Page 56 of Stolen Hearts

“You mean you don’tknowwhy you came through a closed door into one of my sessions and made my patient feel unwelcome?”

“He was just playing with the baby.”

“Is it that you didn’t want him near Navy? He’s trustworthy—all of these guys are. If I thought Navy was in any danger, they wouldn’t be around her.” She settled her hands on her hips, fuming inside.

Denver’s eyes flared with a gray warning. “She’smychild.”

She sucked in a breath. “Yes. She’s your child. But she’s everybody’s baby, Denver. You don’t understand this place yet.”

His brow lowered, expression tightening. “What does that mean?”

“It means Navy’s not just a baby. She’s…a bridge. She disarms people. She helps them talk when they can’t even look me in the eye.” Her voice was trembling now, half anger, half desperation for him to understand. “She’s part of the healing here.”

He stared at her like she’d betrayed him. “My child is atherapy baby?”

The words were clipped. Cold. And it pissed her off more than she expected.

“You’re twisting it,” she snapped. “It’s not like I strap her to a chair and wheel her into sessions. These men—your fellow veterans—theygravitateto her. She gives them something to hold on to.”

His jaw flexed. “And I’m supposed to be okay with that?”

“Jesus, Denver.” She pressed a hand to her forehead. “You don’t get to swoop in after months away and start gatekeeping who gets to love her. She’sminetoo.”

He turned away, hands on his hips, breathing hard.

Rhae continued, voice gentler now. At this moment, she needed all of her wisdom and empathy about how he must feel to step into Navy’s life later than he wanted.

“I know you missed a lot. I know it hurts. But that doesn’t mean you get to shut everyone else out. This place? These people? They helped raise her when I was falling apart.”

From losing her life to Robert Ravencroft.

From losing Denver.

He didn’t answer.

She stepped closer, taking in the waves of irritation rolling off him, filling her nose with the pine and sap scent of him. He had been splitting wood.

She pitched her voice quieter. “You’re jealous.”

“No, I’m—”

“You are. And I get it. I do. But you can’t bring that energy into this space. Not with my clients. Not withourdaughter.”

He spun to face her again, eyes full of something wild and protective and…lost. “I just…I hate the way they act like she belongs to them too.”

“She kind of does,” Rhae said faintly, meeting his eyes. “Not like we do. Not as parents. But emotionally? Navy is their anchor. And whether you like it or not, she’shelpedthem. More than any of us expected.”

Denver’s expression shifted between hurt, confusion and defensiveness.

“Please understand I’m not saying this to keep you out,” she added. “I’m just trying to explain how things operate.”

“Sometimes I feel like I’m just a guy trying to catch up.”

That cracked something in her, piercing through her anger. She stepped forward and laid a hand on his chest.

“You don’t have to catch up,” she whispered. “Justbe here. With us. For her. That’s all she wants.”

He swallowed hard, resting his forehead against hers. “I’m trying, Rhae. But it’s hard.”

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