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“I made an appointment for us this afternoon.”
“An appointment?”
“I wanted to make sure we had the store for ourselves. I wasn’t sure how you felt with all three of us coming with you and others seeing us.”
She seemed conflicted but nodded and sat down to eat her breakfast. “Will I meet your horse?”
Silas laughed. “I don’t think he has ever gotten closer than ten feet from it.”
Confused, she looked up. “Why not?”
“Horses don’t like us,” Ryen explained.
“So, I won’t see it?”
“We’ll go to the stables beforehand, but I’ll have someone show you mine.”
Her eyes started sparkling mischievously. “Maybe you should go visit your competition before the race.”
“Such a naughty little bird.”
She bit her lip at his words, her heart beating slightly faster. “Have you done that though?”
He didn’t answer, but his grin said more than a thousand words.
The ride to the care home was a quiet one, and much calmer than the last. Silas had restrained himself from further comments and only kissed Gwen goodbye. Sitting next to Amon in the passenger seat, she watched the cars fly by. She seemed calm but he could sense the sad cloud appearing the closer they drove to Evangeline.
Just like last time, Evangeline was still in her bed. Amon watched carefully as Rayen lifted her into the wheelchair. Gwen skillfully hooked Evangeline up to the feeding pump and explained to Amon how it worked as he leaned closer.
“Can we go for a walk again?” Gwen asked, her eyes moving between the two men.
“Of course, little bird.”
As Rayen pushed Evangeline’s wheelchair through the garden, Amon stepped next to Gwen who was holding Evangeline’s hand. “I like this place.”
“I do too.”
“Has Evangeline always been here?”
“Not always. After she was discharged from the hospital she went to a different care home but they were awful. It felt as if she was just a corpse to them. I mean I know mentally she isn’t with us, but the way they treated her it seemed as if they didn’t care for her physical well being either.”
They stopped at a rose garden where Gwen sat on a bench next to Evangeline. Amon walked over to the roses, picking out a few while Rayen sat next to Gwen.
Taking Evangeline’s hand, Gwen took a deep breath. “I lied to you,” she admitted, looking up at her sister with sad, guilty eyes. “Even when I told you I was fine, I wasn’t. After mom died, everything fell to pieces. I lived in our car until it was taken because I couldn’t pay for it. Jenn and Aaron took me in for a little while till I found an apartment and a job.”
Listening to her confession was earth shattering. The hurt in her words gripped his soul and squeezed it. He couldn’t imagine the pain she’d gone through having not only lost her mother but having her life ripped away from her. Amon too seemed to struggle. He was frozen in place as he listened to their little bird’s story.
“Mom didn’t listen to me. She didn’t even listen to the doctors. She spent all our money, all our savings on these healers who wanted to cure her with energy and herbs. When she died, I was crushed by her bills. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry about me.”
Rayen watched as Gwen lifted Evangeline’s hand to her lips and kissed her knuckles.
“I know we swore to never lie to each other, but I just couldn’t tell the truth. It hurt too much to talk about my failure out loud, even to you. When Amon hired me, he was my last hope, I was about to be homeless again, and this time with nowhere else to go. He saved me, and after he rescued me, Rayen and Silas saved me from being lonely.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks onto Evangeline’s lap. Tears of relief, guilt, and happiness.
“They only let me go because they were afraid of how they felt. They see me as so much more than just the failed assistant. They care for me on so many levels, my heart feels like it wants to explode. I finally feel safe with them. I know they’ll always take care of me and protect me no matter what.”
Her words made Rayen shiver. He’d had his suspicions about her feelings but hearing them out loud made him rise in pride.
