Aiyana shook her head. “The crazy things we do.”

“No kidding. And for what? Had we gotten away with it, we would’ve split all of five hundred and thirty-two dollars. I still don’t know why I let them talk me into that.”

“You were angry,” she said.

He didn’t correct her; what he’d said was only a figure of speech. He actually did know why he’d done what he’d done. He’d just heard from his biological brother for the first time, and what he’d learned had caused such pain he’d been trying to destroy himself once and for all, just so he could stop feeling. He’d fully expected to get caught when they robbed that bank, could remember hoping the police would shoot him.

Instead, the branch manager had yanked him out of the driver’s seat, and several patrons had tackled his two partners—a friend’s brother and their neighbor—as they tried to run away. And for the next year and a half, he’d been treated as though he was such a worthless piece of shit he’d regretted the fact that he hadn’t been shot.

“But look at you now,” his mother said. “You weathered that in addition to everything else you had to go through as a child. And you’ve weathered losing the person you loved most, too. I’m so proud of you.”

“Come on, Mom, tell the truth,” he said. “You’re worried about me, which is why you’ve tried everything to get me down here.”

She didn’t bother to deny it. “And here you are.”

“Yes, here I am, where I can’t even work, thanks to my property mate.”

“I don’t feel sorry about that. All you’ve been doing for the past three years is work. It’s not healthy. You need to start living again, need to spend more time with people.”

“I will be spending more time with people. I’m going to be fundraising while I’m here and will soon be teaching an art class for you, remember?”

Her gentle smile reminded him of how healing her love had been. By the time the state sent him to New Horizons, after he got out of juvenile hall, he’d been so starved for love he probably would’ve acted out again. But her calm, steady and determined heart had made all the difference.

She was the real reason he’d come back. He’d come because she’d wanted him to.

“Those things might not be as important as this,” she said, motioning toward the guesthouse beyond the fence that encircled the pool area.

“This as in Tia?” he asked in surprise.

She dropped her hand. “She needs someone, Seth.”

“That person isn’t me,” he said. “I didn’t sign up for that.”

“But you’ve been through some very difficult things yourself.”

“My situation is completely different.”