“I’m here!” Lucy said, holding up her free hand. And Ramsey wanted to hug her in the worst way. “And Ramsey’s right. Dr. Zimmerman, the therapist who helped Ramsey pick me up off the floor this afternoon—almost literally—advised that I needed some transition time. I’d already planned to stay with Ramsey when I thought I was just coming to attend Emma’s wedding, not to become her sister.”
She looked tired. And strangely afraid, too.
“I understand,” Rose said. “And I won’t push. Too much. I’ve waited a long time to bring you home,” she said to Lucy.
Lucy wasn’t saying much—she just nodded. And Ramsey knew that she’d had enough.
It was time to get her out of there and take her home.
T he wedding between Chris Talbot and Emma Sanderson was an emotional affair—starting hours before the actual ceremony.
Ramsey and Lucy had agreed to meet the family at Emma’s house just after noon. Cal and Frank Whittier were going to be there, as well. The overall consensus was that it would be best if everyone met before they all showed up for a wedding attended by scores of fishermen and their families.
Chris and Emma met Lucy and Ramsey at the door. The four of them had spent some time together shortly after Ramsey had first contacted Emma about the missing box of evidence from her sister’s case. Ramsey had figured this meeting would be the easiest part of the day ahead.
Until he saw Emma and Lucy, after a night apart, greet each other with a hug that looked like it was never going to end, and another spate of tears.
He’d expected to be up with Lucy most of, if not all of, Friday night, but she’d been so exhausted that she’d fallen asleep in the car on the way home from the
station and had barely woken enough to know that he was carrying her into bed when they got home.
Surprisingly, considering he had a woman in his bed all night for the first time since his divorce, Ramsey had slept straight through the night, too.
“You’re the first ones here,” Chris said, his long hair trimmed and tidy.
“How was she last night?”
“Emma? A nutcase. And I loved every minute of it. She’s had too many chains around her for too long. I can’t wait to see what the woman does now that she’s free to live!”
Ramsey grinned, figuring Chris Talbot was going to have his hands full.
“How’s Rose?” Ramsey liked the woman. He’d probably have liked Sandy Hayes, too, if he’d known her heart as Lucy had.
“I hardly recognize her,” Chris said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what the future brings.”
“Just so long as it’s not little Talbots anytime too soon, huh?” Ramsey asked.
“No, I think I’m looking forward to those, too.”
“Talk about a transformation…”
“Yeah, well, watch out, man. I get the feeling you’re about to see what loving a Sanderson woman can do to a guy.”
Ramsey smiled, playing along. Even if for the day. Lucy needed him right now. It didn’t mean she’d need him in the future. Or even that she’d want him.
One step at a time, Dr. Zimmerman had told her. He figured it was good advice for him, too.
C al and Frank Whittier arrived shortly after Lucy and Ramsey did. She was nervous as hell about meeting both of them. They’d been paying for her disappearance for the past twenty-five years.
She should have known better than to worry. Her heart should have known. Cal walked into Emma’s home, took one look at Lucy and walked right up and grabbed her into a hug so tight her feet left the ground.
“Goodness, girl, you have no idea how good it feels to have you home.”
There was that word again. It kept creeping up. Rose wanted to take her home. Ramsey took her home last night. Cal was glad to see her home.
She wasn’t sure what home was.
But she wanted to find out.