All Roads Lead Home (Book #1)

Chapter 22

Krystah's Point of View:

I look down at my phone again. This is the 5th time Jay's name has crossed the screen. He keeps calling but I refuse to answer. I can't talk to him right now.

I pull into the gas station to fill up the tank. I just crossed the border and am about an hour from the cabin. Once I get there, I'll get some sleep and then figure out what I'm going to do.

I run my thumb across the underside of my ring finger over the band of the promise ring Jay gave me. His promise of forever. I hope he still feels the same when I come back.

I just need some time to myself. Time to get over what happened. I could have stayed to tell everyone that but then they would have talked me out of it.
I just have to get to the cabin and everything will be okay.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"God Ethan, would you answer that phone. It could be Krystah!"

"Okay, okay. I'll answer it... Hello?... Oh, hey Jay... She took the Jeep?... No, we're still driving around... Okay we're coming over."

"What was that all about?" Ava asks.

"The Jeep is gone, but he said there's still a light on at the house. Jay wants us to come look in the house with him," Ethan says as he makes a quick u-turn and heads towards the Blaine's house.

"Oh," Ava says. "Jay hasn't gone in the house yet, has he?"

"No. He's waiting for us," Ethan says.

"Should we call the kids and tell them?"

"No. Let's wait until we search the house, then we can call them," Ethan says.

"Okay."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They pull into the driveway and see the vehicles parked in the driveway as well as Jayden's truck. Ethan puts the car in park and gets out, Ava following close behind.

"Do you still have your key Jayden?" Ethan asks as they walk up onto the front porch.

"Yeah," he says as he hands it to him. "I'm gonna wait out here. Call me if it's clear, okay?"

"Sure Jay," Ethan says as he unlocks the door.

Ethan and Ava walk into the house and turn on some more lights. They search the house and find no sign of Krystah.

"Okay Jay. Come on in. You'll be able to see what's missing better than we can," Ava says from the living room.

Jayden walks in the house and closes the front door. He walks around searching for anything that may give him a clue as to where she might have gone.

"Jay, is anything missing?" Ethan asks as he looks through some papers on the counter.

"Just some pictures of her dad. That's it," Jayden says out of frustration. "Where could she have gone?"

"I don't know Jay. Why don't you sit down and take some deep breaths?" Ava suggests. "You look a little pale."

"Thanks Ava," Jay says as he sits down on the couch. It was the same spot he was sitting the night Krystah got the call about her dad. The phone was still on the floor, broken from when it crashed to the floor.

"She took the Jeep to the shop last week," Ethan says as he comes out of the kitchen.

"What?" Ava asks from the chair where she had taken a seat.

"There's a receipt from a shop a couple towns over. She had the shop get it ready for her. They delivered it here for her," Ethan says as he shakes his head. "She's been planning to leave for a while. She was just waiting until she could do it without us being able to drag her back," Ethan says.

Silent tears flow as Jay tries to contain his emotions.

"She's gone. Let's just lock the house and leave it at that," Jayden says as he lifts himself up off the couch and walks out to his truck.

"Jay..."

"No Ethan. Let him go. He's hurting and he needs to be alone right now. He knows we're here when he needs us," Ava says as Jay's truck roars back to life in the drive way. They both watch as he drives away. "Let's just lock the door and go home. I'll call the kids."

"Okay," Ethan says as he locks the door behind them.