“And Tyler?” Fiona’s eyes were fierce now, the softness replaced by something protective. “If you hurt her—if you let her down, if you break her heart—I will make your life very difficult. Understood?”
Despite everything, Tyler smiled. “Understood.”
“Good.” Fiona stood, brushing sand from her clothes. “I should get back. I want to spend time with her tonight. Actually spend time. Not analyze or plan or worry about what comes next.”
“She’d like that.”
Fiona picked up her shoes but didn’t put them on. Stood there for a moment, looking at the water.
“Tyler?”
“Yeah?”
“She’s not leaving me. She’s expanding. Making room.” Fiona turned to face him. “That’s what you said. That’s what Margo said. And I think—I think I’m starting to understand what that means.”
“It means there’s room for everyone. Hearts don’twork the way we think they do. They don’t divide—they expand.”
Fiona nodded slowly. Then, surprising them both, she stepped forward and hugged him.
It was brief. Awkward. Two people who didn’t know each other well trying to bridge sixteen years of distance.
But it was real.
“Take care of her,” Fiona said as she pulled back.
“Always.”
She walked up the beach toward the road, shoes dangling from one hand. Tyler watched her go, feeling something lighten that had been heavy for months and he sat for a while longer, enjoying it.
His phone buzzed. Stella.
Where are you?
Beach. Heading back now.
Mom just got back. She’s being weird. Good weird. Raiding Margo’s kitchen.
Tyler smiled at the screen.
Enjoy it. I’ll see you tomorrow.
What did you do?
Nothing. Justtalked.
Tyler.
Trust me. It’s good.
He walked back toward his truck, the sea glass smooth in his palm. He’d picked it up without thinking, kept it without meaning to.
He’d give it to Stella later. A small thing, worn smooth by time and tumbling. Proof that rough edges could soften. That broken things could become beautiful.
But tonight, his daughter was raiding Margo’s kitchen with her mother, and for the first time since Fiona arrived, that felt like exactly what it should be.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
By the time Fiona got back from her walk, something had shifted.
