“Please don’t tell Ryan,” Mom pleaded in a voice full of a fear I could only remember hearing once. The memory of smoke and being afraid came back to me as she continued to speak. “He’s been through so much, Felicity. You and I watched your daughter’s casket being lowered into the ground. We held each other and mourned her, but the entire time, we both worried for Ryan. Don’t put him through this now, even though your precious daughter is back with us.”

“Don’t you think it would give him peace of mind?” Felicity argued, the frustration thick in her voice. “You taught her valuable skills that have saved her life repeatedly, Anya. You protected her the only way you knew how.”

“He won’t understand,” she choked out. “Please, promise me you won’t say anything. Nova understands why I didn’t want him to know. He loves her so much, and if he knew what I put her through to give her those skills, he would hate me.”

“I hate you!” Nova’s mom yelled, her voice echoing off the walls and down the hall past me. The emotion in her voice stiffened my shoulders. I didn’t like anyone saying they hated my mom. She should be shown nothing but love and respect by everyone, no matter what. But before I could take another step, Felicity’s words stopped me in my tracks yet again. “I hate you for putting her through whatever you did. But I love you for it, Anya. From one mother to another, I want to bow at your feet in appreciation. Nova is alive today because of your love for her.”

“He won’t see it that way,” she cried. “You see it as coming from a place of love, and I do love her. I considered her mine the very minute Ryan decided she was his person. But his every goal in life from the first time he saw her was to protect her. He never suspected that I was the one he needed to save her from the most.”

“That’s bullshit,” the other woman snapped.

I stepped into the doorway, my eyes clocking everyone in the room in an instant before lingering on Nova. The instant relief that flooded me at just seeing her was enough to make my knees momentarily weak. Being away from her even for a few minutes made me physically sick to my stomach.

She stood with Pop, tucked against his side as he watched the back-and-forth between Mom and Felicity. Nova saw me first, her eyes pleading for me to understand. I cocked a brow, silently asking if this was the secret she’d been keeping from me. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed with a nod.

“R-Ryan,” Mom stuttered when she caught sight of me. “H-how long have you been there?”

Keeping my eyes on her, I crossed the room and stopped beside Nova. Pulling her away from my father, I lifted her into my arms. A feeling of utter contentment filled me when she wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms hugged my neck. This was where she belonged. Always. Just like this, in my arms, curled around me so I could love and protect her every second of the day.