Fear and anxiety and hope.
The second I’d awoken, I’d begged the nurse for an update, for her to tell me that she was okay, for any news.
Because the last thing I remembered was Rex standing over the two of us while I’d held on to Frankie.
Instead of an answer, she’d promised me she would let them know I was awake so someone could come talk to me.
For a beat, he stared at me, his lip trembling while that powerful gaze bore into me. Then he smiled. This slow, amazed, adoring smile. “Because of you, Rynna. Because of you, Frankie’s going to be just fine.”
More tears fell. But these were pure, unbridled relief. I released them as if I were pouring them into the heavens. Gratitude for the prayers I’d been granted.
Rex angled the rest of the way into the room, footsteps eating up the floor, the bed shifting when he gingerly eased down at my side. He brushed back the matted hair stuck to my forehead, voice cracking when he repeated, “She’s okay . . . because of you.”
All the turmoil I’d held back suddenly came spilling out.
“I should have told you from the beginning. If I had, this never would have happened. I’m so sorry.”
Rex gave a harsh shake of his head, big hand cupping my cheek. “Don’t you dare apologize, Rynna. I could accuse myself since I should have known the whole time Janel was no good. That only a fool wouldn’t have known she’d been stealing from me from day one. Our relationship, our daughter, nothing but a ploy for her to get close to me. To gain access to my accounts so she and Aaron could embed themselves deeper into my life.”
His hold tightened on my face. “But all the blame? It’s on them. What they did to both of us is on them. They’re the ones who are guilty, and they’re going to be paying for it for the rest of their lives.”
“Did they catch them?” My voice quivered.
He gave a slight nod. “Twenty miles out of town. Cargo area loaded down with cash that most definitely didn’t belong to them. Apparently, there was a tape, too, one that implicated Janel in the original embezzlement charges that Aaron went down for.”
Tone laced with the significance, Rex continued carefully, “The video was from right before Janel left and was recorded at Pepper’s, Rynna . . . in the back office. Both she and Aaron were there.”
His statement hovered in the room. Permeating. Seeping into my consciousness.
Realization settled slow. “My gramma knew,” I finally said.
He nodded. “Yeah, I think she did. Now that I got a few more details, everything makes sense. The fact your grandma was right there the day Janel was driving away, shaken up, supporting me with the blow of both Janel leaving and finding Missy on the street. I think your grandma might have scared her away, probably why Janel came back after she heard she passed.”
Sorrow bloomed, weaving through that hollow space, the loss of my gramma a wound I was sure would never go away. But in it was something sweet and tender and gentle. Knowing. Just like my gramma had always been.
Rex’s jaw ticked. “I just . . . I’m not even sure I want to know what happened that day. Leading up to that moment. And even though it destroyed me at the time, the only thing I’m doing right now is thanking your grandma for everything she did. For protecting my daughter. I might not know exactly what happened, but after Janel tried to take Frankie tonight? Pretty sure I would have lost my daughter a long time ago if it wasn’t for your grandma.”
Adoration pulled at the corner of his mouth. “All the Dayne women, saving my little girl. Both coming into our lives exactly when we needed you.”
And that spot inside? It glowed. Warmth and light.
A soft smile fluttered at my mouth, and I shifted, ignoring the pain that burned hot on my left arm. “Maybe my gramma knew it all along, Rex. Maybe she knew it was supposed to be us. Maybe that’s why she was so insistent I come back here. She had a way of seeing things long before they happened.”
He smoothed his hand over the side of my head. Comforting. Soothing. I wanted to fall into his touch. Forever disappear. “You think she knew you were meant for me?”
My smile was timid, and I gave a slight nod. “Gramma always said we’d just know. That it’d be magic when it happened. Maybe she felt that magic long before either of us could.”
“It is magic, Rynna. Frankie’s here. You’re here. We’re together. And that’s all that matters.”
As soon as he said it, he winced, and a hard gush of air left his lungs. “I’m so sorry, Rynna. About the restaurant. So goddamned sorry.”