Shoot. Maybe. He nodded. “Of course.”
She started down the hallway, then stopped. “Rowan?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad you came back. Even if this is complicated, even if I don’t know what comes next—I’m glad you’re alive.”
“Me too,” he whispered.
Sierra climbed the stairs, her footsteps soft on the worn wood. Rowan stood in the middle of her living room, surrounded by the debris of their evening—empty popcorn bowls, coffee mugs, the lingering scent of her shampoo.
He moved through the kitchen methodically, turning off lights and checking locks. But his mind wasn’t on potential threats. It was on the woman upstairs, on the son she’d raised alone, on the life she’d built from the ashes of his abandonment.
Tomorrow would bring church and questions and the slow, careful work of rebuilding trust. Tonight, he just wanted to hold on to the feeling of being home, of belonging somewhere that mattered.
It was more than he’d had in a very long time.
And if he was very careful, very patient, it might be enough to build a future on.
Seven
Sierra pressed her Bible against her ribs and studied the disaster unfolding on the church lawn. Rowan crouched beside Huck near the old oak tree, his large hands patient as he demonstrated some kind of finger game. October sunshine filtered through the cottonwood leaves, casting dancing shadows across their matching expressions of concentration.
They already loved each other.
Pastor Williams’s voice still rang in her ears, the familiar verses from Psalm 73 hitting different today. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
Her feet had almost slipped, all right. Last night, Rowan had completely undone her. I never stopped loving you, Sierra.
She certainly hadn’t been pure in heart at that moment.
Then he’d told her how he’d been betrayed by someone he trusted. His story wasn’t lost on her—or the hurt in his eyes and…
And in that moment, she’d been selfish. So selfish. Because having him in her home felt easy and right, and the minute she told him about her own betrayal…
She saw it all slipping away.
So no, not pure in heart on many fronts.
And now, Rowan and Huck were laughing like father and son, and oh, what a mess she’d brewed up.
“You okay, Sierra?” Bailey appeared at Sierra’s elbow, coffee cup steaming in the crisp air. Her floral sundress and denim jacket looked perfectly put together, her dark hair in a loose braid down her back.
“The sermon hit close to home.” Sierra tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve been feeling a little…well, like I’m in over my head.”
Bailey’s eyebrows shot up. “What brought this confession on?”
“Maybe I’ve been holding on too tight to things that were never mine to control anyway.”
Bailey followed her gaze to where Rowan was now teaching Huck some elaborate handshake. “Oh, I see. Mr. Incredible out there, playing with?—”
“Don’t say it.”
“Huck.”
She glanced over at her.
Bailey sipped her coffee, the picture of innocence. “Look at those two.”
