Brad’s eyes went wide, and he nodded. “Sure. She OK?”

“Yeah,” I replied in a clipped tone.

I went back to my office, Brad following me.

Once he closed the door behind him, I didn’t wait for him to ask anything else. This was my time for questions. “Where is Rose from? Did she ever mention it?”

Brad’s frown grew deeper, and then he shook his head. “No,” he said.

“She ever talk about any family other than her daughter?”

“She doesn’t have any family. She was a foster kid.” He said the words as if they were a simple fact. The impact of them, however, burst open the tight hold I had on something I didn’t want to believe.

“Foster kid,” I repeated, but it wasn’t a question.

“Yeah, she said she left the system when she was sixteen because of a bad situation. Won’t talk about anything else, though. She shuts down pretty fast.”

I sat on the edge of my desk and gripped the sides of it in both hands to keep from screaming out in relief or rage or . . . fuck if I knew what was happening to me right now. This wasn’t real. I couldn’t believe this.

“She do something wrong? She’s a really good, genuine person, Captain. Great mom. And a single mom, at that. Never been married.”

I wanted to be alone so I could call DeCarlo. But I had one more question. “How old is her daughter?”

“Nine.”

Fuck me.

Addy

When we got home and I saw that Captain’s truck wasn’t in the drive, I knew it wouldn’t be long before it would be. I took Franny over to visit with Mrs. Baylor and explained that I would be having company later, making sure that Franny could stay until I came for her.

Mrs. Baylor had looked concerned, but then I was battling anxiety, fear, and uncertainty so fiercely that hiding it was impossible. Getting Franny safely tucked away and dealing alone until Captain showed up was best. I had to come to a decision.

Captain knew something. He was connecting the dots. It was very likely he did recognize me but hated me so badly that he had let me leave. But I knew enough about the man he’d become to know he was going to want more answers. I expected his questions sooner rather than later.

I hadn’t been back at the house for an hour before his truck pulled into the driveway. When I heard the crunch of seashells under the tires, I knew without looking that it was him. I waited at my kitchen table while he made his way to the door.

His footsteps stopped, and he waited a moment before he knocked. This was it. Time for the truth. I’d deal with the consequences and keep Franny as protected as possible.

Standing up, I took a deep breath and tried to calm my beating heart, then took off my glasses and laid them on the table. There was no point in wearing them now. When I came here, I knew this day would come. I’d prepared for it several times over the past year. But I realized now that you could never truly prepare for something like this.

Our past wasn’t normal, yet neither was the way I loved River Kipling. He’d been my anchor in the storm until I had needed to break free to save him. And I had. Because I’d loved him that much.

As I opened the door, every memory I had of River flooded through me. Every good moment, every life-changing moment, every time he had made me feel safe. I owed it to that boy to answer to this man. To give him the truth. All of it.

Eleven years ago

I sat curled up on my bed while tears silently slid down my cheeks. My stupid, freckled cheeks. I hated having freckles. I hated being short. I wanted to be tall and tan, like Delany O’Neil. Then maybe River would look at me the way he looked at her.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, trying to fight back the image in my head from today. River was supposed to be waiting for me to walk me home, but he wasn’t there yet. I figured since I’d gotten out of class early, I could go find him and meet him on his way out. I wanted to tell him I passed the history test he helped me study for.

It hadn’t been hard to find him. He had Delany O’Neil pressed up against his locker, his hands on her breasts and his mouth glued to hers. I even saw a glimpse of her tongue—or his, I wasn’t sure. It was hard to take it all in when my heart exploded into a million pieces in my chest.

Delany had her hands tangled in River’s sun-kissed locks that I always wanted to touch but never did. Her leg was sliding up to his hip, and when he moved a hand to grab her thigh, I couldn’t take the pain anymore. I covered my mouth to silence my cry and turned and ran home.

The house was empty. I was thankful I didn’t have to worry about a beating or punishment just for being alive. My room was the only comfort I wanted. Locked inside, alone. Me and my heartbreak.

I knew River liked Delany. I’d seen him watch her when she walked by. He was beautiful, and it was only a matter of time before she turned his way. He’d be in love with her soon. He’d want to be with her, and I’d be left here alone.

At least I wouldn’t have to worry about him getting hurt or having to see his mother act crazy. He would get a break from that when he was with Delany. I’d just need to learn to live with it and survive it while he was gone. It wasn’t like I’d have him around to protect me forever.

The doorknob turned, and I jumped before the banging began. “Addy, are you in there?” River’s voice was panicked. I hadn’t told him I was leaving, but I figured he’d forget about me with Delany latched onto him.

“Yeah,” I croaked out, wincing at the sound of my own voice.