Present Day…

The next day, a bubble of giddiness threatened to burst inside me every time I looked at Owen. Aside from an occasional sideways glance, he carried about his normal work routine. A few times, I heard him whistling. When the guys piled into the truck for lunch, he came inside to eat with me.

One week blurred into the next. All the leaves fell off the trees and the flowers died. By the time Dad and the boys finished the last of the renovations, the farmers had harvested the corn across the road and frost covered the barren fields. Owen came over every night to sit on the porch swing with me, the way he had when we were kids. When the temperatures grew too cold, we sat inside by the crackling fireplace. I ate up his attention like a starving animal. Sometimes he spent the night, but most of the time he went back to Cindy and Dad’s. We were taking things slow, rebuilding our trust in each other.

A few days before Thanksgiving, we were sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee, when the growl of a car engine interrupted our conversation. I peeked out the window to see Lanie’s van in the driveway.

“Hey, sis.” With arms extended, she ran toward me and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Surprise!”

“Um, yes. What’s going on?” I hugged her back then disentangled myself to eyeball her. We hadn’t talked since before my trip to Iceland. She’d sent a few texts, but I’d kept my responses short. I couldn’t forgive her for letting me down when I needed her help.

“You said we should come and visit. Well, here we are.” The impulsive move was typical Lanie. I swallowed, trying to decide if I was pissed or ambivalent. “I hope you don’t mind. It’s so cold in Cleveland and the kids are on break, so we thought we’d come for a visit.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m happy to see you.” Thank goodness I’d bought more furniture for the spare rooms. “A call would have been nice.”

“Well, I was going to, but you never answer your phone, and then I thought it would be a great surprise. So here we are.” She danced in a circle around me, her smile infectious. Her expression clouded, however, when Owen arrived at my side.

“Hey, Lanie,” he said. “It’s good to see you.”

“Hi, Owen.” A frown furrowed her forehead. She glanced from me to Owen uncertainly then moved in to give him a hug. “You’re taller than I remember.”

“You look the same. Pretty as ever,” he said, his tone even.

“Thanks.” Her dimples popped at the compliment.

“Get the kids and come inside,” I said. “You must be tired.”

“The drive was hell.” She rolled her expressive eyes. “The kids fought the entire trip. Teenagers are no joke.” At the wave of her hand, the kids spilled out of the van. Their hugs reminded me of the joys of aunthood. Despite their protests, I gave each one a kiss on the cheek. My relationship with Lanie had nothing to do with the love I felt for them.

“Aunt Stella, can I go explore?” Kimberly asked. At thirteen, she was nearly as tall as me, and just as pretty as her mother. She twisted a strand of her long, auburn hair around her finger and blinked large blue eyes at me. My heart melted.

“Sure,” I said. “But stay around the house.”

While Owen and Trey, Lanie’s oldest son, unloaded the luggage, Lanie and I took three-year-old Colton inside. He sat on my lap and ate Cheerios from a paper plate while we talked.

“So, what’s the scoop, Lanie? I thought you hated it here. You didn’t come for no reason.”

She shrugged, avoiding my gaze. “We haven’t talked in weeks.”

“You know why.” I stared at her across the table. Her dark red hair swung around her shoulders. She looked younger than her age, too young to have a sixteen-year-old son. “I’ve spent my entire life cleaning up your messes, and I ask you to do one thing for me—one thing—and you won’t even consider it.”

Tears glimmered in her eyes. Her jaw stiffened with the stubbornness we shared. “You always think the worst of me.”

“That’s not true, and you know it.” I placed my hands over the toddler’s ears. Thinking it was a game, he smiled up at me. “I’ve had your back since the day you were born. Just me, Lanie. I’m the one who defended you from the bullies on the playground, and I’m the one who kept you out of trouble when you were too stupid to do it for yourself.”

“Don’t call me stupid.” Her glare intensified. “You have no idea what I’ve been through.”

“Oh my God. You make me crazy.” My frustrations culminated in a growl.

She drummed her fingers on the tabletop. After a minute, her shoulders lowered. “So, what’s the deal with Owen? Why is he here?”

“We were getting ready to play gin rummy,” I said, avoiding the point of her question. Neither of us could stand to look at each other.

“Is it serious?” she asked. The corners of her mouth turned down.

“Don’t go there.” Her judgmental tone teased my temper. “He’s a part of my life now. Either be nice to him or go home.”

She laughed, crinkling her nose, like she did when she was truly amused. “Wow. Alrighty then. It really is serious.”

“Before you go criticizing Owen, let me remind you that your latest baby daddy is a biker with a rap sheet longer than my arm.”

“Fair enough.” Her casual shrug meant that she’d forgiven me. “But he had the most beautiful eyes and look how cute Colton is. He’s going to have big baby blues just like his daddy.”

