Page 77 of Island Protector

Molly didn’t remind her that they’d met once before. She was overcome by a familiarity she should’ve expected. Her son’s features were a soft echo of Thomas’s chin and Anne’s eyes. Having him all to herself his whole life, she tended to see only the parts of him that matched her. Of course he was a blend of both sides of his family tree.

“When we finally heard the whole story all I could think was that our grandson isn’t even real. I’ve been desperate to see him.”

Sharon snorted. “He’s real. Please sit down.” Thomas helped seat his wife and then the four of them were settled.

“Molly, thank you for giving permission to the Guardian Agency to share information about Bryce,” Thomas said. “We’ve loved all the photos.”

“And we feel dreadful for everything we missed out on,” Anne interjected. “I’m so sorry I chased you away. I was hurting andin denial about what my son was up to.”

“We had more in common than we realized that day,” Molly said.

Thomas addressed Sharon as the tea tray arrived. “Thank you for opening your home to Molly and Bryce. I’m not sure it’s something we could have managed. Even if we had known all the details at the time.”

“Sharon is a unique and wonderful person,” Molly said. “She’s been a light through my entire life.”

Anne frowned. “Your parents wrote you off?”

“That’s a polite way to put it,” Molly allowed.

“Please, understand. I’m not throwing stones,” Anne clarified quickly. “We’d pretty much given up on Tommy ourselves.”

“He let you down.” Molly stared at the tea in her cup. “I was estranged from my parents long before they kicked me out for getting pregnant.”

Molly didn’t want to like Anne. A hard knot in her heart wanted to hold tight to the bitterness. But she’d only known them through Tommy’s skewed perspective and that one dreadful day. As the four of them talked, she kept forgetting she wanted to keep them far from her life.

No, Anne and Thomas hadn’t done anything right that day she’d gone to their house. But like her, they’d been hurting, in shock, and desperate for answers.

Molly had faced plenty of challenges already as a parent, and she knew more challenges would come as Bryce grew. Teenagers were notoriously unpredictable. Both she and Tommy were evidence of that.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t a better influence on Tommy,” she blurted, interrupting the flow of the conversation Sharon was carrying. “You didn’t have any reason not to believe Clinton.”

“That’s just not true,” Thomas declared. “We didn’t know you. We didn’t approve of what our son was doing. Didn’teven like him much,” Thomas confessed. “We were already biased and skeptical of anyone associating with him.”

“That’s fair,” Sharon said. “And not an easy thing to admit.”

“Thomas and I agreed to be brutally honest here today, even if it made us look bad,” Anne explained. She grimaced. “As if getting scammed, didn’t make us look terrible already.”

“We were all burned by Clinton. Or nearly so,” Sharon sympathized.

Molly agreed.

Though the connections between the four of them were new and fragile, she could see what she hoped was genuine potential. And yet, they were here for a reason. It was on her to get to the delicate point of this discussion.

“I hate to ask, but I need to hear the words.” Molly lifted her chin and held Anne’s gaze. “Are you seeking custody of Bryce?”

“No.” Anne said immediately. She caught Thomas’s hand. “It’s clear—from the real pictures—just how happy and healthy he is here with you. You’ve done a remarkable job on your own.”

“I’ve had plenty of support,” Molly clarified. “Not just Sharon, but the town. Especially my new husband, Miles.”

“Your wedding pictures were beautiful,” Anne said, her eyes bright with emotion.

Thomas squeezed his wife’s hand. “We don’t want custody. We just want to be part of his life. If you’ll allow it.”

“Part of the family.” Anne sniffled. “If we can get to that point.”

Sharon cast a look at Molly. It was easy to read the thoughts in her eyes. This was Molly’s decision alone.

“We’ve set up a college fund already,” Anne said. “It’s presumptuous I know, but collegewon’t get any cheaper. Of course, you can use it as you see fit. The money is for Bryce regardless of your decision about today or the future.”

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