Page 12 of The One Who Changed Everything

As we approached my apartment door, I hesitated. "Here we are," I announced prematurely, halting a good few paces away from the actual door. The words tumbled out, clipped and rushed. "Thanks for the escort."

He paused, a small furrow forming between his brows as he searched my face. "Sure thing. Is everything okay?”

"Everything's fine," I assured him too quickly, the lie leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. I fumbled with the keys, not trusting myself to meet his gaze any longer. "Good night, Evan."

"Good night, Samantha," he replied. “I’m glad we got to finally get everything out in the open tonight. I hope you’ll forgive me for the way things happened, if you haven’t already.”

With every word, he twisted the knife just a little deeper. I forced a smile, then hurried inside before I could betray how much he’d gotten to me.

The moment the door closed behind me, I leaned against it, the cool surface doing nothing to quell the fluttering in my stomach. The silence of the apartment pressed down on me.

I slid down to the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees, trying to ground myself. But my thoughts wouldn’t stop spinning. How quickly he slipped past my defenses, just like before. And how, no matter what we’d said tonight, the biggest truth of all still hung between us.

The knowledge of Sophia's existence—and Evan's ignorance of his connection to her. The guilt twisted inside me.

"I hope you can forgiveme," I whispered into the stillness, though whether the plea was to Evan, to Sophia, or to God, I couldn't say. Maybe all three. Only silence answered back—a blank canvas upon which my doubts and desires waged their silent war.

My faith, usually my compass, now felt like another burden. The principles I held dear demanded an honesty that would shatter the fragile peace I'd built around my daughter.

I'd told myself that keeping the secret was to protect Sophia, to shield her from the complexities of a past she didn't need to navigate. To keep Evan’s powerful family from taking her away from me. But maybe it was also to protect myself from the vulnerability of opening my heart again—the possibility that I would be broken beyond repair this time.

The stakes were too high, the risks too great. I rose slowly. Tomorrow would come. And sooner or later, the truth would too. I could forgive him. But even if he found out about Sophia, I didn’t have to let Evan back into my heart. I wasn’t the same scared twenty-one-year-old who’d been afraid of the Mercer name. I had built a good life for Sophia. I had a degree and a good job.

And even though the bills had a tendency to pile up, especially the hospital bills, I wouldn’t let him or his family push me around. Sophia was mine.

CHAPTER 6

Evan

The drums from the high school marching band thrummed a patriotic heartbeat as I walked next to the fire engine in Minden's Fourth of July parade. It was only 10:30 in the morning, but the heat was already oppressive. I smiled at waving kids and passed out candy, but I found myself searching for Samantha in the crowd lining Main Street.

I shouldn’t be looking for her. She’d made it quite clear that what had happened in our past was just that—in the past. Which was perfect, because I wasn’t in the market for anything more. After the night in the hot tub, we crossed paths several times. A smile exchanged over late fees at the library, idle chatter about weather when we ran into each other at B&J Bistro, a polite wave in the parking lot of the apartment complex.

Every interaction somehow left me wanting to know more about the woman she was now. Wishing she would flash me a genuine smile instead of the polite-but-detached acknowledgement she’d offered. She’d given me nothing to indicate she wanted to see more of me, and yet as I scanned the crowd, she was the only one on my mind.

And then, there she was. Samantha stood in the back of the crowd in front of Bulldogs Bar and Grill. Her eyes flickeredacross the parade and spectators with amusement. Her hands clutched a small, well-loved novel, fingers marking a page as if she could slip back into its world at any moment.

Her gaze found mine across the distance, and for a fleeting second, something flickered in her eyes—recognition, or maybe surprise. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, snuffed out like a candle in the wind. Her nod was cool, nonchalant, as though I was just another face in the uniformed sea of firefighters marching by.

I flashed her that smile—the one that used to come so easily but now felt like a relic of a happier Evan. I raised my hand high, a wave meant just for her. She didn’t wave back.

I lowered my arm, a familiar weight settling on my chest. It was that same tightness that crept in during quiet nights alone, when the shadows of past mistakes stretched long across the walls of my empty apartment. Resolute, I squared my shoulders; I wouldn't let this setback quench the flame of determination kindling within me.

My steps carried me in her direction, and I passed out too much candy to the eager children swarming my legs, until my bucket was empty. “Sorry, kiddos. Here comes Jake.” I gestured to Jake Barrett, a half block behind me. “He’ll take care of you.”

I glanced toward the truck, then stepped over the curb, squeezing through sets of camp chairs folks had set up. My heart thrummed louder than the drums as I came up next to Sam.

“Happy Fourth of July,” I said, wishing I had a smoother greeting.

"Hey, Evan,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes darted around the crowd. She seemed nervous. Was it just my presence?

“Having fun?”

She shrugged. “Sure. It’s fun to see all the floats the businesses come up with.”

I was going to comment on the float from Brand New Landscaping that featured the whole crew of college guys dressed in hula skirts. They were obviously going for the “funniest float” award. I’d met Luke Brand when I first moved into town. He and his wife Charlotte led a Bible study for married couples.

But before I could say anything, a young girl darted up to us, drawing my attention from Sam to the miniature version standing a foot away.

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