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It felt as if everyone in the waiting room sagged in relief at the same time. Maybe because there were so many of us crammed in there together.
When we’d gotten to the clinic, Colton, Lincoln and Booker were standing with their wives, and Carol was pacing nervously by the intake window. She’d rushed forward to hug Dad when we walked in and I’d stood by the front door, staring at the floor and silently cursing myself for letting this happen to Celia.
“Did you hear any of that?” Dad asked, walking over to rest a hand on my shoulder. “She’s going to be fine.”
I nodded, not sure I’d be able to speak around the lump that was sitting in my throat.
“You can see her for a minute,” the healer continued. “But try not to wake her up yet. She needs sleep.”
“We’ll head out and give you guys some room,” Booker said, walking over to shake each of our hands.
“Thank you,” I told him, my voice hoarse.
“Of course,” he insisted. “Keep us posted on her progress, okay?”
“Okay,” Dad answered. “Thank you all so much.”
The men nodded and their wives each stopped to hug all of us on their way out.
“They’re all very kind,” Carol whispered as we headed down the hall toward Celia’s room.
“They are,” Dad agreed. “I think they consider themselves the parents of every single person in town. We’re all family here. It’s part of what makes Fayshore work the way it does.”
He was right. I would never forget the kindness they all showed when my mom had died. The LaFey triplets, Mindi, Candi and Trudi, had practically moved into our house to help Dad and I cope with the loss. They cooked and cleaned and threw magic parties to distract me while their husbands, Colton, Booker and Lincoln had taken Dad out to try to remind him how to live.
It was a great town, and we really were all family.
Carol and Dad went into the room first, both rushing up to Celia’s side. Dad’s arm went around Carol’s shoulders as she gripped her daughter’s hand tightly between her own.
When Dad first told me that he’d met Carol, I’d been conflicted. I mean, of course I wanted him to be happy. But the thought of him with anyone but Mom just sat weird with me.
But watching them now, there was no way I could deny that they belonged together. They’d both been through a lot, and they complimented each other well.
My mind drifted back to the story Celia had told me the night before about her father and what she and her mother had been through because of him.
I was glad Carol had my dad. The man was the kindest, most generous person on the planet. And she definitely deserved that after what she’d survived.
My gaze finally shifted to Celia, laying unconscious on the bed and my heart clenched as my stomach rolled.
I’d done this to her. If I hadn’t left her behind, she never would have gotten hurt. She didn’t deserve this. After all the pain she’d been through, she deserved someone like my dad. And that wasn’t me. So maybe it was best that she and I weren’t soul mates.
Somewhere out there was a man who would love and protect her the way she deserved. And when she found him, I’d be happy for her.
“I’m going to run back to the house and pick up some clothes for Celia,” Carol said softly. “Trevor, would you mind staying here in case she wakes up? I’d like someone she knows to be here.”
“Of course,” I promised her. I wasn’t sure Celia would want to see me, but I hadn’t planned on going anywhere anyway.
I pushed off the wall and walked over to sit down next to Celia as Carol walked out. Dad had followed her to the door but stopped and I knew he was staring at me, but I couldn’t raise my gaze from Celia.
“I heard her fall behind,” I admitted softly as I traced my finger over the back of her limp hand. “I should have stopped. This is my fault.”
“This is not your fault,” Dad insisted, his hand resting on my shoulder and making me jump. The man could move quickly and quietly when he wanted to. “This is the fault of whoever laid that trap.”
“I took her to the woods to watch out for her,” I argued.
“And you were watching out for her when you chased off whatever was out there,” Dad reminded me. “There’s something dangerous out in those woods. You probably saved both of your lives last night. She’ll wake up. And when she does, I promise you that she won’t blame you.”
“I wish I could believe that,” I whispered. “She told me what her childhood was like last night. I can’t help feeling like one more man that let her down.”
