Page 76 of Secret Sins

We walked for a long time. Down the strand of sand until the surf receded and the sun disappeared behind the bluff. Past dinnertime, past the time any sane person would walk up and down the shore. We walked until my calves ached and my back protested. Finally, on some silent agreement, we walked up the beach path to Riley and Jay's back porch.

She opened the door, her intuition always spot on. "Good news?"

"Can I have something to drink first?"

Chuckling, Riley pulled me inside for a hug, then put her arms around Van. She took us into the kitchen, poured lemonade, and called Jay to come hear what the kids had to say.

It really warmed my heart that she called Van one of her kids. Jay and Heidi had a brief moment where they greeted each other like long-lost lovers, and then we settled at the kitchen island.

"Alex caught the guy on video, and it's not anyone Van knows."

"Oh, that's fantastic." Riley paused. "But why do you look sad?"

Surprised to hear it, I smoothed out my features. "I do?"

"While it's not someone I recognize, they could still be from my past." Van thanked Riley for the glass she handed him. "But they asked for Van, and that's not my real name."

I'd known he would tell them the truth for a while now, so I wasn't terribly shocked to hear him say it.

"Okay," Riley said, waiting patiently for his explanation.

"It's not really important what my name used to be, because I'm getting it legally changed to Van Davies. I'm going to train to be a vet tech, and I'm going to live with your daughter if she'll have me." He gripped my hand. "She knows all there is to know about me, and she loves me despite it."

My face flushed. "Just so you know, I'd planned on asking you to move in with me once I got over my abandonment issues."

"There's no need to wait." He framed my face in his hands. "Is there?"

"No." Tears pricked my eyes, but at least I knew they were happy tears. "No, there's not."

"On that note, don't be surprised when I ask you to marry me very soon."

My breath caught in my throat, and I had to swallow past it in order to speak. "Duly noted."

"That's truly wonderful news, Van." Holding her arms out, Riley waited for him to step into her embrace.

"I'm thrilled for you," Jay said. I saw the twinkle in his eye and knew he was already planning for grandchildren.

"Thanks, Jay." Figuring I should give him a part of myself, I hugged him and said, "Thanks for being my dad all these years."

"Oh, it's not fair to make an old man cry."

"Sorry," I said, hugging him again.

Van stood on the other side of the island from me, talking to Riley. He caught my gaze and grinned at me, and I grinned back. The strange man was still an anomaly, a lurking threat, but we would move forward with our lives regardless.

After a minute, Van went to the bathroom. Riley held my shoulders and looked at me very carefully. "It's not the fear of losing them that scares us. It's that we've given them so many of our pieces that we fear losing what’s left of ourselves when they're gone."

Well, if she'd meant to make me sob, she'd succeeded.

"With or without him, you've got a full life. Friends, family, patrons. We all love you." She wiped my face with the sleeve of her sweater. "But, sweetheart, you're so much more fulfilled when you're with him."

"I'm scared, Mama. Terrified that he's loved me so thoroughly I can't live without him now."

"I know, pea. We all feel that deep down, but we can't let it rule our lives."

Jay wrapped his arms around the both of us, and when Van came back from the bathroom, Riley gestured for him to join us.

We were a family now, and I had to embrace it instead of worrying about losing it. I deserved that, and so did Van.