Page 86 of Harvest Moon (Riverbend 3)

“Well, I can’t marry you, Gavin!”

He flinched at her acerbic tone. Okay, he probably had that coming. He’d put Laurel through a lot. But the thing was, he could do it this time—be a good husband and father.

If she would only give him a chance.

They could come together and do what was best for Emma. He knew without a doubt it was exactly what Mike and Mallory would’ve wanted. It was right there in their will.

Laurel was pacing again, except her shoulders were stiff now, her brows pulled tight, those two little furrows dividing them.

God, give me the words.“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. But I think we have to at least consider it as an option.”

Laurel speared him with a glance. “It’s a terrible option.”

He flinched. Okay, then. He’d tried. Somehow that didn’t make him feel any better.

He should set aside his disappointment and focus on the more important task at hand—taking care of Emma. “All right, then. I’m open to suggestions. All I know is we can’t let her go to Darcy. We can both agree on that point.”

At least they agreed on something. He sat back down, his legs trembling as the adrenaline wore off. He palmed the back of his neck and found it hot to the touch. Stupid. He’d forgotten what it felt like to put his heart on the line only to have it stomped on.

“Don’t even live in the same town,” Laurel muttered.

Gavin lowered his hand, his gaze sharpening on her. Was marriage still on the table then? “I’d be willing to move to Asheville. You could still take that promotion. You’ve earned it. You deserve it.”

She scowled at him.

Okay, still angry. He’d be quiet now.

“How could we even be sure we’d get guardianship?”

He gave her a wary look. Opened his mouth. Closed it again. “Is that a rhetorical question?”

“No, it’s not a rhetorical question! There’s no point in discussing this any further if it’s not a viable solution.”

“Okay, right. Well, that would be a good question for Darius, I guess.” Should he suggest calling the attorney right now?

She whipped out her phone and tapped the screen a couple of times, then went to stand in front of the picture window. Beyond the glass, darkness had fallen and the mountains were mere silhouettes against the night sky.

“Hi, Darius, how are you?” Laurel said. “That’s good. I’m sorry to call so late... Thank you. Listen, I was calling because I have a hypothetical question to run by you... Okay, let’s say Gavin and I were to—to get remarried. Would we automatically get guardianship of Emma?”

Gavin’s breath froze in his lungs. He listened intently, but all was quiet on Laurel’s end while Darius apparently gave an answer he couldn’t hear. The silence went on. The length of the attorney’s response indicated the matter might not be as simple as Gavin had assumed.

“I see,” Laurel said. “No, not at this time... Right... I appreciate that... Yes... Thank you... I do appreciate your taking my call so late... Okay, sounds great. Good night.” Laurel tapped the screen and pocketed her phone. She crossed her arms, still staring into the darkness.

When Gavin could take it no longer he asked, “Well? What did he say?”

Her reflection in the window gave nothing away. But her rigid posture announced she was still on guard—with him anyway. She’d sounded perfectly fine with Darius. But then the attorney hadn’t robbed her of a son, divorced her, then asked for a second chance.

“It would probably work,” Laurel said finally.

She didn’t sound angry anymore—that was good, wasn’t it? Maybe they could have a calm discussion about this. “Probably?”

She hitched a shoulder. “There’s a good chance Darcy would drop her petition once she finds out we’re petitioning together since Mike and Mallory named us in the will.”

“So if we were to get remarried... he thinks we’d be declared Emma’s guardians?”

“There would still be a guardian ad litem and a hearing—that’s standard.”

“Does Darcy know we got divorced?”

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