Page 39 of The Summer of Us

I shivered a little, and Sunny gasped. “Linc, oh my god, you must be frozen! We need to go.”

I shook my head. “I’m not finished.”

She stood, kicking at the dying fire. “I’ve heard enough that we can go somewhere warm and finish this conversation.”

I peered up at her in the darkness. “Do you believe me?”

She held out her hand. “Yes.”

* * *

In the car, I cranked up the heat and hit the button for the seat warmers. Once I had that done, I turned to Sunny. She was looking at me, worried. I needed to finish my story now.

“Abby’s stepfather got out, and now she’s terrified he’ll come after her. Her mother basically threatened to tell him where she is unless Abby gives her money.”

Sunny gasped.

“That’s what you saw, Sunny. Me comforting her, promising her I would help. I will never let that lowlife near her. I can’t.” I wrapped my hands around the steering wheel, holding tight. “I want you in my life, Sunny. I want to explore this with you. To see if we can get past what happened and have a future with each other. But my world contains Abby, and I won’t walk away from her. Or desert her. Everyone else in her life has done that.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to.”

I relaxed at her words.

“Where is Abby now?”

“Locked in my hotel room. Probably asleep. She was exhausted.” When her eyebrows rose in surprise, I explained. “I’ll sleep on the sofa. Every room in the hotel was booked other than mine for the next few nights.”

“It is the long weekend.”

“Yeah, I forgot. I’ll figure it out tomorrow. Meanwhile, she’s safe, and I have someone stationed outside the door, just to make sure of it.”

“You’re a good man, Linc.”

I turned, fully facing her. “Will that force me from your life, Sunny? The presence of another woman equally important to me, yet in a totally different way?”

“No, Linc. As long as I understand what she is to you. It hit me hard this afternoon.”

I ran my knuckles over her cheek, felt the dampness of her tears and the cold of the wind lingering on her skin. “We both have a lot to learn about the other person. So many years to hear about.”

She caught my hand in hers. “I missed you, Linc. I felt as if a part of me was gone.” She swallowed. “But I had my family. I wasn’t locked away somewhere alone. I’m glad-I’m glad you had Abby.”

“She’s family to me, Sunny. Part of my past and my present. I want you to be that and my future.”

“I want that too.”

“I think you’ll like each other. I really do. You’re actually a lot alike.”

“I look forward to meeting her.”

“Good. We’ll make that happen tomorrow.” I paused. “Michael—this afternoon. I sensed how close you two were.”

She shook her head. “We’re friends as well, Linc. I miss Molly. I promised her I would look after all of them. That’s all you saw—friendship. I’m godmother to both of their kids.”

A sigh of relief left my lips. “Okay. Thank you for telling me.”

I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “It’s late. I know you’re up early, so I should take you home.”

“Are you heading back to Toronto soon?”