Eldon’s gaze wanders past my shoulder. “There she is. Look how beautiful she is.”
I turn to glance at his fiancée.
The sight of her smiling face floods me with memories.
For the first time in my life, I don’t run when I see someone I used to know from foster care.
I’ve crossed streets to avoid people I recognize from when I was a kid. I once handed off a meeting to someone else because the person I was supposed to sit down with was a woman I’d spent two months in a foster home with when she was ten and I was twelve.
I’ve avoided my past, but that’s done.
That stops now.
The woman approaching us slows. “Oh my god. Graham? Is that you?”
“Ro Sherman,” I whisper her name before I take off in a sprint toward her.
She leaps into my arms the same way she did when she was a seven-year-old kid. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
I set her down on her feet and look her over.
The shy girl I used to make ham and cheese sandwiches for is now a young woman. The gap between her two front teeth is gone, but the mole just below the corner of her right eye is still there. “I’m here. I’m here with Trina.”
She glances behind me to where I know her fiancé and my wife are standing. “You know Trina?”
“I’m her husband.”
“What?” Her hands reach for mine. “I’m so lost right now.”
Those words resonate because the last time I saw her, she was standing on the stoop of a house in Queens with a doll in her hand and a pink ribbon in her hair. She was crying as we waved goodbye to each other.
We’d known each other for almost a year, but we were being split apart that day. She was heading to a new foster home. I was being taken to another.
Trina moves to stand next to me. “This is my boss, Aurora. He’s my husband now too.”
“You’re Trina’s boss?” Her gaze searches my face. “She told me his name was Mr. Locke. I never asked his first name. I never knew your surname. You were always just Graham to me.”
“You were Ro to me.”
“I can’t believe it’s you.” She takes a deep breath. “After all this time. I can’t believe you remember me.”
I huff out a laugh. “You can’t believe I remember you? I was fourteen the last time I saw you. You were seven. It’s unreal that you remember me.”
“How could I forget you?” She pats the center of my chest. “You made my school lunches. You always gave me both pieces of ham and cheese on my sandwich. You’d take mustard sandwiches to school so that I would have more to eat.”
I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
“Are you happy?” I question her. “I always wondered what happened to you.”
She smiles. “I was adopted when I was nine. I have two older brothers and the most incredible parents. They’ve all been so good to me.”
“Good.” I press a kiss to the center of her forehead.
“I finally felt as though I belonged somewhere when the Saliks adopted me.” Her voice is quiet. “I hope you found that too.”
“I did,” I say as my gaze drifts to Trina’s face. “It took a long time, but I found the place I belong, and I’ve never been happier.”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Graham
“The procedure went off without a hitch,” Dr. Morgan tells me. “I want to keep Lloyd here for the day for observation.”
“Can we see him?” I glance to where Trina is standing in the doorway of Lloyd’s room.
She’s been quiet since we said goodbye to Aurora and Eldon. We agreed to meet up with them in a few days for dinner.
The plan is to celebrate – everything.
That includes their engagement, our marriage, and their baby.
It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that the last time I saw Ro, she was a seven-year-old kid, and soon, she’ll be a mom.
“Why don’t you go in and say hello, then give him a few hours to rest?” Dr. Morgan suggests. “By then, he’ll be feeling a lot better. We’ll have him up and on his feet before the end of the day.”
“That fast?” Trina turns back to ask.
“Movement is essential.” He nods. “He’s got some work to do in terms of managing stress and his diet. We’ll need to get him on an exercise regime, but that can be worked out over the coming weeks. I’m going to set you up with some information regarding all of that.”
“Thank you.” I extend a hand to him. “You saved his life.”
“I did my job.” He smiles as he shakes my hand. “Lloyd is a good man. I’m glad I could help.”
“I’m going to give you two some time alone.” Trina takes a step back from where she’s been standing next to Lloyd’s bed. “Graham and I will be back in a few hours, Mr. Abdon.”
“Lloyd,” he stresses. “I’m Lloyd, and you’re Mrs. Locke.”
“I am.” She smiles. “I’m putting the wheels in motion to become Mrs. Locke legally.”
That brings a grin to Lloyd’s face. “Will you bring me back something for our library to read?”
“How about A Fool’s Grace?” Trina wiggles her brows. “It’s our favorite.”
“It is.” He reaches out for her hand.
She takes it in hers. “I’m sorry again for everything.”
“That all brought us here, and this is a good place.” His gaze drifts to my face. “Isn’t that right, Graham?”
“That’s right.”
“I’ll be in the corridor.” Trina kisses my cheek. “Take as much time as you need but remember the doctor wants Lloyd to rest so…”
“So make it quick?” I chuckle.
“We have years to talk.” Trina’s gaze volleys from my face to Lloyd’s. “Years to make memories together.”
I nod as I watch her leave the room, clicking the door shut behind her.
“Sit, Graham.” Lloyd points at a chair next to the bed. “I need to say something.”
“It can wait,” I insist. “I’ll be back in a few hours after you’ve had time to rest.”
“Sit.” His voice is more determined. “I need to say this now. It’s long overdue.”
I tug the chair forward until it’s directly in Lloyd’s line of sight. Then, I unbutton my suit jacket and lower myself down.
He takes a heavy breath. “I haven’t been honest with you, Graham.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I shake my head. “You’re the most honest man I’ve ever met, Lloyd.”
“I didn’t just come to New York to wrap up my business,” he admits. “I came to see my family.”
I nod. “I understand.”
“Do you?” he questions in a soft tone. “Because I don’t.”
I lean forward. “What do you mean?”
He swallows hard. “I promised Sela that I’d live in Paris after she died. I told her I didn’t belong there without her, but she insisted that I live in the flat we had bought five years ago. She wanted me to explore all the places she longed to see. She felt my being there would help me feel closer to her, but I felt so damn empty. I felt so alone.”