Page 92 of Daddy Down Under

That was the understatement of the year, but it was enough.

My mom’s eyes filled with tears as my father’s face hardened in a way I had rarely seen. “No man should ever raise his hand against a child.”

“I was nineteen,” Ocean said.

“But still his child. It’s despicable.”

While my dad was furious, my mom’s heart went all soft. “I’m so sorry for you, honey. Growing up without your mom like that. We loved Marcia. It broke my heart when she died so young.” She cocked her head, studying Ocean. “And now that I know, I can see the similarities. You have that same spark she had.”

Ocean swallowed thickly. “I’d forgotten that… I hadn’t realized you knew her. I mean, of course you did, but that hadn’t registered with me.”

“We did. She was such a wonderful young woman. Beautiful inside and out. It always pained me that she ended up with Preston. He didn’t deserve her.”

It was hard to argue with that.

Ocean’s grip on my hand tightened, and I could feel the slight tremor running through him. “What was she like? My mom?”

Mom leaned forward in her chair, her eyes soft with memories. “She had this laugh that could fill a room. The kind that made everyone else want to laugh too, even if they didn’t know what was funny. And she had such a big heart, so empathetic.”

“She loved the ocean,” Dad added quietly. “Used to talk about taking these long walks on the beach whenever she could. Said it helped her think.”

I’d forgotten about that, but Dad was right. Marcia had grown up in Maryland, on the shores of Chesapeake Bay, and she’d missed it.

A tear slid down Ocean’s cheek, and he quickly wiped it away. “That’s probably where my love for the ocean comes from.”

Mom made a soft sound of distress and was on her feet in an instant, moving to sit on Ocean’s other side. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and he leaned into her touch like a plant seeking sunlight.

“You know,” she said, her voice thick with emotion, “we have some photos somewhere, I think, from when we threw a graduation party for Cash. She was there, and I know she’s in several pictures. Would you like to see them?”

Ocean’s “Yes” came out as barely more than a whisper, but it echoed through the room like a thunderclap. I watched as my father stood without a word and headed for the storage closet, where they kept all their old photos.

I’d never felt more grateful for my parents than I did in that moment, watching them piece together fragments of Ocean’s past with such care and love. He had helped me heal and find closure, and now they were able to do that for him.

Funny how fate had a way of coming full circle.

EPILOGUE

ONE YEAR LATER

Ocean

“Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?”

Cash’s hand tensed in mine as we awaited the response with bated breath. We were sitting in the front row in the courtroom, with a direct view of Preston, albeit from the back. After a year of legal proceedings and delays—and his surprising choice to opt for a jury trial rather than a bench trial, probably counting on his charms swaying the jury—it was time for the final verdict. What would it be?

“We have, Your Honor.”

“Please read the jury’s verdict.”

“On the charge of theft of trade secrets, the jury finds the defendant…guilty.”

Oh my god. They’d done it. They’d seen through his bullshit.

“On the charge of conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets, the jury finds the defendant…guilty.”

Next to me, Cash made a sound, and I looked sideways. He’d closed his eyes, his head leaning back, and relief was painted all over his face.

“On the charge of wire fraud, the jury finds the defendant…guilty.”

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