Abigail laughed at that and took a deep breath but kept her eyes on the sleeping children. “I want more than anything to enjoy this second chance at happiness. Finley is who I should’ve waited for—shared children with. Nicola was such a mistake, but I can’t ever see my children that way.”

“Your children love Finley, and I can see it’s very much mutual. Children are a gift, but sometimes you get them after that infant stage. That doesn’t mean we love them any less.” She pointed to the girls and their joined hands. “Hannah doesn’t care that Victoria just got here. She loves her, and they’re family. Emma and I feel the same way, and I’m thrilled to finally be an aunt. Life stole that from me, but I’m done with loss.”

“Can you really prevent that, though?” Abigail asked in a whisper.

“Nothing in life is certain, but if it’s in my power to prevent something from happening to you and your family, I’m going to do it.”

“My fears have nothing to do with you or your family, Cain. Please don’t think that.”

“I know. Nicola is still lurking out there, ready to mess this up for you. That’s what scares you, right?” She stood and motioned for Abigail to follow her to the seating area Emma put in their room. The lake they looked out on was lit up, but the windows were treated to keep prying eyes out. “I’ll admit your problems aren’t easy to fix.”

“You’re making me feel so much better,” Abigail said, laughing as Cain handed her a glass with a little bit of whiskey. “Fin likes to gloss over the danger, so I won’t worry, but the thought of losing my kids makes me crazy. That Nicola so readily embraced the life she had disgusts me, but not as much as the fact that she wanted the same for our children.”

“Rosy pictures aren’t my specialty, but there’s a way to deal with Nicola that’ll bring her back into the open. I can’t take a kill shot unless she pokes her head out of whatever hole she’s hiding in.” She sat across from Abigail and lifted her hand to Emma, who’d come in quietly.

“Will you have a problem with that?” Emma asked, obviously having heard her question. “Nicola is the mother of your children.”

“My children think she’s dead, and their grieving process was short. You can’t miss what you never really had, and Nicola was only involved in a small way when she was alive.” Abigail made air quotes. “It was me and my stupidity that tried to create an image of her for them, but I gave them a picture of someone who never existed.” Abigail’s hands clenched into fists, and Cain could sympathize. That level of frustration could drive you insane.