“Because I didn’t want Simone’s life to be colored by how she was conceived. I couldn’t bear that for her. As soon as I knew she was coming, I was in love with her. I didn’t care how she came to be. Somehow I’ve managed to keep those two things very separate in my mind. There’s him and what he did, and then there’s her—perfect in every way and no reflection whatsoever of the man who fathered her. In fact, she’s a perfect reflection of my sister. I love that.” Emma wiped away a tear that had slid down her cheek. “I love that she looks like Lucy. I thank God every day that she doesn’t look like him.” She released another of those shaky laughs. “What is it about you that has me spilling my guts to a total stranger?”

“I’m not a stranger. Not anymore. I’m a friend, and I’m glad you finally told someone. What he did to you, Emma… It was a crime. You know that, right?”

Nodding, she said, “I’ve had counseling, and I’ve come to terms with what happened that night. As much as one ever accepts such things.”

“And he doesn’t know about her?”

She shook her head. “I’ve never seen him again, thank God. I used to be so afraid of him coming back and doing the math… But she looks nothing like him, and she’s always looked young for her age. There would be no reason for him to suspect she’s his.”

If he were thinking like a lawyer, Grayson might have something to say to that. But he was thinking as a man who’d been profoundly moved by a woman for the first time in his thirty-six years. “You’re amazing.”

“Don’t say that. I did what any mother would’ve done to protect her child.”

“At tremendous personal expense.”

“The payoff has been the most wonderful little girl that anyone could hope for. I’ll never regret a thing because I have her.”

“She’s very lucky to have you, too.”

“We’re both lucky. We’ve made a nice life for ourselves, and I never think about this stuff anymore.”

Grayson didn’t know if he totally believed that, but he wasn’t about to question her. “You must be beating the men away with a stick.”

“Right,” she said, laughing. “Between work and homework and dance class and birthday parties and soccer, I’m a regular dating machine.”

“So there’s no one special in your life?”

“Just Simone, my dad, Lucy, Colton and a few very good friends, including Cameron.”

“Do you ever want more for yourself?”

She shrugged. “I’ve learned to be very satisfied and thankful for what I have.”