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And all that aside, even if she could fight Sam, even if he had to provide court-ordered al battle She didn’t have two pennies to rub together herself Everything she and Jae had been invested back into it Into the estate that was supposed to fore that would now, in accordance with the original Jaifted to the State of California

She had nothing Nothing and nowhere to go No job, no prospects No future

When the lodge was taken away fro point that would see Riley into Sam’s care, she just knew it Every instinct in her screamed at her to run To pack the car full of every basic iterab him from his crib and to drive until she could find somewhere that Sam Thornton couldn’t find her But in her heart she knew she couldn’t do that It wouldn’t be fair to Riley

So where did that leave her?

If Sahts to his son But until she had categorical proof of those rights and a court order to hand hiht And, until that moment, Sam Thornton could take a hike

Wearily she tipped the casserole into the trash She had no appetite Once she’d cleaned up the h to her rooown, only to stare at the dark ceiling all night as sleep eluded her and the terrifying prospect of losing her child filled her mind

She was still groggy fro Thankfully, she’d drifted off so, but Riley was an early riser and today was no exception Her relief was palpable when she went in to get him from his crib His teu self

Erin lost herself in the routine ofto happen next By the tih to the kitchen with Riley she was al to feel normal, despite the hunk of anxiety that sat somewhere between her chest and her sto when she heard Sam enter the room

“My car will be here shortly,” he said bluntly

She turned slowly, forcing herself to aze, but she needn’t have worried Sam’s attention was one hundred percent on the little boy in the tabletop rocker Riley crowed and kicked his feet as he saw Sam

“Goodin his voice Erin couldn’t quite put her finger on

Hunger? Longing? Maybe even love? In an instant she saw the resemblance between the two of theht indentation that would no doubt, with time, become like the diht Now that she knew, she saw other resemblances, too How could she not have noticed them before? How could she not have questioned Sauest inquiry in months, hard on the heels of the letter fro for Party A—Saet her head around the fact that they were one and the sae sent a buzz of anger vibrating through her

“Feel free to wait outside,” she said as curtly as possible and turned back to the baby cereal she’d started Riley on the past few s

“Yeah, I bet you’d like that But it’s not about what you want anymore, Erin It never was It’s about my son and me”

Erin felt his words as if each one was a physical blow A solid and hurtful reood enough It hy she’d worked so damn hard to carve out a life for herself here Away from the father who’d abandoned her as an infant, away from the mother who had taken every opportunity to tell Erin how her very existence had blighted her mother’s life Away from every other person who had let her down, told her she was a failure, that she was no good

But she’d proven she was better than they’d all said She’d pulled herself from the brink of as surely about to beco She pulled her shoulders back and faced Sam as calmly as she could

“Thank you for your honesty It’s probably one of the few truths you’ve delivered to me the whole time you’ve been here Now, if you’ll excuse Riley andto my private quarters to eat our breakfast Please pull the front door closed behind you on your way out