“You have to let yourself off the hook,” Reese said. “How about this? I forgive you.” Was she telling the truth? Did she forgive him after all this time? She tried to remember how angry she’d been but instead she just saw the man before her. No longer a grieving teen but a man trying to make amends for how he hurt her. “Does that help?”
“More than you know.”
“Maybe it’s meant to be,” Reese said. “Both of us back home. Grace basically shoving us together to help the kids.”
“Maybe it is.”
They smiled at each other, lingering for a moment. Oh, yes, she remembered this feeling. No one else had ever made the world seem to stop. But Roan? He drew her in and held her close, whether it was physical or emotional.
“We should go,” Roan said. “Big day tomorrow for both of us.”
“Yes, I suppose we should.” Even though she didn’t want to.
Outside, the cold hit them immediately. The sidewalks were icy—and she nearly slipped—but Roan took hold of her arm, steadying her. She looked up at him, mesmerized by his eyes. They stood that way for a few seconds, until a couple came out of The Moose behind them, forcing them to keep moving.
As they reached her car, Reese turned to face him. “I’m wondering if my mom knew what he’d done. And if I should try and talk to her about it or just let it go. We’re not close. Never were, really. Now she’s remarried and living in Texas.”
“Grace told me.”
She pulled her keys from her pocket. “But it might do me good to confront her about her complicit behavior my wholechildhood. She never once stood up for me when my dad berated me the way he did.”
Roan tilted his head to the side, studying her. “You’ve changed since we were kids.”
“In what way?”
“You’re more assertive. More sure of yourself. Less of a people pleaser maybe?”
She shook her head, chuckling. “I’m working on that one still. Therapy helps.”
“It does, yeah.”
“You’re in therapy?” She couldn’t help but gape at him.
“Not currently. But I was. Back in L.A. Thanks to Jason. He really pushed me to go. Once he started, he understood how helpful it can be. I was a harder case.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” She hesitated, then said, “Thank you for everything you said tonight. I’m sure none of this was easy to talk about. It means a lot to me.”
“If it helped you, then I’m glad I did.” He paused for a moment, looking up at the sky, as snow began to fall. “Truthfully, it helpedmeto talk about it. So thank you for that.”
Reese gazed up at him, watching as flakes landed in his eyelashes and onto his face. Without thinking, she brushed them from his cheek. He caught her hand in his and pressed it to his chest. Even through his thick jacket, she felt the beat of his heart.
“I missed you,” Roan said. “More than you’ll ever know.”
Don’t say that, she thought.Don’t give me hope.
Out loud she said simply, “I missed you too.” Then, she got in her car and drove away, windshield wipers working overtime to brush aside the falling snow.
7
ROAN
The next afternoon, the kids showed up around three as promised. Marcus hunched over, as if his backpack were too heavy, but greeting him with a smile. Emma’s gaze darted around the room, taking in the equipment with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Julia hung back slightly, her chin lifted in that defensive way she had, eyes scanning the room as if expecting judgment. Cody brought up the rear, hands shoved deep in his hoodie pockets, his expression carefully blank.
“Hey,” Roan said. “Glad you guys made it.”
“We have a problem,” Emma said. “We don’t have the right clothes for working out. None of us thought of that until we were walking over here.”
“No worries, Reese already thought of it. She texted she’s bringing some stuff for you guys,” Roan said.
