Hannah opened the box and lifted the first picture: herself on a pink bicycle. “Oh, look. I remember that. Zach finally talked me into taking off the training wheels. I fell and bloodied my knee in the first two minutes.”
“And Nick was furious.”
“Yes. He was.” Hannah smiled and sifted through the stack.
“I kept a few,” Mia said. “But you should have them.”
“Thank you.” Hannah picked up more pictures, including a few from a long-ago Christmas.
“I’m sure you have some of the same ones somewhere, on Nick’s computer or something, but these were printed out, so…”
Hannah touched her arm. “Thank you.” She got to a more recent photo of herself, at maybe thirteen or fourteen years old, and stopped to study it. “Wow. I hardly remember being this age.”
That was the age she’d been when she was taken. Maybe bringing up the past wasn’t a good idea.
“I know Nick and the way he worries now. I can’t imagine how he must have been then.”
“You don’t have to think about it.”
“It’s okay. I can think about it now.”
She studied Hannah’s face and saw it was true. “Do I have one sexy McKinney brother to thank for that?”
Hannah smiled. “I’d say he has a lot to do with it.” Hannah gave her a long look then went back to the photos. She pulled out a photo of Mia and Nick. “Has Nick seen these?”
“No.”
“Has Nick seen you?”
“Not lately, he’s been out of town, but…”
“But?” Hannah waited.
“I have seen him a couple of times.” Mia sighed and tried for a smile, but it came off shaky. She stared down at the worn indoor-outdoor carpet. “More than seen him.”
“Oh. Oh!” Hannah repeated, catching on. “I had no idea.”
“No. You wouldn’t. And it’s, well… I’m not sure what it is.” Because she was too afraid to go down that road. Her eyes burned with the memory of his heavy arm wrapped around her that rainy morning. Why did the memory of his comfort make her want to cry?
“Mia.” The kindness in Hannah’s voice almost undid her. “I’m sorry if he hurt you.”
She forced a smile. She didn’t want anyone to know she was sick with love for him. Again. She was barely able to admit it to herself. “I think we hurt each other.” And that was true, and something she had to think about.
Before Hannah could dig deeper or wrap her in a hug that surely would have undone her, Stephen called out.
“Hannah?”
They both turned at the deep voice. “Speak of the devil. In here,” Hannah called.
Stephen pushed open the office door and went right to Hannah. “Hey, babe.” He greeted his fiancée with an easy kiss on the temple. “Hey, Mia.”
“Hey, Stephen. Good to see you.”
“You, too.” He turned to Hannah. “What’s this?”
“Mia brought me some old pictures.”
Even as she was answering, he was taking the box. “Look at you.” He pulled out one of Hannah at maybe six. She had a missing front tooth and wore pink footy pajamas.
“Oh,” he said on a breath. “I’m taking this one.”
“What? Why? I look ridiculous.”
If Hannah missed the stark look of love in Stephen’s eyes, Mia didn’t. It shot straight through her. “Because he loves you,” Mia said.
Stephen kissed the top of Hannah’s head. “So true.”
Was she really so afraid that she would turn her back on a love like that? But if she let herself fall and Nick closed himself off again… “I have to go,” Mia said.
“Don’t let me run you off.”
“You’re not. I really need to get back and…” What exactly did she have to get back to? “I was going to pick up some flowers, do some planting.”
“Okay. We’ll talk later.”
She hugged Hannah goodbye. “If there’s anything in the box you don’t want, you can check with your brothers.”
“I will.”
* * *
NICK PARKED HIS SUV and gazed across the fields of Freedom Farm at the array of colors splashed along the horizon against a vivid blue sky. The counterterrorism case he’d worked had been brutal, all consuming, and satisfying. Days passed, turning into weeks. Then October was ending, sliding into November. A stiff breeze met him as he got out, tearing leaves from the maple near the barn and sending them flying.
He hadn’t seen Mia in way too long. He figured it might have been easier to cut off his arm. Only the hurt in her eyes could have made him stay away. That and his own lingering fear that he would bring her more.