“There are always new opportunities. Nothing’s ever permanent, Piper. You must’ve learned that by now.”
After Danny said goodnight, Ollie and I walked toward home. Ollie’s pace was slower than usual, and the plastic bag from the gift shop dangled listlessly from his hand.
I was still trying to get myself to relax again. So much for my brief stress relief with Grayden.
“You had fun?” I asked.
“Yep. My burger was good. I got the one with two patties.”
My lips curved into a smile. “How do you feel about your dad maybe moving back to Silver Ridge?”
Ollie was quiet for a few steps. “I dunno. He might not mean it.”
“In the past, he hasn’t been good at keeping his promises. But I know you’d like to see him more.”
I hoped the darkness hid the grimace I was making. I was a hypocrite. How many times had I asked Danny to be around more for Ollie? And now he might do just that, and it felt like a threat.
Things had changed, obviously. At best, Danny had put his hands on me. Frightened me. At worst, he’d tried to frame Grayden to send him back to prison.
But there was no way I could tell my kid any of that.
Our footsteps thudded quietly as we turned onto our street. “When we were having dinner,” Ollie said, “Dad asked about Grayden.”
“He did?”
“Dad doesn’t like him. I think he wanted me to agree with him.”
I glanced at Ollie’s profile. Waiting for what he’d say next, because I didn’t want to pressure him. Whatever my feelings about Grayden, Ollie had a right to his own.
With a sigh, Ollie finally said, “But I think Grayden’s okay. You like him, right?”
“I do.”
A swirl of emotions made me lightheaded. I liked Grayden so much. More than I probably should. Enough to confuse the heck out of me.
I didn’t just like Grayden. I admired him. Plenty of people wouldn’t have survived what he’d been through, yet he still approached the world with so much openness. Grayden had my friendship, regardless of what anyone thought.
And that included Silver Ridge PD and all the lawyers and judges in the world.
“At least Grayden’s back in Silver Ridge to fix stuff with his family,” Ollie said. “Even though Ashford won’t let Maisie know him yet, Grayden’s still here. He wants to try. When they give him a chance, he’ll be ready.”
“I bet so.”
We reached our porch steps. Ollie paused at the top, looking thoughtful. “So I guess I’ll wait for Dad to do the same. If he comes back to Silver Ridge and stays and starts doing what he promises, then I’ll be happy. Because it’ll mean I can believe him for real this time. But if he doesn’t, then I’ll know that too.”
Tears pricked my eyes. I went to one knee, right there on the porch, and hugged him. “That’s very wise. I’m proud of you, okay? And I love you more than everything in the universe put together. Timesinfinity.”
“Okay, Mom,” he snickered. “Can you help me pack for the trip with Uncle Callum? I couldn’t find my Broncos sweatshirt.”
“Of course. Let’s get everything packed tonight so we won’t be scrambling in the morning.”
“I thought you liked doing things at the last minute. So you can run around and get your exercise.”
I winked at him. “But I also like being unpredictable. Just to keep everyone guessing. Come on. Race you to the laundry room, because I bet your sweatshirt’s in there.”
It wasn’t right that Ollie had to learn such hard lessons at a young age. The same kinds of lessons I’d had to learn.
Sometimes parents weren’t reliable. Sometimes we trusted the wrong people, and we had to figure out how to put our broken hearts back together, but stronger this time.
