the lie, and how scared she was of being rejected again.nTo her surprise, Mitchell didn’t get angry. He gave a gentle smile and said, “I have a daughter too. Let’s go get him.” When they arrived, they found Roy completely fine—he’d faked the emergency because he missed his mom. Riley knelt down and hugged him tightly, heart aching with both relief and regret. Later,

as Mitchell drove them home, Roy dozed off in the back seat. Mitchell looked over and said softly, “Next time, we bring the kids.” Riley smiled, her chest full of something she hadn’t felt in a long time: hope. Maybe this time, love was here to stay.