Muttering the word “sorry” wouldn’t cut it, so I said nothing. As we neared the dock, a few more feet down the sloped path, she slowed.

“I didn’t come by because of Lyle.”

“I figured as much.”

“I mean, you always could handle yourself when it came to him.”

I raised a brow, waiting for her to get to the point.

She twirled the engagement ring around her finger, a large princess cut diamond that looked as if it weighed down her hand. I wondered how a man on a sheriff’s salary could afford such a ring. The whine of the train’s engine grew louder, closer. She cleared her throat. “Thing is, Lyle doesn’t know you’re Will’s father.”

Her words stopped me cold. “Who does he think is his father then? Was there someone else?” The thought hurt more than it should.

She shook her head. “A few one-night stands when you were away at competitions or busy training, but no one around the time of conception. It was just you.”

“But he doesn’t know that?”

“Well, he didn’t. I think he suspects now, since we met up for dinner. Small town and all that. You remember how it is. Nothing goes on in this place without everyone knowing about it.”

I almost snorted. I guess living on an island gave me certain advantages, like being able to kidnap a woman and hold her prisoner. No one knew about that. Talk was one thing, but knowing was something else entirely.

“So what are you saying?” I threw my hands up in the air. “I don’t know what you want from me. You didn’t even tell me about him until a few days ago.” I folded my arms to ward off the chill wafting from the river.

“Because you were locked up!” Wind whipped her blond hair into her face, and she angrily swiped it from her eyes. “The last time I saw you, I didn’t recognize you, Rafe. I’d never seen you so pissed, so…so…”

“So what? Just say it.” I stepped toward her, invading her space.

“So broken.”

I took a deep breath. “Let’s not do this shit. What do you want from me? You want me to step aside so you can have your perfect little family with Lyle?” I rolled my eyes. Lyle and picturesque family dynamics didn’t mix. Who the fuck was Nikki kidding? I might have been dead to the world for the last eight years, or broken, like she said, but people didn’t change. Not like that. If they did change, it was usually for the worse.