He put his hands on his hips, and I realized he was mirroring my own stance. “Then you go home in a car that has the highest safety rating of its kind, and my nephew will be safe from suffering the fate of his father.” I staggered back, like he’d punched me in the chest. He reached out, his face apologetic. “Nova, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

I wanted to run away, to hide in my room, but that was a child’s thing to do. I was an adult now, responsible for another human being, another life. And as much as it hurt, he wasn’t wrong. If my parents had been in this car when they’d crashed, instead of my mom’s fifteen-year-old Honda, they might still be alive.

But they hadn’t, and they weren’t. I wouldn’t begrudge Huey that safety because of my pride. I wouldn’t give Devan the satisfaction of telling him he was right, though.

Reaching out, I took the keys from his hand. “Thank you.”

I spun and walked back to the house, scooping the car seat up on the way past. I felt Devan’s eyes on me until I made it into the foyer, where I let out a shuddering breath. I took the stairs slowly and carefully, moving Huey into the crib, then grabbing the baby monitor.

Moving into the bathroom, I turned on the shower and stripped off my clothes. I stood under the water and cried, until Huey’s tiny waking whimpers filtered in over my own. Wrapping myself in a towel, I dried my face and got on with my life, like a man I was just beginning to know hadn’t just reached inside my chest and ripped open my heart again.

I was sitting on the floor, watching Huey have tummy time—because that's what the books said he should be doing—when Rigby found me.

“Hey, Nova. Hey, little dude.” He smiled down at Huey, who was doing his best impression of a worm that had just accidentally been unearthed. “Can I come in?”

I lifted a hand, inviting him into the nursery. There was a big colorful rug on the floor, and Rigby casually flopped down onto it beside Huey.

“So, I think we might have a barbecue tonight, before fall really settles in and it's no fun to use the pool anymore. It's still really warm outside,” he said softly, and I shrugged. I still felt a bit raw from Devan this afternoon, but I was trying not to pout about it. Holding grudges wasn’t going to help me get through the next few months.

“Sounds nice.”