Mike stayed where he was, alone in the pool of dim yellow light. Lucy had never seen anyone look so devastated. “I wanted to adopt him,” he finally said in a disconcertingly quiet voice. “I was going to talk to her about it tomorrow.” He gazed toward the trees. “She could have sold the cottage and made a fresh start somewhere else. I thought she’d like that.”

Lucy understood. After what they’d just witnessed, Mike knew that Bree loved Toby every bit as much as he did and that she’d never let him go.

Lucy heard herself say, in a voice very much like Dr. Kristi’s, “Making her happy is important to you, isn’t it?”

He nodded. “Always has been. From the moment I set eyes on her. She only remembers what a clueless idiot I was. She’s forgotten about the times the other kids weren’t around when she’d draw for me or we’d talk about music. Goofy stuff.”

“She cares for you,” Lucy said. “I know she does.”

“Pretense. She puts up a good front because she needs me.”

“I don’t think that’s true. She’s changed as much as you have.”

He wasn’t buying it. “It’s late. I’d better get home.” He dug into his pocket for his car keys.

This was wrong. Lucy knew it. But as he turned to leave, she couldn’t think of anything to say that would make it right.

Panda had been quiet during their exchange, but now his voice cut through the hushed night. “I could be wrong, Moody, but it looks to me like your days of being a clueless idiot aren’t over.”

She turned to stare at him. She was supposed to be the perceptive one, not Panda.

Maybe because the words had come from another man, Mike stopped. He looked back at Panda, who shrugged. Mike glanced toward the path. And then he began to move.

BREE HAD JUST REACHED THE back steps when she heard a loud rustling in the woods. Toby leaned against her side, warm and solid. Beloved. She turned and saw Mike come out into the yard. Her chest constricted.

He stopped at the edge of the trees and stood there. If he was waiting for her to run into his arms, he’d be waiting a long time. She cradled Toby tightly against her body and gazed at Mike. “I’ve lost just about everything,” she said quietly. “You can believe I’m using you for a meal ticket. Or you can believe the truth. What’s it going to be?”

Toby went unnaturally still, as if he’d quit breathing.

Mike’s hands slipped into his pockets, his salesman’s confidence deserting him. “I know what I want to believe.”

“Make up your mind,” she said. “You’re either part of this family or you’re not.”