“No.” He eased his arm away from her and rose to his feet. “But I know how they operate.”

“The lawyers thought the story would probably die. That if I lie low, the journalists would get bored. I paid cash for my ferry ticket, so they shouldn’t be able to trace me, and no one is going to be looking for the daughter of a movie star in rural Maine.”

“That’s true, and even if they come, you’ll be protected. The islanders are a close community. We protect our own. If the press arrive, then we’ll be ready for them.” He turned to look at her. “Thank you for telling me. Now I understand why you don’t feel you’re the right person to care for Lizzy.”

She sagged against the sofa. “You do?”

“Yes, and for the record, I think you’re the perfect person.”

“You’re wrong. I know the same thing won’t happen again because I won’t let her go near the water, but this is about more than her personal safety. It’s about not being able to give her what she needs. Bringing up a child requires more than just accident prevention. To flourish and grow, a child needs to be loved. They need a parent, or parent substitute, who cares about them. It was only when I saw Kathleen with Brittany that I discovered how love could look. I can’t do that. I can’t give her what she needs. I can’t love another child. I won’t.”

“So why didn’t you say no? She could have been put in foster care.”

Emily felt something twist inside her. “I couldn’t do that.”

“Of course you couldn’t. Because you already care, Emily. You wouldn’t have taken her if you didn’t care. But you’re scared shitless.”

“That part I’m not arguing with.” She felt a stinging in her throat. “A child deserves to be loved and I can’t love her. I just can’t.” She heard the shake in her voice and knew he heard it, too. “I won’t let that happen to me again.”

“And what if you can’t stop it happening?”

“I can. I’ve been this way for so long I can’t change. Neil always told me I was cold. That I needed to be ‘thawed out.’”

He made a sound in his throat that resembled a growl and flexed his fingers. “Emily, honey, do me a favor—no more talk about Neil for a while.”

She thought he was joking, but then she looked at his face and saw the hard set of his mouth and the icy glint in his eyes.

His gaze stayed fixed to her face for a long moment, and then he scooped up the jacket he’d thrown over the chair hours earlier. “I should go.” His voice was thickened. “If you need me, call.”