“Mr. Grizz is funny,” Cady said, still munching away.
“He is.”
A few minutes later, Roan emerged dressed in a fresh Fish and Wildlife uniform that accentuated his shoulders and chest. I instantly dropped my gaze to my cereal.
The chair between Cady and me slid out, the legs dragging against the wood floor.
“Are you gonna help more animals today?” Cady asked.
“I’m not sure yet. Maybe,” Roan said as he took a bite of cereal.
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. His light brown hair was a little wild, swooping across his forehead. My fingers itched to get lost in the wavy locks.
Cady peppered Roan with question after question. He never lost his patience with her or got annoyed. Instead, he asked what her favorite animals were and if there were any she wanted but didn’t have.
An ache settled in my chest as I watched the two of them. I wanted this for Cady. But it wasn’t something I was sure I could ever give her.
“All done,” she chirped.
Her voice snapped me out of my swirling thoughts. “Teeth and outfit time. You want some help?”
Cady shook her head. “I can do it. Can I wear my glitter boots today?”
There was so much hope in that question.
“I think we’d better wait one more day. There’s still a lot of mud out there.” Or there had been when I slipped out to feed the animals this morning. Dory’s wounds were already healing. I had a feeling she’d be good to go in a matter of days.
Cady pouted. “I hate mud. It ruins everything.”
“It just means you’ll appreciate your glitter boots that much more tomorrow.”
Cady slid off her chair and started singing Tomorrow from Annie as she headed down the hall.
“She’s definitely got a flair for the dramatic,” Roan said.
I chuckled. “I predict theatrical productions in our future.”
His gaze roamed over me, heating each place it touched. “What’s with the glitter? Everything with you two is covered in it.”
My cheeks flamed. “Cady has always loved it.”
“What about you?”
“She likes to make sure I have my sparkles.”
Roan was quiet for a moment, simply staring at me. “And you give her what she wants.”
I shrugged. “Something as simple as this that makes her happy? Why wouldn’t I? It makes her feel like we’re connected.”
He swiped his thumb back and forth across the stubble below his bottom lip. “She knows you’re not her birth mom.”
It wasn’t a question. And I shouldn’t have been surprised that Roan had put the pieces together. He always saw a little bit more than everyone else.
“She understands she has two moms. She calls me Mama and Autumn Mom. She also knows that her mom has to be a secret.”
“She knows what happened to her?” Roan’s voice grew rougher with his question.
I shook my head. “Not really. She knows someone took Autumn away. The older she gets, the more she reads between the lines.”
“She’s gonna want to know more.”
I let out a breath. “I know. I never want to lie to her. It’s about choosing my words carefully.”
Roan nodded slowly. “You’re an amazing mom.”
My throat burned. “It’s been trial by fire, but I’m learning. And I love her like crazy.”
“Anyone can see that.”
His words were a balm. I often doubted that I was enough for Cady. That I could be all she needed.
Our eyes locked and held for a beat, then two. An understanding swirled between us.
“I’m going to talk to Lawson about everything this morning, but I’d like to loop Holt in, too,” Roan said, making a swift subject change.
I jerked upright. “No.”
He lifted a brow. “He’s still part owner of Anchor Security, his company back in Portland. He can get an amazing system in place here in no time. And he can do recon on Steven and Tyson.”
I shook my head rapidly. “I don’t need a security system, and after everything with my car, I sure as hell can’t afford one. And Law can look into the podcasters.”
“Holt will keep it to himself.”
“I don’t want anyone else to know. It’s hard enough that you’re going to tell Law. I just—it makes people look at me differently. And the more people who know, the easier it’ll be for it to get out, even if they don’t mean to slip up.”
It was already sending me into a panic that Roan knew. The fact that he was so quiet helped. He wasn’t a chatterbox. Didn’t get loose lips.