frame on her nightstand.
Caden’s lips curved into a wide smile. She looked back at the photo taken in Landon’s front yard. Caden’s father stood between the two of them, his arms curled around Landon and Sam.
“Did Landon know my dad?”
Sam’s mouth worked silently. She was unprepared for this. In the photo, Caden’s father wore his wide, charismatic grin as easily as he wore the black tux. He stood as tall as her in the flats she insisted on wearing. After the photo, they went their separate ways.
“Mom?” Caden’s brows were pinched. “Did he grow up here with you? Did he live around here? Do I have grandparents here?”
Caden’s questions came too fast, a tidal wave in speed and intensity, and Sam wondered if there was any way of stopping it now. If she told Caden, Landon would find out, and she couldn’t stand the thought of that. Maybe she couldn’t stop what was happening, but she could put it off.
“I want to answer your questions, Caden. But I’m going to ask you to wait. Wait until we leave here. When we get back to Boston, I’ll tell you everything. I promise.”
Her face fell. “That’s not fair.”
“I have my reasons. Good ones.” Sam ached inside and wished she’d left Caden in Boston so they wouldn’t be faced with this dilemma.
Tears flooded Caden’s eyes and spilled over. “I deserve to know about my dad! Why won’t you tell me? You’re just being mean!”
“Caden, if I told you now, other people would—” She stopped, not wanting to say too much.
“Other people would what?”
“No one else can know. If I told you, it would be too hard for you to keep it a secret.”
“I can keep a secret.” Just then Caden reminded Sam of herself at her age, with her wet blond hair hanging in strings around her face. She’d kept secrets at her age. Things she still had told no one.
“I’m not a baby.”
“I know you’re not.” Sam wet her lips, giving herself a chance to back out of this, not at all sure she wasn’t being foolish. If Landon found out . . .
Sam saw the sincerity in Caden’s expression. “All right. There’s something I never told you because—well, I didn’t think you’d ever need to know. I never planned to come back here, never planned for you to meet Landon.”
“What? Tell me, Mom.” Fear glimmered in her eyes, dread of what her mother was about to say.
“It’s nothing bad; it’s just . . . you have to promise you won’t tell Landon.”
“Landon?”
“I know that’s a big thing to ask of you. We’ll be here for a couple of more weeks. Do you think you can do that?”
She nodded, wiping her tears. “Was my dad a bad person?” She looked at the photo.
“No, Caden. He was a good guy. The best. He . . . he was Landon’s brother. We grew up together, just like Landon and me.”
“And you were in love?”
Hope brightened her face, and Sam couldn’t dispel it. “I loved Bailey very much.” Caden needn’t know Sam had only loved him as a dear friend.
“Then Landon is my uncle?”
Her childish delight brought a smile to Sam’s lips.
“And his parents are my grandparents!”
Fear stabbed Sam. “Wait, honey. Yes, Landon and his dad are related to you, but his mom passed away, and his dad doesn’t live here anymore. And don’t forget what I said about it being a secret.”
“I don’t understand. Why don’t they know about me?”
“I have my reasons.”
She glared and shoved the box away. “That’s not fair.”
She was right. So much surrounding her life hadn’t been fair. Bailey’s death hadn’t been fair, either—to any of them.
Caden rose to her feet. “I finally have a family, and you won’t let them know about me!”
“You already have a family, Caden. We’re a family.”
Her daughter blinked hard, but a tear escaped. “Some family.” She ran to her room and slammed the door.
Sam closed her eyes and sighed. It had been a mistake to tell her. But it was too late to take it back. She knew
Caden’s lips curved into a wide smile. She looked back at the photo taken in Landon’s front yard. Caden’s father stood between the two of them, his arms curled around Landon and Sam.
“Did Landon know my dad?”
Sam’s mouth worked silently. She was unprepared for this. In the photo, Caden’s father wore his wide, charismatic grin as easily as he wore the black tux. He stood as tall as her in the flats she insisted on wearing. After the photo, they went their separate ways.
“Mom?” Caden’s brows were pinched. “Did he grow up here with you? Did he live around here? Do I have grandparents here?”
Caden’s questions came too fast, a tidal wave in speed and intensity, and Sam wondered if there was any way of stopping it now. If she told Caden, Landon would find out, and she couldn’t stand the thought of that. Maybe she couldn’t stop what was happening, but she could put it off.
“I want to answer your questions, Caden. But I’m going to ask you to wait. Wait until we leave here. When we get back to Boston, I’ll tell you everything. I promise.”
Her face fell. “That’s not fair.”
“I have my reasons. Good ones.” Sam ached inside and wished she’d left Caden in Boston so they wouldn’t be faced with this dilemma.
Tears flooded Caden’s eyes and spilled over. “I deserve to know about my dad! Why won’t you tell me? You’re just being mean!”
“Caden, if I told you now, other people would—” She stopped, not wanting to say too much.
“Other people would what?”
“No one else can know. If I told you, it would be too hard for you to keep it a secret.”
“I can keep a secret.” Just then Caden reminded Sam of herself at her age, with her wet blond hair hanging in strings around her face. She’d kept secrets at her age. Things she still had told no one.
“I’m not a baby.”
“I know you’re not.” Sam wet her lips, giving herself a chance to back out of this, not at all sure she wasn’t being foolish. If Landon found out . . .
Sam saw the sincerity in Caden’s expression. “All right. There’s something I never told you because—well, I didn’t think you’d ever need to know. I never planned to come back here, never planned for you to meet Landon.”
“What? Tell me, Mom.” Fear glimmered in her eyes, dread of what her mother was about to say.
“It’s nothing bad; it’s just . . . you have to promise you won’t tell Landon.”
“Landon?”
“I know that’s a big thing to ask of you. We’ll be here for a couple of more weeks. Do you think you can do that?”
She nodded, wiping her tears. “Was my dad a bad person?” She looked at the photo.
“No, Caden. He was a good guy. The best. He . . . he was Landon’s brother. We grew up together, just like Landon and me.”
“And you were in love?”
Hope brightened her face, and Sam couldn’t dispel it. “I loved Bailey very much.” Caden needn’t know Sam had only loved him as a dear friend.
“Then Landon is my uncle?”
Her childish delight brought a smile to Sam’s lips.
“And his parents are my grandparents!”
Fear stabbed Sam. “Wait, honey. Yes, Landon and his dad are related to you, but his mom passed away, and his dad doesn’t live here anymore. And don’t forget what I said about it being a secret.”
“I don’t understand. Why don’t they know about me?”
“I have my reasons.”
She glared and shoved the box away. “That’s not fair.”
She was right. So much surrounding her life hadn’t been fair. Bailey’s death hadn’t been fair, either—to any of them.
Caden rose to her feet. “I finally have a family, and you won’t let them know about me!”
“You already have a family, Caden. We’re a family.”
Her daughter blinked hard, but a tear escaped. “Some family.” She ran to her room and slammed the door.
Sam closed her eyes and sighed. It had been a mistake to tell her. But it was too late to take it back. She knew
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