Page 73 of Hometown Heart

Edward stood slowly, approaching with the caution one might use with a cornered animal. "I understand why you're afraid—"

"I'm not afraid," I snapped.

"You're terrified," he countered, stopping a few feet from me. "And not of me."

The statement hit too close to home, igniting a defensive fury. "Don't presume to know what I'm thinking. You gave up that right when you chose your career over our family."

"I'm not presuming anything. I'm observing." Edward's tone remained measured, which only intensified my agitation. "You've built something here—a life for you and Cody. It's good. Stable. But you're holding onto it so tightly you can barely breathe."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it? Because when I mention staying in touch, visiting more often, your first reaction isn't concern for Cody—it's panic. And when I met your coffee shop owner today, I saw exactly why."

I stiffened. "Leave Silas out of this."

"You're not afraid I'll disrupt Cody's life. You're afraid I'll disrupt yours. You're scared I'll break the careful boundaries you've constructed and impact the relationship you're building with Silas."

"You don't know anything about my relationship with Silas," I said, though the protest sounded hollow even to my own ears.

"I know you look at him the way you used to look at me. Like he's home." Edward's voice was gentle now, all traces of defensiveness gone. "And that terrifies you because you know better than anyone how quickly a home can be dismantled."

I turned away, unwilling to let him see the truth in my expression.

"I'm not here to take Cody away from you," Edward continued after a moment. "I'm not even here to criticize the life you've built. I'm here because our son deserves to have both his fathers present. Because I made mistakes I want to correct."

"And if I don't trust that? If I can't trust that you won't drift away again when the next big project comes along?"

"Then you're protecting yourself at Cody's expense," he said quietly.

"Maybe you should let him in," Edward suggested. "Not me. Silas. The way Cody talks about him...the way you looked at him today... Maybe it's time to stop bracing for the next disappointment and start believing something good might actually last."

I shook my head, unnerved by Edward's insight. "Stay out of my business."

"Fine," Edward agreed, raising his hands in surrender. "But at least be honest with yourself about what you're really afraid of."

He stood and squared his shoulders. "I'll be back next month for the weekend. And the month after that. Not because I want to disrupt your life, but because I want to be part of Cody's. You can fight me on this, or we can find a way to make it work for everyone. Including you and Silas."

When Edward had left the room for the guest room I showed him earlier, I lowered my head into my hands.

My phone weighted heavy in my pocket. I pulled it out, staring at the unanswered message from Silas that had accumulated more unsaid words with each passing hour.

With trembling fingers, I finally typed a response.

Jack:Can I come over? Need to talk.

His reply was immediate, as if he'd been waiting by the phone.

Silas:Door's unlocked.

As I drove toward Tidal Grounds, toward Silas, I finally allowed myself to consider a radical possibility: that Edward's return to Cody's life didn't have to threaten what we'd built here. That perhaps there was room for both our past and our future to coexist.

That perhaps it was time to stop running from what mattered most.

Chapter nineteen

Jack

Idrummed my fingers against the steering wheel, watching as Silas locked Tidal Grounds' front door, then double-checked it, then triple-checked it. His brow furrowed with each tug on the handle, like a parent reluctant to leave their child at kindergarten for the first time.

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