Hailey didn’t stir even though my breaths were hitching, the sobs building deep within me and threatening to burst forth. I twisted one finger around a corkscrew curl of hers, memorizing her face. She was almost a carbon copy of her mother, but when she was asleep like this, her features relaxed, there were glimpses of Roman. She had his chin and that flawless cupid’s bow. Even the slope of her nose was his.
My throat constricted with the storm of emotions I fought down. She was the perfect combination of the two of them. A shining product of their love. I hoped she would knowhow much she was cherished, by both her dad and her mom. Because I knew, without any doubt, that Jessica loved this child with everything she possessed for every short minute they had together.
As my tears came heavier, I shifted away, needing to get out of bed before I woke her.
When I was on my feet, I stumbled toward the door, holding both hands over my racing heart, willing it to calm before it broke through and showed its jagged fragments for everyone to see.
I flung the bedroom door open, needing to get somewhere I could cry without fear of waking Hailey, but I nearly collided with a woman standing out in the hall.
I gasped and almost fell backward. The figure was blurry around the edges, but I could make out her surprised expression.
“Oh, I’m so sorry to scare you. I was about to knock—”
She paused, her face pinching as she took in my tears. She had long, dark hair with streaks of gray. I recognized her, though we’d never met. Her name was Raleigh, Roman’s mother.
“Honey,” she said, her voice soft but full of tenderness. “What’s wrong?”
Her thin fingers wrapped around my forearms, mindful of my hands like she already knew about my burns. She squeezed and more tears welled. I didn’t know this woman. This was my first time meeting her, and I was an absolute mess.
“I-I…” I tried to speak, but I didn’t even know where to start. I glanced back at Hailey, who hadn’t moved a muscle, but I was going to start bawling and it wouldn’t be quiet.
As if Raleigh read my thoughts, she gently pulled me out into the hall and closed the door. She left one hand on me the entire time, as if she knew I needed the support.
Raleigh turned back to me, her expression warm with gentleness I’d never experienced.
“Now,” she spoke quietly, but steadily, “tell me what’s burdening your heart.”
I blinked at her for half a second, unsure how to react to a request like that. But then I burst into full-blown sobs.
She didn’t hesitate before pulling me into her arms. Raleigh Ramsey held me in a way I had never been held. She held me tight, without caution or restraint. She held me like she understood my pain, and wanted to help me bear it.
She held me the way I imagined a mother would hold her daughter, and that thought alone made me cry harder.
I told her everything, between heaving sobs and hot streams of tears. I told her about the fire, about how Roman had saved me the night his wife died. I even told her how Roman had kissed me and then let me go.
It was embarrassing and gutting and cathartic all at the same time.
When I finally calmed down enough to restrain the tears, the horror began to wash over me. My face burned, and I pulled back from the woman who didn’t know me. I had no idea whether she even knew my name.
“I’m-I’m so sorry,” I stammered, stunned with myself.
Raleigh smiled, but sadness lingered underneath it. She reached up, and I stiffened as she wiped the salty tracks from my cheeks.
“Sweet girl,” she breathed, and pressed her lips together as they trembled. “You’ve been carrying this like your life cost Jessica hers.” She shook her head. “Her death was a tragedy, not a trade.”
I blinked, and the truth hit me so hard I couldn’t breathe.
Her face softened. “Roman didn’t lose his wife because he saved you. My son did what he was born to do—he ran toward the people who needed him. Jessica understood that, and shewould never want either Roman or Hailey to stay buried in grief forever.”
One hand stayed pressed against my face and the other fell to her chest, her palm resting over her heart. “If Roman cares for you, that would never mean he loved Jessica less. That’s not how the heart works. It doesn’t replace. It makes room.”
Fresh tears welled as her words sunk in, burrowing into my broken heart and threading through the pieces like stitches.
It hurt, it stung, and I didn’t know if they would hold, but they were exactly what I’d needed. I pitched forward, wrapping my arms around Raleigh’s neck and hugging her.
“Thank you,” I breathed.
She squeezed me, one hand rubbing up and down my back.
