He rubbed her back. “There’s probably a special place in hell for a man who risks rather than protects children, any children. I’m glad you’re out.”

“I might be haunted by it for a long time. I worry about the ones I left behind. Only a couple of the women there are completely under his spell—most of us just wanted peace and safety for our families. I worry about what might happen to them. Eventually he’s going to be brought to justice.”

“We all have ghosts, honey. Over time we make peace with them—they’re part of a past that was difficult.”

“That’s all I want, for it all to be past.”

“And, Devon? What does it mean when you make love?”

She smiled at him. “It means I risked my most valuable possession next to my daughter—my heart. It means I love. And hope I was right.”

He pulled her close, kissed her deeply and whispered against her lips, “I’m always on your team. I’m always your loyal friend, no matter what. If you decide you’re really in love with me, even better. But, Devon, you can count on me either way. I give you my word and my word is good.”

“I never doubted that,” she said. “I could feel it.”

He grinned. “Then I guess you wouldn’t mind feeling it again,” he said, moving on her.

* * *

Cooper was on dad duty because Spencer was embroiled in football training and a couple of pre-season scrimmages. He flew to Dallas to meet Austin at the airport and fly the rest of the way home with him. Austin’s maternal grandfather, Dale Cunningham, flew up with him to Dallas and he walked with him to meet Cooper’s arrival.

Shaking his hand he said, “I hope you’ve been taking your vitamins.”

Cooper laughed. “Good visit?”

“You bet. And I think I’ve aged ten years. His grandmother is in a coma.”

Cooper laughed again. “One of these days I’d like you and Mrs. Cunningham to fly out to Oregon to visit. It’s not fancy, but we have a good time and some of the best sunsets on the coast. I’m building—the place should be ready by late spring next year. Sarah and I will be in a bigger place on the beach. More room for company, but don’t wait that long. We can always manage something with a door that closes.”

“Thanks, Cooper. You and Spencer working everything out all right? Getting along?”

“Who wouldn’t get along with Spencer? He’s a pussycat—as long as you’re not playing ball for him.”

Dale chuckled. “I hope you have a good trip back.” He ruffled Austin’s hair.

“We’re going to stop on the way home from Eugene and get some school things.”

“Grandma might’ve put some new school clothes in the suitcase.”

“Aw, she didn’t have to do that!”

He laughed. “Well, she did have to. His legs and feet grew while he was visiting. The kid’s a weed.”

“Thanks, Dale. It’s appreciated.”

Dale Cunningham bent down. “Gimme a hug, kid. Your old grandpa has to get on a plane home.”

Austin obliged.

“Say thank you, Austin,” Cooper advised.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Call when you’re home safe.”

Once Austin’s grandfather was on his way to his plane, Cooper dropped an arm around Austin’s shoulders. “We’ve got about twenty minutes before boarding, bud. Let’s hit the bathroom and grab some fast food for the plane. It’s a long flight and there won’t be any food on board.”

“Will it still be light when we get home?”

“Barely. Why?”

“I wanna get out on the bay. Just for a little while.”

“You’ll have plenty of time tomorrow. We should call your dad, let him know we connected and are on the way.”

“I called him once already,” Austin said. “Can I have pizza?”

“Sure,” Cooper said. And while they waited in the food line, Cooper texted, The package has been delivered. They had about three minutes to spare when they got back to the gate and were immediately boarding. Cooper’s phone chimed and he looked at the response, Tell the package I’m ready for him to be home.

“I think your dad missed you,” Cooper said with a laugh. “He said he’s ready for you to be home.”

“I think maybe three weeks is too long,” Austin said. “They need naps.”

“Everyone who hangs out with you seems to need a nap. What do you suppose the common denominator is there?”

“I’m gonna have a new school,” he said. “It could suck.”

“It’s a good school—it probably won’t suck. You’ll make friends easy.”

“Why?”

Cooper shrugged. “One of your dads is the football coach and the other one owns the beach bar. We’re cool.”

“Yeah, I have two dads,” he said. “I don’t care, you know, but it’s kind of weird...”

“Not nearly as weird as you think. People get divorced and remarry all the time. There’s the original dad and the next dad. Happens all the time. At least both your dads are very cool.” Then he grinned stupidly, very uncomfortable with this ten-year-old’s dilemma. “Same thing with moms. I think Sarah is now your stepmom. And a lot of people have seen your dad around town with Devon, who I think he likes.”

That got Austin’s attention. “Does she like football?”

“Yeah. She does. I think she knows more about football than I do.”

“I know more about football than you do,” he said, grinning his crooked-toothed grin. And Cooper thought, We’re going to have to set him up with braces soon. Do we split the cost on that?

“Watch it, now. I know a lot about football. The town’s gonna look so different, you’ll think I took a wrong turn. The hillside on the beach is a wreck, there are two new roads getting finished, in another week or two, they’re going to start the foundation for the new house. They’d like to get as much done as possible before they get weathered out. And, of course, football officially starts. Your dad says he’s got a good team...and everyone in town has an opinion or some advice for him.” He cleared his throat. “I’m looking forward to watching Landon play.”

