Page 11 of A Secret Promise

Sticking to a routine had always been a source of comfort to Rule, and he was up at five like usual, his body clock mercilessly punctual to a fault. But as far as his ex was concerned, it was also this side of his that she found unbearably tedious, which she also cited as one of the reasons for their breakup.

Such thoughts had his mind attempting to replay the past, but Rule shut a mental door on this immediately.

The present was all that mattered now.

And even though his conversation with Vixen last night had ended on an awkward note...

Rule was surprised to find himself still full of hope.

And more unexpectedly, of peace.

Why that was, however...

He wasn't yet ready to face.

For now, he would simply focus on the things hedidhave the ability and courage to tackle, and to start with...

Rule knocked on his daughter's door. "You awake yet?"

He gave her a few moments to answer before knocking again. "Riley?"

Rule opened the door after his third round of knocking, and the first thing he saw was her empty bed.

Huh.

His daughter had never been an early riser, and Rule's puzzlement gradually turned to unease when he searched the rest of the house and still found no signs of Riley.

One of the reasons he had chosen to move to Lavender Cove was for its supposedly low crime rates. But such statistics were just that: statistics. There were always exceptions to the rule and margins for error. There was always the possibility of a nutjob suddenly having this whim to take the ferry and kill the first seventeen-year-old girl—-

"Morning, Dad!"

The sound came from the back porch, and Rule expelled his breath in relief when he saw his daughter waving at him from the steps. The wooden planks creaked under his footsteps as he joined her outside, and she smiled up at him as he folded his length next to hers.

"How long have you been up?"

"About fifteen minutes? I wanted to see the sun rise. We're supposed to have the best morning views on the island, and I wanted to see if it was true."

"Is it then?"

Riley gestured to the skies with dramatic flair. "Behold."

A smile quirked over his lips, but he obediently turned his gaze as instructed.

And it was as his daughter said.

"We don't get views like this in our old apartment," Riley commented.

"You were the one who refused to live in a penthouse," he reminded her.

"Because I'm afraid of heights. And it all turned out okay, anyway. Westilldon't live in a penthouse, but we already havethisto wake up to."

His daughter's face softened as she turned her gaze back to the sun, and his chest tightened at the sight. She had never been much of a talker growing up, but she had become even more withdrawn following his separation from Beatriz.

And so toseeandhearher talk this much—-

It wasn't just a blessing but amiracle,and the fact that Rule even thought of it as such nearly had him shaking his head.

The word 'miracle' hadneverbeen a part of his vocabulary. But the moment it popped into his mind, Rule knew this was the truth. Everything right now was a miracle.

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