I removed my hands from my nephew’s ears and gave him a kiss on top of his curly head. “You’re going to be a heartbreaker someday.”

“Aunt Stella, which room is mine?” Trey stood at the threshold of the kitchen with his arms full of suitcases. He had Lanie’s dark auburn hair and my violet eyes. A shadow of whiskers covered his upper lip.

“Upstairs. You can have any of the rooms to the left. Let your mom and Colton have the room next to the bathroom.” He nodded, but I couldn’t resist teasing him before he retreated. “Hey, what’s that on your face?”

“Huh?” He rubbed a finger over his jaw.

“You’ve got something right here.” I dragged my fingertip over my upper lip. “It looks like dirt.”

“It’s a moustache.” The annoyed undertone in his voice made me smile. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“Give the kid a break,” Owen said. He came to my side and rested a hand on my shoulder. It felt good there. I smiled up at him. Lanie watched our interaction with hooded interest. He bent and placed a kiss on my cheek. “Look, I’m going to get out of here and give you two a chance to catch up.”

“You don’t have to leave because of us,” Lanie said. “We didn’t mean to disrupt your evening.”

“I’ve got some things to take care of anyway,” Owen said. His deep voice reverberated through my body. When his gaze met mine, heat scaled my face. “Call you later?”

“Sure. Don’t forget—Dad and Cindy are coming over tomorrow.” I said. “You’ll be here, right?”

“Deal.” He kissed me again, this time on the mouth, leaving the taste of peppermint on my lips. I watched him walk out the door, admiring his long stride and the snug fit of his jeans over his slim hips. When the door closed behind him, I felt Lanie’s stare.

“Not one word,” I said, raising a finger in warning.

After a tour through the house and a light supper of frozen pizza, everyone settled into their rooms. Lanie and I laid on her bed while Colton slept between us. She stroked her fingers through his dark curls, her expression pensive. Quiet warmth enveloped the house. Even though I was furious with her, the bonds of family were strong between us.

“Do you think I’m a good mom?” she asked suddenly.

“Of course.” Her question caught me off guard. Despite her impulsive decisions and poor choice of men, she’d always been devoted to her kids. “Why?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about Mom a lot lately. She was our age when she left us. When I look at my sweet babies, I can’t understand how she could ever do something like that. Nothing would ever take me away from my children. I’d move heaven and earth to keep them safe.” Her tone turned fierce. Tears glistened on her eyelashes. “You know?”

“Yeah, I know.” I patted her hand. We snuggled closer. Colton sighed and rolled onto his back, flinging a hand into my stomach. It reminded me of our younger days when we only had each other. I liked having her near.

“I know I should have done something to help Owen, but I was fourteen, Stella, and terrified of being separated from you.” Our hands met. She squeezed until my fingers ached. “As time passed, it was easier to forget the whole terrible mess. I didn’t realize how much you loved him.” I tried to free my fingers from hers, my anger renewing, but she clung to me. “Please, please, don’t be upset with me.”

In fairness, I’d hidden my pain from her, saving my tears for the late-night hours when no one could hear me. “You could still do something.”

“I did. I called your friend, Michael, before I came here.” My breath caught in my throat at her confession. She swallowed, as if the words burned her throat.

“Lanie, oh my God.” I pulled her into a hug. “I’m so proud of you for coming forward. You have no idea how much this means to me. You did the right thing.”

“I hope so.” Her pretty face puckered with worry. “Michael said he’d get back to us in a few days.”

“Do you want to tell me what happened with Chris?” I asked. Fear made my insides quake, but my love for her overwhelmed my misgivings. I tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “You can tell me anything, you know that, right?”

She nodded. “I promise that I’ll tell you someday but not tonight.” Her gaze fell on Colton. She smoothed the blanket over his little body, her touch light and tender. “They’re growing up way too fast. Kimberly’s already talking about boys, and it scares the bejeezus out of me.”

I barked out a laugh, making Colton snuffle. She shushed me with a frown. “Sorry,” I whispered. “All you can do is try to teach them what’s right, Lanie. And I think you do a pretty good job of it. They’re terrific kids.”

“I know, but I worry.” Her eyelids fluttered, heavy with exhaustion. Faint circles shadowed her eyes, smudges I hadn’t noticed until now. “What if she turns out like me?”

“Heaven help us both,” I said, teasing, but she’d already fallen asleep.

I laid there for a while longer, listening to their even breathing. Lanie’s confession gave me hope for Owen’s future. Unwilling to raise his hopes or his anger, I decided not to tell him anything until I heard back from Michael. When my own exhaustion grew too much, I tiptoed down the hall to check on Trey and Kimberly. Without waking them, I smoothed their sheets and tucked the blankets around them before returning to my bed. The house seemed full for the first time since I’d moved in. Before I turned off the lamp, I took a minute to savor the first feeling of belonging I’d ever had.