“Who’m I gonna sit with?” Austin asked.

Cooper had a flashback. He’d been the new kid a lot growing up and there was a pang of memory about being at the end of a lunch table...alone. Walking to classes...alone. Wondering who would be his friend and half the time making a bad choice.

“Well, you’re not obligated, but I always sit with the McCains—Gina, Mac, Aunt Lou. Sometimes other friends and their kids join us. Once school gets started you’ll probably find your own gang of kids you want to sit with, but Gina and Mac always go early to get a good spot and it’s not torture, sitting with us. We bring a cooler and snacks. And you seem to be a bottomless pit. So until you get acquainted, you can count on sitting with us.”

“I like to meet up with my dad after...sometimes the team goes out.”

“I can make sure you meet up with your dad...” And with a pathetic swirl in his chest he thought, Maybe I’ll even get invited along. Then he realized, he was merely mirroring Austin’s feelings. Empathizing. Poor kid—he must feel very vulnerable. “Most of the kids you’ve seen around the beach will be in your school.”

“I didn’t get to know ’em or anything.”

At least for Austin, it was doubtful he’d face this issue again. He’d probably graduate from Thunder Point high school. Cooper sought a happier subject. “Landon’s been at practice every morning, but afternoons he spends at the beach. I bet he can be talked into taking you out on the bay. You’re about ready to try out your own board, aren’t you?”

That got a grin. “I already have. When no one’s looking. No one except Landon.”

“You think no one’s looking,” Cooper said. “Was your visit with your grandma and grandpa great?”

He shrugged. “Pretty good. Being at their house... It made me miss my mom....”

“I guess it would,” Cooper said. “We’ll get your grandparents out to Oregon for a visit, get Grandpa out on the dock, fishing. Get Grandma on the back of that Jet Ski.”

Austin laughed at what must have been an amusing mental picture.

“Think you can show ’em how to get up on a board?”

“Bet I could,” he said. “I’m gonna need something, Cooper. Pretty soon I’m gonna need a wet suit, like Landon has.”

“Put it on your wish list. We got birthdays and Christmas and grades...”

“Grades?” Austin asked.

Cooper shrugged. “Sometimes when you get impressive grades, little rewards show up here and there.”

“Really? That doesn’t usually happen.”

“What happens? When you get something like straight A’s?” Cooper asked.

“You get to live,” Austin said.

Funny, that’s what had happened at his house, too. But it was different when your mother was dead and you had to go to a new school. “There you go,” Cooper said. “One more reason it’s cool to have a spare dad.”

* * *

Devon bought some princess decals and paint and Mercy helped her decorate the second bedroom in the duplex.

Mercy needed her princess chamber—her own bedroom. Helping to decorate the walls interested her in having her own space, which gave Devon her own space. Devon’s routine had changed, especially now that Austin had returned from Texas. The perimeters of her life had grown and now included important time with Spencer. They saw each other for at least a little while every day, but at night when their kids were settled, they talked on the phone. Devon was pleased to know Mercy had made a positive transition to sleeping in her own bedroom. They now had separate beds and separate bedrooms and Devon could not be happier about it.

Devon and Spencer came out as a couple in Thunder Point. At first she was reluctant to go public, but she soon realized no one was surprised. They now held hands in public. Spencer would drop an arm over her shoulders and give her a brief squeeze. There was the occasional chaste and socially acceptable kiss.

As they shared more and more of their lives together one evening Spencer reported that Austin had seemed a little unsettled after his trip to Texas and that he had asked Spencer if he “missed mom.” Spencer had answered that he would always miss her and always wish she hadn’t gotten sick, but that it was all right to make new friends, that it took nothing from Bridget’s memory to have more people in their lives.

He later confided that Austin had told him they looked at a lot of pictures while he was in San Antonio, old pictures from when Austin was a lot younger. There were many pictures of his mom, back when Bridget was vital and healthy and rosy-cheeked. Austin told his grandparents that he didn’t even remember his mom like that. And that had made Grandma cry and Grandpa got all moody and coughed a lot.

“I had to have a talk with them,” Spencer told Devon. “It was not what I wanted to do, but I had to. I understand their grief. I can’t imagine losing a child, no matter how old that child is. But we have to let Austin move on. A ten-year-old has a hard enough life without being filled with sadness all the time.”

“Oh, Spencer, how did they take it?” Devon asked.

“Very emotionally. They’re sorry I was unhappy with them. They only wanted to be sure Austin remembered his mother. But I explained that we have all those pictures and they’re available to Austin if he asks for them. He knows where they are. They’ll belong to him someday and hopefully he will show them to his own children. But I can’t send him to Texas for a fun visit only to have it fill him with dread because it won’t be fun, it will be sad. Of course they promised not to do that again. But Cooper has a solution—we need to send the Cunninghams plane tickets and get them out here.”