“You were in the shower.”
“The bathroom door wasn’t locked.”
“Oh.”
“Thank you for staying with me,” he said gently. “Next time don’t run off.”
“Oh,” she repeated, realizing she sounded like an idiot but unable to form better words.
“Therewillbe a next time,” Cole told her, once again displaying his uncanny ability to read her mind.”
She licked her dry lips. “Okay.”
He chuckled. “What are your plans today?”
“I’m going to see my dad. After last night, there are things he and I need to talk about.”
“Memories?”
“I know my mom’s side of the story.” Sienna pushed her hair away from her face. “Why she left and why she took me and not Jase. I want to understand Declan’s side.”
“And?” Cole prompted.
“Why he never reached out to me,” Sienna admitted.
“You have a right to answers.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I’ll call you later.”
She disconnected the call, took a deep breath and drove to her father’s neighborhood on the other side of downtown.
It was another beautiful day in Crimson, the bright sun warming the air. The sky overhead was the brilliant blue she was quickly coming to associate with Colorado, and she realized now why she’d never quite grown accustomed to the gray skies that hung over Chicago at different times during the year. Some place inside her remembered the expansive swath of blue and the constant sun, because the warmth of the rays felt like a hug from a long-lost friend.
She didn’t stop at Life is Sweet this morning, keeping her focus on her goal of meeting with Declan. Downtown was just beginning to wake up as she drove through, and she wondered if Jase was already at his office or still at home.
Did he find it as crazy as she did that she barely remembered anything about the first seven years of her life? He’d seemed shocked at her reaction to the talk about fireworks. Maybe if things went well with her father, she’d go and see Jase next.
Maybe today would be the day she’d get closure on issues that had plagued her for decades. Maybe today she could finally move forward.
She got out of the car as soon as she parked, not letting her nerves get the better of her.
Declan opened the front door as she approached. He wore a black T-Shirt and faded Levis. So different from her stepfather, who favored monogrammed button-downs and crisp cotton pants even on the weekends. “I wondered if I’d see you this morning,” he said, stepping back to let her into the space. “I wasn’t sure after you took off last night.”
“I didn’t remember how I got the scar on my wrist,” she admitted as she walked past him. “When I did, it threw me for a loop.”
She blinked several times as she took in the interior of the small family room, her breath catching in her throat.
“Is that the same sofa you had in the trailer?” she asked in a whisper.
Declan let out a small laugh behind her. “That throwing you for a loop, too?”
“Maybe.”
Definitely. She walked forward and placed a hand on the back of the worn fabric, a heavy plaid pattern that was faded and threadbare in some spots.
“Jase wanted me to get something new, but this is the most comfortable couch I’ve ever sat on. Besides, it’s lucky.”
“How do you figure?”
