I should have been used to my father’s insults by now, but his words still stung. Conrad’s demeanor proved he had never witnessed such contempt for one’s offspring before, although in truth, I wasn’t biologically Lawrence’s daughter.

“Are you okay?” Conrad rubbed his hands up and down my arms in a soothing manner.

“Yeah, I’m used to it.” I moved to sit on the bed.

Conrad followed. “So, what’s his problem?”

I shrugged. “Me.”

“Seriously?”

I nodded. “More or less.”

“What a dick.” Conrad spat out the words in anger. I was moved that he felt the need to defend me.

I sighed. “My dad and I haven’t gotten along in years. He doesn’t like my hair, my music, my tattoos. He really hates my piercings.” I laughed. “He says I look like a pin cushion.” I ran a hand over my face. “But I think it really stems from the fact that I’m adopted. I’m not his actual flesh and blood, so despite taking me in, he doesn’t feel I can accurately represent the family.”

Conrad frowned as he sat next to me. “That’s not fair. It’s not your fault.”

“No,” I said. “It’s not. But when I was a teen, I decided I wanted to know who my biological parents were, and he went ballistic. He felt I was ungrateful to be in the prestigious Mills family. My search took me nowhere, but in the process, I spent some time discovering who I really was inside. It led to my pursuit of music and my individuality. Dad really hated that. He feels a woman should be ruled by her father, and then later by her husband. I refused to live under his thumb or by his rules. We’ve been at odds ever since. I’ve kinda made it my life’s goal to remind him at every turn that he doesn’t own me or run my life.”

Conrad smiled. “And he hates that.”

“So much.” I laughed.

“I don’t know my parents either.” Conrad absentmindedly rubbed his wrist. The same spot where his cuff usually was.

My interest was piqued. Maybe he’d tell me something that would lead to understanding his background and why he’d forgotten it.

“Really? Tell me about it.” I leaned against his shoulder, hoping the intimacy would help him relax.

Conrad put an arm around me. “Not much to tell really. I bounced around from foster home to foster home for as long as I could remember. I never seemed to find the right fit. Once I was old enough to be on my own, I started traveling around the country, doing odd jobs.”

I reached for his hand and laced my fingers through his. That’s when I saw it. The tattoo on the inside of his right wrist.

“Conrad. Your tattoo matches the ring at my brother’s shop.” The surprise was evident in my voice.

He pulled his hand back. “Yeah. It’s weird.”

I reached for his hand once more and placed it in my lap, palm up. I traced the lines of the triskele with my fingertips. “When did you get this?”

He shook his head. “I don’t remember.”

I frowned. “None of this makes sense.”

He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Well, I have made some stupid decisions while I was drunk.”

“No,” I said. “I mean the ring. The tattoo. Your lack of memories.”

He frowned. “Yeah, the ring and tattoo are weird, but I’m not missing memories. My life just hasn’t been that memorable.”

I shook my head. “There’s more to all this. I just haven’t figured it out yet.”

He turned my face to his. “It’s not important.”

He kissed me gently, and I felt the tension from the confrontation with my father melt away.

“Listen, about earlier.” I ran my fingers over his beard. “I’d love to pick up where we left off, but after hearing about Bradly, I think I’d better go. I need to be sure they aren’t trying to pin this on me.”

He nodded. “I understand.”

“I promise I’ll be back.” I kissed him again.

“It’s late anyway. I should get some sleep. We have tomorrow, right?” he asked.

“We do,” I said. “And the next day, and the day after that.”

* * *

I went to my room and made a few phone calls to be sure the Bradly thing had been properly dealt with. All was clear there, as everyone else had come to the same conclusion I did—his past had finally caught up with him. I went to bed knowing that wasn’t going to chase me around the rest of my life. The only thing that kept me from a truly good night of rest was this dragon situation with Conrad. There was a connection with his tattoo and the ring. There had to be. If there was anything I’d learned over the years, it’s that you needed ties to your past. To align the origins of your existence with who you are now. Somehow, that symbol meant answers for Conrad.

The following morning, I walked into my brother’s pawn shop with one purpose in mind. The ring.

“Tristan, I think that ring belongs to Conrad.” I crouched down and studied it through the glass case.

“I think it does, too.” He was scribbling something on a notepad.

“We need to give it to him,” I said.

“I’m fine with that.” Tristan crossed his arms. “What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know. It’s just this gut feeling that he’s supposed to be wearing that ring. It’s like a family heirloom or something.”

I couldn’t shake the thought that this was why he was meant to come to Havenwood Falls. This explained why he was able to stumble across our little town.

“Since when did you become so sentimental?” Tristan teased.

I shrugged. “It’s not sentiment. It’s magic. Or fate. I don’t know. You’ve always told me what’s meant to be will be, right?”

He nodded. “I still believe that.”

“This ring might just convince me that you’re correct.”

Tristan handed me the ring, and I examined it closely. The smooth metal was cold to the touch. The embossing was flawless.

“You should be the one to give it to him.” Tristan handed me a ring box to keep it in.

Butterflies danced in my stomach at the thought of what his could mean for Conrad. What would happen when he finally put the ring on? Nothing? Everything? A part of me would be terribly disappointed if I were wrong. Maybe I was a little sentimental.

“Thanks.” I placed the ring in the box and closed the lid.

“Be careful, Jetta. If that is the key to restoring his memories, there is no telling how he’ll react.”

“Good point. I don’t know how it will affect him, but I do know this—Conrad would never hurt me.” His integrity and protective nature were two things about Conrad I felt sure of.