“Did you know you’d asked a mercenary to watch over your boy?” Fernanda sounded horrified.

“Not at the time. I was pretty shocked when I found out.” Kit half-laughed. “And even more when I watched him with his brother’s dog. He was telling the dog that he didn’t like dogs and the stupid thing should leave him alone. And I thought I really had screwed up to trust him with my son.”

The women looked appalled.

“But even while he was grumbling, he was petting Gryff into a puddle of happy dog.” Kit smiled at the chorus of awwwws.

Her smile faded. “Then the jerk took off without telling anyone and was gone for over a month, and I was so mad at him because Aric kept looking for him.”

“Yeah, that’s a jerk,” Diana muttered.

“Only then I found out that he’d talked to my boy before leaving. Even left his military beret so Aric would know he’d be back.”

“Something tangible to hold onto.” The counselor nodded approval.

Kit exhaled and fessed up. “The reason he took off was because, when I tried to hug him, I had a panic attack, and he figured I was scared of him. Big bad mercenary, right? He didn’t want me feeling threatened by his being around. Especially since he likes me.”

Signy raised her hand. “I changed my mind. He sounds maybe good enough for you.”

“You seem to see him pretty clearly,” the counselor said. “And now, you’re wondering how to move forward.”

“Or even if I should.” Kit sighed. “I’m such a mess.”

“There aren’t many—if any—people who aren’t a mess at one time or another. Or lots of times. You’ve gone through a hellish thing. Try to remember that the people around you could have had their own distressing incidents or phases.” The counselor shook her head. “Here at the center, we see people for crappy childhoods, homelessness, car accidents, cancer, amputations, combat, disastrous relationships. Even losing a loved one or child.”

Kit blinked. So many things could derail a person over the course of a lifetime. Yes, she’d just had a bad season and had felt much like a drought-ridden, dying plant. But she could almost feel the new green growth in her spirit.

Who would have thought budding out was such hard work?

The counselor looked around the circle. “You all have work to do to get your lives back together. That doesn’t mean you’re bad or permanently damaged. You’re amazing women. Look at you—still moving ahead despite having run into a messy patch.”

Her words sank in. Kit could hear the sincerity.

“Okay, back to the interesting stuff,” Fernanda said with a grin. “Kit, you’ve been practicing hugs and touch and stuff. Did it work?”