not while she was still trapped in whatever delusion had driven her to violence.
There were still several unanswered questions as to what all Edi did and why. He still had no idea why she’d left the notes on his pickup truck.
He’d asked Adam about it, but Adam said something about not commenting on an open investigation, then followed up with how Edi didn’t seem to know what all she did and didn’t do, and had even suggested she hadn’t acted alone.
Tyler didn’t think anyone believed that, but Joe said there was an investigation happening for an accomplice.
Tyler also assumed Edi was behind the rumors about him dating Monique but had no proof. The things he knew were bad enough.
He carried the weight of Jen and Garrett’s deaths differently now, knowing it hadn’t been an accident, knowing someone had deliberately taken them from him.
That grief would never fully heal. Brooke seemed to understand, even recognizing that the revelation of Edi’s betrayal reopened the original pain.
She’d offered him space, and he loved her all the more for it.
“Two minutes,” Steph called out.
The room went quiet. Everyone shifted closer to where Brooke stood with her laptop open on the kitchen counter.
Tyler moved beside her, balancing on his crutches. She glanced up at him, nervous energy radiating off her.
“You’ve got this,” he said quietly.
“What if I don’t get in? What if it fills up before— ”
“Then you get your name on the waitlist. You said yourself that not everyone who signs up can run. If you don’t make the waitlist, you try again next year. But you’re getting in. I can feel it.”
Joe appeared on Brooke’s other side, his own phone out and ready. “I’ve got the backup registration page loaded. Just in case your computer freezes or something.”
Tyler studied Joe for a moment. He’d been around a lot lately. He said he was working on a book about the case—interviewing people and gathering details. He’d asked Tyler for several sit-down conversations, and Tyler had agreed to most of them.
Joe was nice enough and was a good friend to Brooke and the rest of the running crew.
But there was something else there. Something Joe wasn’t saying.
Tyler had caught him a few times staring off into space with an expression that didn’t quite fit the moment.
Had noticed the way he sometimes deflected personal questions.
Tyler also knew Steph had mentioned something similar to Brooke about how she’d like to get to know Joe better, but he didn’t make it easy.
Everyone had secrets. Tyler knew that better than most. Maybe Joe’s were harmless. Maybe they weren’t.
Either way, Tyler would keep an eye on him. Not because he didn’t trust Joe with Brooke—she could take care of herself—but because after everything they’d been through, Tyler had learned to pay attention to his instincts.
“Thirty seconds,” Steph announced.
Brooke’s hand found Tyler’s. He gave it a soft squeeze before letting go. She had work to do.
“Ten. Nine. Eight.”
The room counted down together.
“Three. Two. One. Go!”
Brooke’s fingers flew across the keyboard. Tyler watched the screen as she navigated through the registration process. Name. Address. Emergency contact—she listed Tyler without hesitation. Payment information. Waiver signed electronically.
“Submit,” she whispered, clicking the final button.
The page loaded, and a confirmation message appeared.
Congratulations! Your registration for the Moose Range Run 100-Mile Trail Run has been received.
The room erupted in cheers. Gina hooted. Steph clapped. Phil started chanting Brooke’s name.
Brooke stared at the screen like she couldn’t quite believe it. Then she turned to Tyler, her face breaking into the widest smile he’d ever seen.
She kissed him. A real kiss, full of joy and relief and promise.
When they pulled apart, she was laughing. “I did it. I actually did it.”
“You did it,” Tyler agreed.
Around them, her friends celebrated. Coffee and treats were forgotten as they congratulated Brooke, talked about training plans, and made promises to support her through the next months of preparation.
Brooke lifted her hands and called for quiet, her smile wide and her eyes filled with tears. “Thank you all so much. I can’t even tell you how much it means to me to have you here.” She paused and met her brother’s gaze. “Especially those of you who are not early risers.”
Phil lifted his coffee cup. “You deserve it, sis. All of this and more. I’m proud of you.”
She nodded. “I’m glad you’re here.” Brooke glanced around the room.
“Glad all of you are here. I mean it when I say I wouldn’t be doing this without your support.
And I also wanted to thank those of you who have already offered to help me train and volunteered to be part of my crew or to pace me during the Moose Range Run. ”
Brooke gave Tyler’s hand a squeeze. She’d specifically asked him if he’d be willing to run with her on the last long leg. Instinctively, he knew it was an honor and something he had to do.
“That all said,” Brooke continued, “I’m not the only one with a big race happening in the next few months. Steph is doing the Frozen Divide 100 in March and is already training for it, though we all know her real training will begin after the snow starts since it’s a self-sufficient winter race.”
“So no pacers for me,” Steph said. “But I’d welcome anyone who wishes to be at the start or finish.”
“I’ll be there,” Jocelyn promised. “No way would I miss you setting a new personal best.”
Steph shrugged. “That’s the plan anyway. Hopefully, everything comes together and the course is kind to me this year.”
Tyler had heard stories about the winter races Steph had done, and how the weather could turn brutal and ruin everything, even when she had trained and prepared as much as possible.
“You’ll be fine,” Jocelyn assured her. “And I’ve already reserved a house near the race.” She glanced around the room. “Let me know if you want to be there to cheer Steph on. It’s the middle of March, so check your calendars.”
“And check your calendars for the first weekend of July,” Steph said. “That’s when Jocelyn is running her first marathon. She’ll need us there to cheer her on.”
The conversation continued as the group made plans to attend Steph’s race in March, Jocelyn’s race in July, and the Moose Range Run in June for Brooke.
Tyler stayed where he was, Brooke’s hand in his, watching her glow with excitement and marveling at this group and how they were more family than friends.
This was their future. Not perfect. Not without challenges. But together. Building something real out of the wreckage of their pasts.
He’d lost everything once and thought he’d never have this again—a partner, a community, a reason to look forward instead of back.
But here he was. In Brooke’s kitchen. Surrounded by people who cared. Planning for a race eight months away, like the future was something he could count on.
Brooke caught his eye again. “Thank you,” she mouthed.
He didn’t need to ask what for. He knew. For believing in her. For staying. For being there through the worst and promising to be there for what came next.
Tyler pulled her close, careful of his crutches, and held her while the celebration continued around them.