Chapter 26
Chat looked most like Trey when he dressed up. Danika always thought so. Trey had never been overly preppy, or into fashion,
but he’d insisted on looking his best when taking Danika out. He joked he was always glad to change out of his hockey gear,
which he claimed smelled like rotten socks no matter how many times he washed it.
Danika insisted he didn’t need to dress up for her, but it had made her feel special all the same. She loved seeing him in
a polo or button-down when he came to pick her up. At sixteen, meeting him after moving to St. Cloud had felt like a true
lifeline; she had never experienced love like that, and after coming off her father’s death, it felt even more like a gift.
With Chat around, it was impossible not to fall back into those memories. It was always a sweet, bitter pain, like staring
at the sun too long. It was especially difficult in moments like this, before the party, when the wine made her body and mind
fluid and she was no longer in control.
“You look wonderful.” She smiled as Chat came down the stairs to the foyer. He looked just like him.
“You do clean up well,” Bill added, polishing off a glass of whiskey. They were both tipsy by now, grateful Chat was driving.
“Right back at you both. Though here’s our real star,” Chat cooed as he scooped up Max.
Danika walked to them and leaned in to kiss Max’s cheek. Then, she turned to look at the three of them—herself, Chat, and
Max—in the mirror at their side. For a moment, as she studied their reflection, she allowed herself to travel to an alternate
life: one where Chat really was Trey. Where the child he held was theirs. One where death had not been licking at their heels.