“You trusted her.”
“Completely.”
Her voice dropped. “You love her like a sister?”
I grabbed her hands. “Yes. Like I loved Emily and Hayley. And she loves me like a brother. Nothing more, I swear to you.” I met her eyes, mine blazing in truth. “Not the way I loved you.”
“How did she get out?”
“The day I left, I was called to the office and told to get my stuff. I had ten minutes and I had to be gone. I refused to leave without telling her. I had already done that to you, and I wasn’t doing it again. I left my stuff behind, and I found her instead. I swore I would get her out. I made her promise to be strong. Keep her nose down and act like it didn’t matter.” I rubbed a hand over my eyes, remembering the panic in her eyes and the fear she tried not to show. “The first thing I did when I got my money was to get her out. She had fooled them so well, she got to go to the village on occasion. I had someone waiting, and the first time she left the compound, I had her brought here. It took two months of me waiting, anxious and worried, but I kept my promise. The second thing I did was get that place closed down. I gave all the information I had gathered to my lawyer, and he got it to the right people. It took years, but it no longer exists.”
“Good.” Sunny inched closer. “What about her stepfather?”
“He went too far with a housekeeper. She pressed charges. Someone else came forward with her story. He went to jail. Her mother refused to testify against him, thanks to a huge payoff from him. I assume, given her visit to Abby, the money has run out and now she’s looking for more.” I snorted. “Too bad she isn’t gonna get it.”
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.”