the changes she needed to move forward with her life. And he couldn’t possibly trust her with his heart until he knew for sure she’d confronted her demons and stood on her own.
A knock sounded at the door, interrupting his rationalizing. “Come in,” he called.
Molly stepped inside and shut the door behind her. “You’re missing the gathering,” she said, obviously eager for him to join them.
He inclined his head. “I’ll stop by the party in a few minutes.”
“Not a party. Nobody feels right saying we’re having a family party given the circumstances. But they still wanted to be together.”
She tightened the belt on her cream-colored dress and rocked back and forth on simple black ballet flats. All in all she looked appealing.
Too appealing.
“You know you’re part of the family, don’t you?” Molly asked.
“Come on. You know I’m just the hired gun,” he said, not quite pulling off the joke.
She shook her head. “After all we’ve been through? You’re like family.” She swept her arm around her, an expansive gesture meant to include Hunter with the people in the other room.
Her gaze settled on his open duffel bag on the couch, stuffed full with his clothes and things. The shock and hurt in her eyes was obvious.
And he was about to hurt her even more. “I represent people charged with serious crimes all the time and when I get them off, they’re always grateful. That doesn’t make me like family. ”
She winced. “I thought we’d taken a step forward.”
“We have.” He strode toward her until they stood so close her fragrance enveloped him. Until he wanted her so badly he could barely think. “We’re friends.”
She wasn’t ready for anything more. And he wasn’t up to explaining why yet again. He’d already told her she hadn’t made peace with her past, as much as she believed otherwise. She hadn’t confronted her mother, she hadn’t pulled her real clothes out of the closet and tested her family’s love by being Molly. And she was still living in her father’s house with a half-assed job that barely touched on her abilities.
Which left him exactly where he had been when he started this case.
Alone.
Molly blinked and stared at Hunter. His words stunned her into silence. She just couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She paused, licked her lips and drew a long, deep breath. He was leaving. She should have expected it, after all he didn’t live here, but she was stunned just the same. His casually tossed words didn’t help her make any more sense of the moment.
“Friends,” she whispered. Was that all they were?
“I’ve done my job here,” he said, touching her cheek. “Your father’s free, Seth soon will be. You have your family together. It’s everything you ever wanted.” His voice was low, gruff as he turned away. He walked to the couch and zipped the top of his duffel closed. “I’m ready to go join the others. Are you coming with me?”
She nodded, her throat too full to speak.
On the surface, his statement was right on. Her family was everything she had ever wanted. But as she walked with Hunter to the next room, Molly couldn’t ignore the contradiction.
Her father was free, her family was together, she should be full to bursting with love and emotion, yet she felt completely hollow instead.
FRANK LOOKED around the room at his family, taking in his mother, his smart, wise college-age daughter, his feisty youngest and his newly found firstborn, then the woman he loved and the boy he adored like a son.
The general lifted his glass, which he’d filled with ginger ale. “A toast,” he said.
Everyone quieted down at the sound of his voice.
“To family. My family, which includes every person in this room. We looked out for each other in good times and bad. We’ve seen one another through the worst of times and we’re going to come out the other side.”
“Hear, hear,” the commander said, tipping her glass against his.
He met Sonya’s warm, grateful gaze. Last night she’d told him she was amazed he didn’t harbor any anger against Seth for letting him take the blame for a murder he didn’t commit.
But Seth was his child. Not by blood but by everything else that counted.
And as soon as a reasonable amount of time lapsed after Paul’s death, Frank wanted to make their family public and official. Sonya agreed. They’d have to break it to the children, although Frank hoped everyone would be in their corner.
“I wish the man responsible for keeping us together as a family were here for this toast,” Frank said. But Hunter had taken off soon after he’d joined the party.
And Molly had been silent ever since.
He looked at his children and had one wish. They should be as lucky in life as he’d been. He’d found love twice, and he’d gotten a chance to have a relationship with the daughter he hadn’t known existed. They all deserved nothing less.
The doorbell rang and Molly, obviously grateful for the escape, rushed to get it. A gnawing feeling settled in his stomach. He had a hunch about who was there.
He followed Molly and stepped up beside her as she opened the door and found Francie on the other side. He glanced over her shoulder and saw a cab sat at the curb.
He narrowed his gaze. Whatever she wanted, it couldn’t be good news.
MOLLY’S HEAD POUNDED. First Hunter caught her off guard by not only packing but thanking the family, wishing them well and leaving, all within half an hour. Now her mother was here in all her designer glory. One thing for sure, if she ever truly ran short on money, she could hock the clothes in her closet and baubles around her neck and probably live well for the rest of her life. Not that Francie would ever stoop to such levels. Molly wondered what poor schmuck she’d find next.
“It’s really not a good time,” Frank said from beside Molly.
Francie glanced inside. “Oh, I’m interrupting a party.”
“It’s not a party,” Molly and her father replied at the same time.
Molly shook her head and grinned. “It’s a family gathering.” She opted not to explain further. Francie had been by the house often enough to know exactly what was going on with her father’s case and with the family.
Molly might not be up to seeing her, but she couldn’t leave her on the doorstep either. “Why don’t you come in?”
“Actually, I’m only here to say goodbye. I have a taxi waiting.” Francie gestured to the street where a Yellow Cab emitted fumes.
“Leaving?” Molly’s stomach churned. She didn’t know why. Her mother came and went. That was her M.O. And since on this visit, Molly hadn’t exactly made her feel welcome, she couldn’t understand why she was suddenly feeling panicked now.
“Well, yes. I stayed through your ordeal and now that it’s over, you no longer need me,” Francie said.
Molly shook her head. It was impossible to know if her mother was telling the truth or if the truth just happened to suit Francie’s own time frame.
“We never had our talk,” Frank said to his ex.
From what her father had said, every time he tried to corner her mother and talk about the past, she changed the subject or decided it was time to leave. She had shopping to do or a manicure, or calls to make. She’d kept the taxis in town on a short leash. Molly figured her mother was still flush from her last divorce settlement because things with Lacey’s uncle had gone south before she’d come into any money there.
“Nonsense,” Francie said to Frank. “It was so lovely to see you again and catch up. I’m glad Molly found you. I really am.”
Now, that was probably the one completely true statement Francie had made. It was, Molly thought, as if
