Roy shut the oven door and turned, offering her a nod and a reserved smile. Kate noticed his hands trembling, a Parkinson’s symptom. Guilt pricked her hard. As if the Wrights didn’t have enough grief.

“Is Brody around?” Kate asked. He was back from college for the weekend, and she hoped he hadn’t left already.

“He went for a walk,” Roy said. “Have a seat, Kate.”

“No, thanks,” Kate said. “I won’t stay. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am.”

“I should think so,” Susan said.

“Give her a chance.” Roy pinned his wife with a look. “Go ahead, Kate.”

Where should I start? There had been so much deception, and now the entire family was being publicly embarrassed. “I’m sure you’re aware that my original fiancé backed out of the wedding on our wedding day. I can’t begin to tell you how devastated I was. When Lucas offered to stand in, I thought it was crazy at first.”

Kate tucked her hair behind her ears. “And then it began to seem like the only sane solution. With my book releasing the same day, I realized it would sink like an anchor if my wedding didn’t go off as planned, and with all the media there to cover it—well, I guess I took the coward’s way out.”

Susan crossed her arms. Roy leaned his elbows on the island beside Jamie and studied Kate, the leathery lines around his eyes deepening.

“I never expected the truth to get leaked to the press. Lucas and I were going to divorce quietly after a year—we had it all planned. Obviously, everything’s changed now.”

Kate’s throat was dry as desert sand. She wet her lips. “I take full responsibility, and I’m sorry for the embarrassment I’ve caused. I’m leaving the island this afternoon, but I wanted to let you know that you’ve become very special to me.”

Jamie’s eyes turned glassy and she blinked rapidly. Roy’s face had softened, and Kate’s own eyes burned. Even Susan seemed to lose some of her starch. That might change by the time Kate was finished.

Memories of the past few months flew through Kate’s head at digital speed. The first time she’d met the Wrights, when she and Lucas had returned from their honeymoon. The time they’d come to watch her on Dr. Phil. All the walks with Susan. They were the family Kate never had, and she’d miss them. Even Susan.

Her throat thickened. “Thanks for opening your home to me. It was truly an honor to become part of your family, even if only for a little while.”

Jamie jumped up and hugged her. “I’ll miss you, Kate.”

Kate returned the embrace. “Me too, Jamie. You’re the sister I never had.”

When they parted, Roy embraced her. “I wish you didn’t have to go.”