I nodded woodenly. At least there was a little distance. And it wasn’t like she’d given any indication that she wanted anything to do with the children she’d left to the wolves. “Do you know if there’s been any sign of my father?” I checked in with Sheriff Raines every so often to see if he’d heard anything, but it had been a while.

“I called Parker on my way over here. There’s still been no sign of him. But once your mom’s out, they’ll be keeping an eye on the motor court. Maybe he’ll show.”

I could only hope. Then maybe he would finally pay for all the pain he’d brought on his children. My blood heated as I thought about how Will tried to be perfect, taking on so much more than a sixteen-year-old should; how withdrawn and fearful Ava could be, and how Mia was determined to hold us all together with her rainbow string.

Sean had scarred his children and brought evil into their lives. When the sheriff at the time had dug deeper into the network my father’s actions had exposed, it had been far darker and more vast than anyone had expected. The state police had been called in, and then the FBI. A few foot soldiers had ended up getting jail time, but it hadn’t been the huge bust the cops and feds had hoped for.

I’d just been glad it was over. That the kids and I were safe to move out of Harriet’s and into our own little house. From there, we’d begun to build a life. Soon, we had a routine. And we’d been happy. We didn’t have every material thing we wanted or needed, but we had each other, and we were safe.

I traced invisible designs on the side of my coffee mug. “Chrissy hasn’t said anything about wanting to see the kids, right?”

Anger lit Callie’s features. “Not a word.”

I blew out a breath, leaning back in my chair. “As much as that makes her a heartless bitch, I’m glad for it.”

Callie’s expression softened. “You’re allowed to be relieved that someone who hurt your siblings doesn’t want to come back into their lives.”

I glanced up at the ceiling as if it held all the answers I was looking for. “Do I tell them?”

“That she’s out?”

I nodded, bringing my focus back to Callie. “It feels dishonest not to, but they never talk about her. They don’t ask about either of their parents.”

“That’s because you’ve created such a stable and loving home for them. It’s more than they ever had living with Chrissy and Sean. You know them best. What does your gut say?”