“Don’t you cry on me, Caelyn. If you cry, I’m going to cry, and then when Kenna gets here, she’ll make fun of both of us.”

Caelyn laughed and pulled me into a hug. “Okay, okay. So dang proud of you, Bell.”

I soaked up the warmth of her love and support, simply taking a moment to think about just how fortunate I was. “Thanks for being here every step of the way.”

Caelyn and Kenna had stuck close to my side ever since that night two months ago, lending their shoulders, ears, and whatever else I might need. Ford had joked that he was going to need a bigger house, or at least a bigger couch, if Caelyn and Kenna were moving in.

My whole family had been amazing. Hunter, Crosby, the girls, the Hardys, and Ford had been with me every day of Ethan’s trial. Making me laugh when I thought it would be impossible, holding me when I needed to cry it out. They were the family I’d built for myself, and I couldn’t love them more.

The biggest surprise of all had been my father. He’d started showing up. It began with a couple of coffee dates, but now he was learning to restore furniture right alongside me. He’d said that he’d need a hobby when he retired from his island practice in a few months. We were getting to know each other for what felt like the first time.

My mom had not come around. In fact, the growing closeness between Dad and me had turned her venom up a notch. But it didn’t bother me the way it used to. Instead of feeling hurt, I just felt sad for her. My dad did not share my sentiments. After years of trying to talk her around, he’d finally served her with divorce papers a month ago and was living in my apartment above the bar while he looked for a house.

“Does the store meet Ford’s approval?”

I groaned. “Barely.” Ford’s overprotectiveness had not lessened all that much and spanned every aspect of my life. That included wanting me to have the best storefront money could buy. His money. It took many long conversations to make him understand that I needed to do this on my own. Or mostly on my own anyway. I fully intended to use his muscles to help me lift furniture and rehab the space.

Caelyn chuckled. “Have you two made the move-in official?”

“Not yet.” A week after Ethan’s attack, Ford had made it clear that I was staying with him. It had been hard for him to even let me out of his sight for a time. And I gave that to him, slowly easing distance back in for a girls’ night or a trip to another island to hunt estate sales. But I’d never left his house. Hadn’t wanted to.