“I have her name,” Claire said. “They didn’t get married or”—more importantly—“bloodbound. Well, obviously not bloodbound. If they had been, he wouldn’t have left us. Couldn’t have.”
Tai squeezed her hand and kept hold of it even as she took a small leap over a boulder that jutted out from the steep path. Heleaped after her, and then they reached the bottom of the incline and the marked trail.
“I know you’re fine with it now,” Tai said as they ambled back to her car, “but I’m sorry you didn’t have anybody more reliable as a kid.”
“I learned a lot from it. I learned not to base my worth on whether Dad made it to my birthday party or not. I really am independent, Tai, and it’s something I like about myself.”
“The feather tattoo,” he said.
“Exactly. So no regrets. It’s their loss.”
He stopped in the middle of the path, drew her close to him, and kissed her. “Definitely their loss.”
She no longer minded that he had asked the question. In fact, it was kind of nice to know that he knew. But the shortcomings of her own parents were nothing compared to the death of his mother and the cruelty of his father. She hated Tai’s losses more than she could ever put into words. There was one thing she could do for him, though, and she would. Something she should’ve done months ago.
Claire had pulled up Ryker’s phone contact and sent her call before she remembered he might not even be in Virginia right now.
“Hey, Claire.”
“Hey, are you in Tennessee?”
“Yeah,” Ryker said. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” Claire said. “I mean, yes. But no. You’re with Leslie?”
Stupid question. He was in Leslie’s hometown, and it was five in the morning.
“I’m here,” Leslie said from the other side of the phone. “What’s going on?”
“It’s about Tai.”
Leslie’s voice pitched upward. “Oh no, is he okay?”
Claire could hug her friend for caring so much about the man she loved. “He’s okay, but we talked through some big things tonight, and I just needed to…” To interrupt their post-honeymoon time in Harmony Ridge. “Gosh, you’re right. This isn’t an emergency. Never mind, we’ll talk when you’re home.”
Before she could hang up, Ryker said, “Claire, wait.”
Claire shook her head at the phone in her hand. Her finger hovered over the screen, ready to end the call.
“We have time,” Ryker said.
“And now we’re curious,” Leslie said with a little laugh.
Claire took a breath and let it out, then set the phone down. “Um, first, Leslie, do you know about his family?”
“I know they suck,” Leslie said. “And I know he lost his mom way too young—unfortunately the only one who didn’t suck.”
Ryker’s voice came from farther away than it had a few seconds ago. “I’m glad he told you, Claire. Thought it would take him longer, but I’m glad it didn’t.”
“It was rough on him, talking about it.” Claire sank down on the couch and propped her elbows on her knees, her chin in her hands, and stared down at the phone out of habit. “So now I want every last relative to spend the next few centuries walking on tacks. And I want his dad to…” She pressed her palms to her suddenly burning eyes. “I guess I’m not ready to talk about his dad.”
“Sounds like he told you everything,” Ryker said.
“He did. And I can’t stand it.” Claire pushed to her feet and paced in front of the couch. “I don’t want him to be alone.”
“He isn’t,” Leslie chimed in. “He’s got the three of us. And Ryker’s family too, and his colleagues at the foundation.”
“He could have more. Heshouldhave more. I want to bring him to our get-together on Tuesday night, re-introduce him tothe group. But I want to know y’all’s thoughts before I invite him, in case it’s a terrible idea for some obvious reason I’m missing.”
