He took it. His was warm, enclosing hers. “Thanks for telling me. You know, there was a time when I was out of my mind with love for Blythe. When she told me she was pregnant, I wanted to leave my wife and kids for her. She wouldn’t let me, though.”

Every single aspect of Natalie’s life would have been changed by that. Her perception of men had been shaped by Dean’s absence. Now she realized he had kept his distance out of respect for her mother.

“Mom made a difficult choice,” she told Dean, remembering her conversation with Frieda. Her mother fell in love—but didn’t stay that way.

“She did.” Dean let go of her hand. “I’ll always regret that I put her in that position.”

Natalie stepped back. All she could think about was that he had broken her mother’s heart all those years ago and left her alone. He’d raised a house full of kids with the wife he’d cheated on, and now he had grandkids.

Mom should have had grandkids, Natalie thought. That, of course, would have required her daughter to untangle her reluctance to get married. God, what a mess. No wonder Natalie had no idea how to have a family she could trust. She’d never had a role model for a relationship, so she ended up with guys like Rick and Trevor. Perfectly good guys with whom she couldn’t connect. Did her trust issues stem from Dean? Did he have that much power over her?

“Well, I need to get busy,” she said, edging away. “Hope those kids enjoy the show.”

“Hiya, Natalie!” A bright, high-pitched voice broke into her thoughts. Dorothy hurried toward her, pulling Peach along by the hand.

“Dorothy! Welcome to Trevor Dashwood. Your seats are in the VIP section. Front row, kiddo.” Natalie gestured toward the auditorium doors.

“Yay! I can’t wait.” Dorothy looked adorable with her hair in braids, rainbow-colored leggings under a flared skirt, and a shirt with a Janus head on it—an illustration from one of Trevor’s book covers.

Natalie met Peach’s gaze, then quickly looked away, feeling a flush of color in her cheeks. That kiss. She’d lived for days on that damn kiss. That moment in the moon garden had transformed him from an impossibility to a tenuous option. One she wasn’t prepared for.

“Hey,” he said, looking at her over Dorothy’s head.

“Hey,” she said back.

“Pretty impressive event, Natalie.”

“Thanks.”

“Is your granddad here? I miss seeing him.”

She shook her head. “He hasn’t been feeling well lately.”

“Sorry to hear that. Think he’d be up for a visit one of these days?”

“Of course. He’d love to see you.”

“Come on, Dad.” Dorothy tugged at his sleeve. “We’re VIPs. That means very important people. Let’s go!” She towed him toward the rapidly filling auditorium.