Page 85 of Harvest Moon (Riverbend 3)

“I’m not holding my breath. That woman cannot get Emma.I have stories about her that would make your stomach turn.” She was getting sick just thinking about the way Darcy had made Mallory feel about herself. Emma was so young. Laurel couldn’t bear the thought of the child being raised to believe she was nothing.

Gavin ran a hand over his jaw. “Maybe we can talk to Darcy about this. Maybe we can convince her you’re Emma’s best option.”

The woman was so stubborn. She’d never relented on a single act of “discipline” even if she later found out Mallory was innocent. “You don’t know her. She’s spiteful—and she was never my biggest fan. She’ll hang on all the harder when she finds out how badly I want Emma.”

“What does she want with her anyway? Is she just trying to get her hands on the estate? Even with the sale of the house and orchard, there isn’t that much money to be had.”

“I don’t think it’s the money. She’s got plenty. She cares about appearances. That’s the only reason she sent Mallory to a private school, took her to Asheville for haircuts, and bought her designer clothes. Taking in her orphaned grandchild will make her seem like a saint.”

Gavin’s face fell. “I never met her.”

“She’s a real piece of work. The scary thing is, she’s a whole different person outside her house. Everyone at Hopewell Academy loved her. She headed up committees and showed up for all the field trips.” Being a little older and wiser now, Laurel recognized the pattern. “She’s a sociopath, Gavin. I’m no psychologist, but she has all the behaviors. Mallory was convinced of it. She had no empathy—never apologized once to Mallory—and it was always all about Darcy. She’s manipulative but she can be so darned charming when she wants to be—it’s scary.”

A sociopath could end up raising Emma.

The oxygen evaporated from the room. Laurel jumped to her feet and paced the room. All those times she’d seen Darcy snow a room full of parents flashed in her mind. And now she had a husband at her side—a respected member of the Chicago community—and she was Emma’sgrandmother.

The guardian ad litem would fall for her charm, and Emma would be caught up in the same sticky web Mallory had had to deal with. Having her mother leave after graduation had actually turned into a blessing. It had allowed Mallory to grow as a person—to see herself through someone else’s eyes other than her narcissistic mother.

Laurel’s gaze collided with the family photo on the mantel—Mike, Mallory, and Emma at the child’s second birthday party. Emma had a glob of icing on her finger and held it out to Mallory, who was laughing. Mike peered at the camera. They seemed so happy. So much hope. So much promise.

Laurel could not let this happen.

***

Gavin watched Laurel wear a hole in the living room rug. He understood. He felt sick after hearing her description of Darcy. No wonder Mallory had cut ties with the woman. She hadn’t wanted that toxicity in her life or marriage. The last thing she would’ve wanted was her own child being raised by the woman.

If Darcy really was as manipulative and charming as Laurel described, it was entirely possible Darcy would end up with guardianship.

And seeing Laurel so upset elevated his anxiety to a wholenew level. He wanted to protect her from this. He’d already caused her so much grief—more than any woman should have to bear. He wished he could spare her the agony of losing another child. Wished he could spare Emma the plight of being raised by a sociopath.

Maybe he could.

Darius’s words floated to the front of this mind.“The Claytons actually named the two of you.”Maybe they weren’t a married couple any longer—but there was no reason they couldn’t be. Was there?

Sure, there were obstacles. They lived in different towns. Also, there was that canyon of hurt and hostility looming between them. But they’d overcome that these past two weeks for Emma’s sake. Couldn’t they work through the rest of it for the good of an orphaned child they both loved?

His pulse raced with the idea, excitement warring with fear. Getting caught up with Laurel again was a risk. From their first connection he’d completely lost his heart to her. Even when he’d been busy building his career, neglecting her, she’d been everything to him. She was his kryptonite. There had never been anyone else for him. After losing her it had taken everything he had just to get back on his feet.

Even still, he didn’t feel worthy of her. He’d let her down, let his son down.

But maybe this time he could be there in the way she deserved—and certainly in the way Emma deserved. Maybe this was his second chance to prove he could be that kind of man.

Laurel chewed her lip as she paced. Everything about her posture and movements were familiar. She stopped nearby and met his gaze, agony embedded in her expression. “Help me think. There has to be something we can do.”

Gavin swallowed hard, his heart thrashing about his rib cage. “What if we got married?”

Laurel did a double take. “What did you say?”

Too late to back out now. “Okay, hear me out. Mike and Mallory left Emma to us, right? If we were still anus, it would be an open-and-shut case. The court wouldn’t even hear Darcy’s petition, right? We’d be appointed Emma’s guardians automatically.”

She gave her head a shake. “You can’t be serious.”

He stood, theknowingfeeling pushing him forward. “I know it sounds extreme. I do. But you just told me how awful Darcy is, what kind of damage she did to Mallory. She would’ve laid down her life rather than see the same thing happen to Emma.”

“I get that but—”

“If we lose Emma at the hearing, she will begone.Do you understand that? She’ll be lost to us forever.”

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