Rory’s brow knit in confusion as he opened the wallet and sifted through the license, the credit cards, and the cash, everything rush delivered this morning at the train station.
He looked up, pulling out the Black Card with his name on it. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“I didn’t.”
Micah’s black eyebrow shot up, and he looked at Rory, and then at me. “Our parents?”
I didn’t answer. I’d made lots of calls last night, but it wasn’t as much of a miracle to arrange all of this on short notice as it probably seemed to them. I’d been planning all of this for a long time, and me and my little laptop in my attic room had started these wheels in motion a long time ago.
They had a car, a place to stay, money, and they didn’t have to return to the families that had hidden them away in disgrace. It was the start of a new life, and it was the least they deserved.
“Do what you want,” I told them. “Stay. Go. Flush the money and cards down the toilet.”
I wanted them here, but they had to want it, too.
“Just give me the weekend,” I said. “See if you want to build a life here.”
They glanced at each other, knowing they could go anywhere, for at least a little while.
Their families only agreed to leave them alone, because my friends and I—Graymor Cristane—came with the deal.
But I wasn’t forcing them to do anything they didn’t want to do.
“If you stay,” I pointed out, “if you want to be a part of what we are, your parents will fund your buy-in to our resort. If not, no worries.”
They could run on their own. Or they could run with us.
“Thunder Bay is where you don’t have to hide,” I told them.
We were a family. We’d had the rug pulled out from under us a long time ago, but we weren’t changing. Everyone else would.
I just needed to hear a yes from them.
“I’ll let you think about it. Let’s head to Michael’s house,” I said, leading the way back to the cars. “We need food.”
“I’m not arguing with that,” Micah said. “I’m starving.”
And I smiled to myself.
If they were willing to stay through breakfast, then that wasn’t a no.
• • •
I didn’t stay. I dropped them at St. Killian’s where the cook had breakfast laid out, but then I saw the table bustling with everyone and parents and security and…
My heart plummeted, seeing little black heads of hair scurrying around the table.
Kids.
My chest cracked wide open, and I didn’t know which one was Madden and which one was Ivarsen, but I couldn’t stay.
I just… I couldn’t. I bolted, jumping back into Kai’s car and racing away, leaving my boys and Emmy behind, and spending the rest of the day taking care of the gazillion other things I had to do, so I didn’t think about everything I’d missed while I was away.
I’d known that, though, right? Both Banks and Winter had been pregnant when I went to Blackchurch. I’d known what was happening at home.
It was so hard to see their sons for the first time. I should’ve been there.
I hadn’t been there.