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Within moments, someone came around to open my door. I hadn’t waited for that on purpose. I was just trying to get my wits about me, but I felt like an ass for not opening my own door.
“It’s alright,” Javier said from beside me. “They’re excited to meet you.”
I lowered my voice. “Yeah, I don’t think my little sis is all too excited about it.”
He smiled, and it made me feel more at ease. “Don’t mind her. She’s a bit rough around the edges, but I think the two of you will end up being friends. Just give them a chance, okay?”
I reluctantly nodded and steeled myself for what was to come. Carefully, I turned my whole body in my seat to avoid twisting at the waist. I’d worn a binder ever since the accident and it helped, but I still had to be careful. While I felt a million times better than I did almost three weeks before, I was still sore and more than a little paranoid of doing any kind of damage and making my recovery even longer. My visit to the cemetery earlier had been taxing enough.
The driver who opened my door gently grabbed my arm at the top and by my elbow and helped me stand. It was much sturdier than holding my hand, and I was able to stabilize my shaky knees. All the anxiety today hadn’t been good for stability at all.
I forced a smile at the man I recognized from the picture on Detective Abbott’s phone that day, and he flashed an even bigger one. It was bright and genuine. He seemed truly happy to see me. His eyes glistened in the early evening sun, and I wondered if he might cry.
Slowly, he stepped off the bottom steps and made his way toward me. The driver guided me forward and turned to close my door behind me as I closed the gap between Rick and me.
“Temperance,” he said, his voice full of wonder. He reached out with both hands as if he might cup my face, but he stopped, his hands lingering a couple inches away from each side of my head. “I can’t believe you’re here. You are even more beautiful than I imagined.”
A snort came from behind him, and I didn’t need a to be a rocket scientist to know where it came from. I didn’t even bother looking. Maybe the driver was right. It might start off rough, but it would be okay.
“Hi,” I said nervously. “Thank you for inviting me to stay with you. I’d planned to stay in Indiana, but after talking with Javier, I realized it wouldn’t be safe. I appreciate this a lot. I hope it’s not an imposition.”
He laughed and pulled his hands back. The sound was rich and wrapped around me. “An imposition? You’re my daughter! I never even got the opportunity to meet you. This is ablessing,” he said. “Having you here means more to me than you could possibly know. Come, you must be tired.”
Turning, he moved to stand at my side. He reached behind me like he might place his hand on the small of my back, but just as before, he didn’t actually touch me. Part of me found it odd, but another part of me was grateful. I could only imagine he was being considerate of everything I’d been through, and also the fact that I don’t know him at all. Touching me at all would feel forced and uncomfortable. I was just relieved he hadn’t tried to hug me.
I was grateful for the respect he showed me.
As we made our way up the steps, he stopped directly in front of Harper and placed his hand on the back of her head, pulling her closer so he could kiss her forehead. “We’ll do introductions inside,” he told her.
She sighed. It was faint, but I definitely heard it before she turned and walked toward the house, her mother following closely behind.
When we stepped inside, I couldn’t help the small gasp I made. The front foyer was massive. The floor was made of white marble tile, and there was a curved staircase going up the left side of the room and an identical staircase on the right side of the room leading up to a landing on the second floor framed in floor-to-ceiling arched windows.
Under the landing between the two staircases was a small sitting room. The windows were arched, but they were shorter on the bottom because there was a large built-in bench beneath. It looked like there were bookshelves on either side. It was a small—at least in reference to the size of the house—book nook. I loved it.
“Temperance,” Rick said, a smile in his voice as he pulled me from my shocked thoughts. “I’d like you to meet my wife and daughter.”
I turned and smiled at both. Surprisingly, I’d eased up enough that it was actually genuine. Theirs, however, was not. Harper and her mother both wore forced smiles as they stared me down.
“This is my wife, Angela,” he said, motioning to the woman standing next to Harper.
Chills went down my spine, and my throat felt tight. Angela was the name of the woman who posed as a nurse in my room. Who helped murder everyone in that church and nearly me.
That couldn’t be a coincidence.
I looked over at Javier, and he must have seen the fear in my face because he placed a gentle hand on the small of my back and smiled gently. “I know,” he whispered. “You see now why we wanted you here? We believe everything she did was for a reason. It was a message.”
It was then that I remembered the flash of recognition earlier in the hospital when I’d told him the woman had introduced herself as Angela. I swallowed hard. More and more all the time, I realized just how lucky I was that Rick wanted to meet me and offered to allow me to stay here. I’d be safe here with what was the only family I had left and their security.
“Are you alright, Temperance?” Rick asked, pulling me from my jumbled thoughts.
I quickly looked back over. “I’m—I’m so sorry,” I said directly to Angela. “I didn’t mean to be rude. Your name… It startled me is all.”
“My name?” she asked with obvious offense. Her eyes were narrowed at me, and I shrank a little under her harsh gaze.
Rick reached over and stroked her shoulder with the back of his hand. It was gentle and immediate. “Please, take no offense, my love. The woman who came to her hospital room and posed as a nurse said her name was Angela. We believe the name choice—along with the white lilies—were a message. She was involved with the attack. She must have known who Temperance was, that she was my daughter. It’s possible they all did, which is why the attack happened in the first place.”
Angela’s demeanor almost immediately changed. “Forgive me,” she said. “I can be a bit overprotective when it comes to my family.”
