“Lili?”
Lili pulled her gaze from the game on her phone. She’d lost her mind. She could have sworn she heard Jem calling her name.
“Lili?”
She jumped to her feet, dropping her phone. It still dangled from the charger she’d found a few minutes ago.
A creak sounded from the direction of the front door. Lili charged through the sanctuary, pawed at the locks, and wrenched open the door.
Uncle Jem stood on the steps, face lined, the rising sun shining on his hair like a halo.
Lili threw herself into his arms.
“Thank you, God.” Jem’s murmur barely penetrated her consciousness. He squeezed her tight, let her cry into his shirt.
He’d come for her. Someone loved her enough to come for her.
She hung onto Jem with all her strength. They stood like that for a minute before Jem sat her down on the top step.
“Just let me message your parents and Granddad. They’re out looking too. And Natalie will be worried sick.”
“They are?” She dragged a sleeve past her nose.
Jem tapped a message into his phone. “We split into shifts so we could search all night.”
“How did you find me?”
“It was Nick’s idea. He used the Find My Phone thingy. He said you did the same thing to your dad.”
She grabbed Jem’s arm. “Nick? He’s not here, is he?”
He slid his large hand over hers. “He searched with me all night. He’s in the car. He thought I should talk to you first.”
She scanned the road. No car.
“We parked on the other side,” Jem said, pointing around the corner.
“I can’t believe it. Mom and Dad too?”
“Mom and Dad too.”
Tears welled again. “I thought no one wanted me.”
Jem’s face twisted, like he was about to cry too. He opened his arms, and she leaned against his chest, face tucked into his shoulder. “I know. Nick told us everything. Your parents finally came clean. I’m so sorry, Lil.”
She couldn’t hold back the sobs any longer. Jem rocked her as she cried.
“I had no idea your dad told you to come home. I’ve loved having you, and if you want to stay at my house and your parents are okay with that, then I’d be a lucky guy.” He squeezed her tight. “You are very wanted.”
“Dad replaced me,” she choked out. “Miss Kent is—”
“I know. He did the wrong thing. For what it’s worth, his mistakes have nothing to do with you. He made some selfish decisions.” Jem pulled back and gripped her shoulders. “But no matter what he’s done, you are still loved. Don’t forget that.”
“I don’t know what I did. Dad doesn’t care. Mom doesn’t care. God doesn’t care.”
“That’s not true, Lili.”
“It feels true.”
“I know.” Jem sighed, then glanced toward the corner. “Nick gave up his scholarship interview to come find you.”
“He what?”
He gestured toward the car and Nick. “Nick made a big sacrifice. Now, do you think he doesn’t care about you?”
“Of course not.” Where was he going with this?
“What if things started to go wrong? Would you assume he didn’t like you then?”
“To give up that interview . . . That’s huge. I don’t think I could ever doubt that he’s my friend.”
“Don’t you think the same applies to the Person who died instead of you?”
She blinked. It was nothing she’d done. God loved her no matter what.
She pushed away from Jem. “I need to talk to Nick.”
“Okay.”
She strode across the dewy lawn and around the corner, but faltered when her parents’ BMW came into view.
Nick sat with his head back against the headrest, still in the same shirt he’d worn for his interview yesterday. His head jerked in her direction as she approached. He climbed from the car, caution written across his face.
“I’m sorry,” she blurted, stopping three feet away from him.
He tilted his head. “For what?”
“For making you miss your interview. For yelling. For not trusting you.”
He extended his hand. “It’s okay.”
She flew past his hand, wrapped her arms around his middle. Cried for the billionth time in the last twenty-four hours.
Nick’s arms locked around her. Secure. Somehow, weirdly, it didn’t just feel like Nick was hugging her. It was almost like God was too.
“It’s okay,” Nick repeated. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
For the first time, she believed him.