There was no better place.
This was his home. When they were married it would betheirhome. Vicky loved it here. She loved how quiet and peaceful it was, and yet they were only thirty minutes from the busy city center. She loved the woods, she loved crunching through the leaves in fall, she loved watching the new leaves grow in spring. She loved strolling between the tall trees on hot summer evenings, and she loved beautiful snowy days watching the snowflakes slowly fill the woods until it was transformed into a magical winter wonderland.
This would be the home where he carried her over the threshold on their wedding night, where they brought their children home from the hospital, where they grew old together. It seemed like a fitting place to propose.
Feeling absurdly happy, Oscar headed for his home gym, he had a couple of hours to get in a workout before …
He started as a loud bang echoed through the house.
Then a split second later there was nothing.
* * * * *
2:24 P.M.
“Here.” Sam set a plate down in front of Naomi. “You haven’t eaten yet today.”
Naomi eyed the sandwich suspiciously, curled her nose up, and pushed it away. “I’m still too nauseous to eat.”
“Then you can go straight back to the hospital,” he threatened.
“I don’t feel like I’m going to throw up, I just don’t feel like eating.”
“I don’t care what you feel like. Your body needs fuel, so you’ll eat.” He pushed the plate back toward her.
She didn’t move, just sat there and glared at the sandwich like it was the most repulsive thing she had ever seen.
“All right then, hospital it is.” With one easy movement he swung Naomi up and over his shoulder.
“What do you think you're doing? Put me down,” she demanded. She clutched at him, her hands fisting tightly in his sweater.
“It’s hospital or eat, your choice.”
He’d taken only two steps toward her front door when she relented. “I’ll try to eat the sandwich.”
Lowering her back down into her chair, the frown she shot him was pure ice. Sam knew that Naomi hated to be ordered around, but he was perfectly happy to risk her wrath if it was in her best interest. Besides, he’d rather see her angry than despondent. She had barely said two words since Jonathon and Allina left this morning. And worse still, she hadn’t done anything but sit and stare listlessly into space. A still Naomi scared him more than anything else. He wanted to snap her out of the fog she seemed stuck in.
For the next thirty minutes, he watched her pick and nibble at the sandwich until at last she pushed the plate away again. “I can't eat any more, Sam,” she said miserably.
“Okay, half a sandwich is better than nothing,” he acknowledged.
“No hospital?”
“No hospital,” he agreed. “But you eat dinner tonight or I’ll change my mind.”
Once he’d cleaned up, he rejoined Naomi at the kitchen table. They needed to talk, but he wanted to get her mood lifted a little before he peppered her with questions on the sensitive topic of the fire.
“Jonathon called a little while ago.”
“Jonathon?” she echoed distractedly.
“Yes, he called while I was making you lunch.”
“Oh.”
“With an update about the case.”
“Yeah?”