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Something in that single word snagged her attention. “Was Harlan not … safe?” The question slipped out sharper than intended.
Regret followed almost immediately. She didn’t get involved in people’s lives. Then again, tit for tat.
If Ruth was going to poke around in her past, it seemed only fair that she return the favor and poke in hers.
Sure enough, it was Ruth’s turn to squirm. The woman looked down at her hands. “No. Not really.”
The quiet admission stole some of the satisfaction from the exchange.
“He never laid a hand on the kids,” Ruth said quickly. “Or me. But—”
“You don’t have to hit someone to make them fearful.”
“No.” Ruth swallowed. “No, you don’t.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The sounds of splashing and laughter drifted across the water. She picked up Ronan’s deep rumble among the noise.
“Sometimes…” Felicity shrugged, her gaze fixed on the swimming hole and the man who snagged her heart. “Sometimes life sucks. Yeah?”
A surprised laugh escaped Ruth. “Yeah.”
“People spend a lot of time looking for reasons. Someone to blame. Some grand explanation.” Felicity huffed a breath. “But sometimes it’s just life pissing in your cornflakes.”
A startled laugh escaped Ruth. “That’s certainly one way of putting it.”
But it was true.
If only Vasily had remained in prison.
If only Rae hadn’t fled Clearbrook.
If only she had met Ronan under different circumstances.
If only—
“Again, Dad! Again!” Jack’s delighted shout drew her attention back to the swimming hole.
Beau laughed and launched his son into the air. Jack squealed all the way down, disappearing beneath the water before surfacing in an explosion of spray and laughter. “Again!”
Felicity felt something tighten in her chest.
That.
Just that.
A father and son reunited.
Her gaze found her sister. Rae sat beside Sunny, listening to her friend while her attention fixed on her husband and child.
The sight settled heavily inside Felicity.
They had a chance to be a family.
And some things were worth almost any price.
Even if it meant turning her back on the one thing she’d never expected to find.
