I gripped Roan’s hand tighter. All I could think about was the implications of Oren’s casual words. If John ever got a retrial, this could poison the jury pool. Cady could hear this, possibly causing her to question things, not to mention it could make everyone in my day-to-day life look at me differently.
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Steven cut in. “I’m not even saying that Tara Monroe meant to lie. She could’ve been traumatized by finding her sister. By being accidentally stabbed. Her mind could’ve automatically decided John was the killer, even though there’s a very plausible case for him not being involved.”
Oren scoffed. “Oh, I think she lied on purpose. I think she was jealous that Autumn loved John so much. That they had this happy life she wasn’t all that involved in. She saw a chance to get some payback for John stealing her sister away and took it.”
“I don’t know,” Tyson said. “We got copies of the forensics reports this week, and that blood evidence on John was pretty damning.”
There was silence for a moment.
“You seriously think she’s telling the truth?” Steven asked, shock evident in his voice.
“You saw the photos,” Tyson said. “How do you get that kind of blood on you? It looked like spray.”
“He loved his wife,” Oren cut in, voice tight. “He said time and time again that he held her after he found her.”
“But that doesn’t explain—”
Steven cut Tyson off. “It does explain. If you lift someone with those kinds of wounds, blood is going to get everywhere. I can’t believe you’re starting to fall for her sob story. She’s a manipulative—”
I hit stop on my phone. “I can’t listen anymore,” I croaked.
Roan hauled me into his lap, cradling me to his chest. “Don’t. They don’t have any damned evidence. It’s just the same half-cocked conspiracy theories.”
Tears burned my eyes. “I can’t imagine how scared she was. I told her I’d always have her back, always be there for her. And when she needed me the most, I didn’t.”
“Aspen.” Roan brushed his hand over my hair in soothing strokes. “You fought for her every step of the way. You’re still fighting for her. For the girl she gave life.”
I let out a hiccuped breath. “I miss her.”
“Of course, you do.” He pressed his lips to the top of my head. “Tell me about her.”
“She’s the one who invented cocoa smash.”
I could feel Roan’s mouth curve against my hair. “You mean that instant cavity in a bowl?”
A laugh burst out of me. “She invented it when I wanted ice cream with chocolate syrup after a bad day, but we didn’t have any. It’s way better anyway.”
“Sounds like a really good sister.”
“She was the best,” I whispered. “We didn’t have a lot growing up. It was just my mom and us. Mom couldn’t seem to hold down a job. Sometimes, we got lucky, and she could scrounge together enough money for an apartment. Other times, it was a shelter or our car.”
Roan’s grip on me tightened.
“I was okay, though, because I always had Autumn. She made sure I was all right. Safe. Warm. Fed.”
“She was more like your mom.”
My throat burned. “Yeah.”
We were quiet for a moment, Roan just holding me tightly and soothing the worst of the hurt.
“I think that’s why she stayed with John longer than she should’ve. Because she wanted the family we never had. She was so desperate to give her daughter a good life.”
Roan cupped my cheek, tipping my head back. “But now you’re giving Cady that good life. Look at how loved she is. How full of magic her life is. You did that.”
I swallowed, trying to clear the ache in my throat. “I’ve tried. So damn hard. But things really soared when your family came into our lives.”
The Hartleys had given us so much. Cady’s best friend. Women who had become like sisters to me. Kerry’s motherly nurturing and care. Nathan’s sweet gruffness. Holt’s, Nash’s, and Lawson’s brotherly ways. And Roan.
He had become the greatest gift of all.
Roan brushed his mouth against mine and then pulled back. His gaze bored into mine. “You’ve given me more than I ever could’ve imagined. Even before I knew you, you were this spark of light in the shadows. But being in your orbit? It’s so bright it casts out everything else.”