Page 16 of Forgiveness River

“This isn’t what marriage is supposed to be,” Raven whispered. “Not the marriage I grew up watching my parents have, or like Mick and Anne have, or the one I thought Wyatt and I were building.” She smiled faintly, memories momentarily eclipsing her pain. “Did I ever tell you that I knew I was going to marry Wyatt the first day of kindergarten? Ms. Robinson seated us next to each other, and he shared his blue crayon with me. I went home and announced to my mother that I’d met my future husband.”

Sophie smiled. “Love at first crayon-share?”

“Something like that,” Raven said, nodding. “We were always together after that—best friends through every scraped knee and school project. The O’Haras practically raised me alongside their boys whenever my parents were working.” Her expression grew wistful. “I spent so many nights at their dinner table, watching how Mick looked at Anne, how they worked together, laughed together. They showed me what marriage should be—a partnership where you face everything side by side.” She twisted her wedding ring, the diamond catching the colored light from the stained glass. “That’s what Wyatt and I had. Until recently.”

A crash of thunder punctuated her words, making both women jump slightly. The storm had moved directly overhead, mirroring the turbulence inside her.

Sophie was quiet for a moment, her expression thoughtful. “You remember my grandmother?”

“Of course,” Raven said. “Ms. Alfie was a legend here in Laurel Valley. Everyone knew her.”

“She was a wise woman,” Sophie said, her voice softening with memory. “I remember once I’d made a promise out loudthat I would never fall in love and she heard me. I was pretty cynical up until Hank.

“She told me something I’ve never forgotten. She said, love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.” She smiled gently. “I used to think it was just a pretty sentiment until I went through my own trials with Hank.”

“Are you saying I should just bear with whatever Wyatt’s doing?” Raven asked, a hint of defensiveness in her tone.

“Not at all,” Sophie replied, her eyes reflecting the dancing colors from the stained glass. “I’m saying that love—real, deep love like what you and Wyatt have—has incredible endurance. It can weather storms that would destroy something less substantial.” She paused, choosing her words carefully. “What Grandma taught me is that there’s more to faith than meets the eye. Sometimes we need to have faith in the people we love, especially when it’s difficult.”

Raven considered this, watching raindrops race down the windowpane, merging and separating in patterns as complex as her emotions. “It’s hard to have faith when you feel so in the dark.”

“I know,” Sophie nodded. “But isn’t that what faith is? And Wyatt needs to understand that trust is a two-way street. But sometimes we’re called to be strong enough to give grace, even when it doesn’t feel deserved.” She smiled softly. “Can I tell you something about Hank and me? Something not many people know?”

Raven nodded, curious despite her melancholy.

“When the bookstore was in danger of shutting down, I was devastated. Not just because of the business, but because it represented everything stable in my life—my family legacy, my independence, my identity.” Sophie traced the rim of her mug with her finger, her wedding band catching the light. “Hankwanted to fix everything. That’s what O’Hara men do, right? They see a problem, they solve it.”

Raven smiled faintly. “It’s practically the family motto.”

“I shut him out,” Sophie continued, her voice tinged with remembered pain. “He had all these plans—for keeping me in business, for our future together—and I was too caught up in my own fear to let him in. I convinced myself I had to handle everything alone because that’s what I’d always done.”

She paused, her gaze drifting to the stained-glass window that had miraculously survived the fire. “I almost lost him because I was too proud to admit I needed help, too scared to be vulnerable, too stubborn to share my burden.” Her eyes returned to Raven’s. “The night I finally broke down and told him everything I was feeling—all my fears, my doubts, my dreams—was the night our relationship truly began. Not the flirting or the dating or even when he asked me to marry him. The real foundation was built in that moment of complete honesty.”

The rain began to ease, as if heaven itself were pausing to listen. Raven absorbed Sophie’s words, finding an echo of her own situation in them.

“But I’ve tried to talk to Wyatt,” she said, her finger tracing a water ring on the table. “I know he works for the DEA, that’s never been a secret. But something is different. He’s keeping things from me that he never has before.”

“I know.” Sophie nodded. “And I’m not saying the situations are identical. But I learned something important through all of that—sometimes people keep secrets because they think they’re protecting the ones they love.” She leaned forward, her expression earnest. “Wyatt asked for two weeks. He didn’t dismiss you, didn’t deny there was something happening. That tells me whatever he’s involved in has some kind of timeline, some resolution point.”

“Or he’s just buying time,” Raven countered, though without much conviction.

“Maybe,” Sophie conceded. “But in my experience, a man who’s truly checked out of his marriage doesn’t ask for time to explain. He just leaves.” She squeezed Raven’s hand again. “The Wyatt I know—the man we both know—has integrity. He loves you with his whole heart. I’ve seen the way he looks at you when you’re not watching, like you’re the answer to every question he’s ever had.”

A fresh wave of emotion threatened to overwhelm Raven. “Then why won’t he trust me with whatever this is?”

“I don’t know,” Sophie said honestly. “But I think there might be more going on than either of us can see right now.” She hesitated, then added, “Have you noticed anything else different? Beyond the absences?”

Raven frowned, considering. A memory surfaced—Wyatt checking the locks twice before bed, something he’d never done before. His new habit of positioning himself at restaurants so he could see the door. The way his hand sometimes drifted to where his backup weapon would be, even when he was off duty.

“He’s more tense,” she said slowly, connections forming in her mind. “Constantly checking his surroundings. Sometimes I catch him staring out the window like he’s expecting someone.” Her eyes widened slightly as a new thought occurred to her. “And he’s been carrying his backup weapon—the one he usually only takes when he’s on special assignments.”

Something flickered in Sophie’s expression—a moment of realization that came and went so quickly Raven almost missed it.

“What?” Raven pressed. “You thought of something.”

Sophie seemed to choose her next words carefully. “I’m not suggesting anything specific, but…have you considered thatwhatever Wyatt’s involved in might be police work? Something he can’t talk about for professional reasons?”

The possibility had occurred to Raven, of course. But the inconsistencies didn’t add up. “He’s been lying about his DEA assignments. I called his office in Boise when he said he’d be there for a meeting. They said he wasn’t scheduled that day.”

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