Page 36 of Wandering Souls

“When I say Mum, I mean Margery. Even though she told me I was adopted from as early as I could remember, she was the only mother I had.”

He nodded. “Penny it is. I’ve had someone searching for you. Seems I can call him off, now. If I had known about you sooner, I would have come for you.”

Abi stared at the features that felt familiar. Despite so much time having gone by, he still resembled the man in the photo in her locket. She’d lost count of how many times she’d stared at the image and prayed to have known him. At the very least, she opened the locket twice a day. Once upon waking and then before going to bed.

“You look like your sister.”

“Stevie?”

He nodded.

“I don’t know how to put into words everything I feel,” she offered.

“And that’s perfectly normal. I’m sure there’s a lot of confusion right now. We don’t expect anything from you, but I would like to get to know you. They tell me you’re a pilot?” He pulled back and smiled proudly at her. “Like me.”

“I enlisted to find out more about you.”

He blinked. “I’m honored.”

“I never knew you were a pilot, though. Just that you were in the Army. I’d barely begun basic training when I realized I wasn’t really cut out for ground combat.”

He glanced down at her leg. “And you were injured?”

Abi didn’t want to go into the details right now. All she wanted to do was look at him, hear his voice, and try to understand why she’d always expected him to appear in her life and be the father she needed. It was illogical and irrational. He didn’t know she existed and she’d known that forever, but it didn’t stop the disappointment invading her soul.

“Yes.”

He touched her cheek. “Abigail, listen to me. You’re in the right place. I know you’re dealing with a lot, but don’t be afraid to trust me. I won’t let you down.”

I won’t let you down...The words echoed through her mind, putting the freeze on everything else. She couldn’t remember the last person who hadn’t let her down, everyone she’d ever known had abandoned her. Her co-pilot got himself killed. No one was there to save her from the insurgents. The doctors kept telling her they couldn’t do anything about her leg. And the commander hinted she didn’t stand any chance of passing the psych eval in February.

No one had had her back, not since Margery lost her battle with cancer.

Damien asked too much in imploring her to trust him. How could she? She hardly knew the man and he barely knew her, but he was here, now, pleading with her to give him a chance—to give them all a chance, though he didn’t say it in so many words.

Abi didn’t know if she could but since coming to Wills Crossing, every person she’d met had given her reason to believe in people again. Hollywood and his support, Colt and his care, Ray and his...

Her mind drifted back to the moment by the river, in the dark, when he’d found her. The concern in his eyes, the genuine happiness in seeing she was okay; it humbled her.

“Abigail?”

Damien’s voice broke into her thoughts and she blinked, her vision clearing to see him staring at her with worry. Hollywood had called him a god. All she wanted was a father.

“Sorry,” she coughed to clear her throat. “It’s a bit much.”

“Understood. Would you like me to go?”

“No,” she said quickly. “Please don’t.”

He smiled. “You look like you’re getting cold. We should go inside. I believe you missed dinner?” Embarrassment made her cheeks grow hot. “Oh, no need for that.” He stood and held both hands out to her. “We all lose our head from time to time. No one’s going to hold it against you.”

Ignoring his gesture, Abi pushed up to her feet but her left leg had gone numb. As if reading her mind, he moved to her side, lifted her arm and wrapped it over his shoulders.

“Lean on me.”

The door opened when they neared and Ray appeared. He waited until they hobbled through before joining them in the dining room. Abi’s breath caught in her throat to see the table still set and the chicken remained whole. She looked to Mia, who smiled warmly and held a chair out for her.

“I’ve reheated it. Are you staying, Damien?”

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