Rolling her eyes, she slides into her BMW and peels out of the parking lot, and I watch her leave. But I don’t feel even an ounce of remorse, or sadness—not like I did when I watched Elodie drive out of my life yesterday.
Before I can dwell on that though any further, I hop in my truck and cross town to my next stop, ready to take care of something that’s been a long time coming.
Chapter 23
Henley
Saying It Out Loud
“Peek-a-boo!” Remy’s giggle hits my ears the second I walk into my foster parents’ house. Carol is hiding behind a blanket as Remy sits in the corner of the couch, dropping it quickly to surprise her, making her laugh.
The sound almost makes me fucking cry.
Instead, I let out a sigh of contentment then strip off my jacket as I make my way into the living room.
Carol looks up from her spot on the couch. “That didn’t take long.”
“Well, Meghan clearly knew what she was agreeing to.” I take a seat on the loveseat next to the couch and reach out to kiss my daughter’s hand. “She’s out of our lives for good.”
Carol’s smile is soft. “How do you feel about it?”
“Honestly? Relieved.” I blow out a breath. “Even though I don’t think I’ll fully understand Meghan’s decision, I’m grateful that shemade it now instead of hurting my baby bear.” As soon as the nickname leaves my lips, that pang of pain radiates in my chest.
“This little girl will never be short on love, Henley.” Carol winks at me. “Just like you and Dilynne. You have so many people that care about you two.”
The knot in my throat gets larger. “Uh, speaking of that. Where’s Nick?”
“He’s in the garage. Why?”
“I sort of wanted to talk to you two.” Carol’s brows draw together. “Give me a second.” When I stand, I head straight for the garage to find Nick tinkering around with a motor part on his workbench. If my sister were here, she’d be standing right next to him, swapping vocabulary that I only know bits and pieces of.
But seeing him in his element does something to me—it makes me realize that this man gave me good memories to replace the horrible ones my own father left for me—the ones I’m ready to leave behind completely.
He stepped up for two kids whose childhood was the kind from nightmares.
He supported us in everything we wanted to do, regardless if he understood it or not.
And he filled a spot in our lives—not out of obligation, like I thought—but out of the goodness of his heart, because he was meant to be the father I never had.
“Nick?” I manage to croak out, drawing his attention to me.
His head swivels over his shoulder. “Hey, Henley. How’d everything go today?”
“Good. Easier than I imagined, actually. But, uh…” I reach up and rub the back of my neck. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
He drops the tool from his hand on the bench. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes and no.”
“Okay…”
I motion for him to follow me back inside, joining Carol again in the living room, Remy on her lap now. When I take my seat back on the loveseat adjacent to them, I struggle with how to start. “You two deserve to hear something from me after far too long.”
“Henley,” Carol starts, concern etched in every line of her face, but I hold up my hand to stop her.
“Please, just…let me try to get through this.” She nods and glances over at Nick as he takes his hand in hers.
They’re a team.
