Cyn tried to hide her grin.
“What?” Max snapped.
“Sounds like you’ve been paying attention to who is with her.”
“It’s a small town. You can’t escape hearing about your ex with someone else.” And Max didn’t like it one bit.
Interesting. Cyn nudged him. “If you want her back, why don’t you tell her that?”
“Trust me, that’s never going to happen.”
“Huh. I guess what I saw in her eyes when she looked at you is just on her part, then.”
Max went perfectly still for a moment, then he grabbed the bag and stuffed in the pack of baby wipes so forcefully that when they caught on the edge of the bag, it tore. “Damnit, Cyn, I’m sorry.”
She put her hand on his. “It’s not a big deal.” She could probably sew the seam back together.
Max poked at the torn seam. “Looks like someone tore this before and used some double-sided tape to repair it.” He examined it more closely, then stuffed his hand down the hole.
“Max, you’ll tear it more.”
“There’s something in here.” He pulled out a thick envelope and handed it to her. “It’s got your name on it.”
Tears immediately welled in her eyes as she stared at her sister’s pretty handwriting.
“Your sister hid that for you, didn’t she?” Max took her arm and helped her stand up.
“Yes. I think so.” Which broke her heart that her sister had thought to do so because of her fear of Rad. Her hands shook as she stared at the envelope.
“Come on. Sit down.” Max steered her into the dining room and to the chair beside Hunt.
“What’s wrong?” Hunt immediately put his arm around her. “What’s that?”
Max hooked the diaper bag handle on her chair. “I found a letter from Angela hidden in the diaper bag.”
Shelby put her hand on Cyn’s shoulder. “You don’t have to open it right now.”
Cyn couldn’t stand not knowing what her sister wrote. She opened the letter with the entire Wilde family watching her.
She read aloud...
My dearest sister, my best friend,
Cyn’s eyes filled with fresh tears.
Hunt put his arm across her shoulders and rubbed her arm.
She found her voice again...
It’s just after two in the morning and I can’t help but sit by Lana’s bedside, so I can watch her sleep. She’s a month old today and I feel like I need to spend every second I can with her, because I fear that my time with her will be too short.
There’s a constant image in my head of you holding Lana in the hospital. You were staring down at her with such a sense of wonder and contentment. In that moment, I thought,They’re perfect together, and I knew that someday that’s how it would be. You would raise our girl because I’m not here.
And if you’re reading this, then it’s come to pass and my worst fears have come true. I want you to know I planned to leave him. I just needed to do a few things before I risked taking her away from him.
I’m sorry I wasn’t stronger, Cyn. I’m sorry I didn’t leave the first time you begged me to stay with you or the tenth or twentieth or hundredth time you did. You never gave up on me. You never judged me. You always loved me. And I love you so much for always having my back. I know you do even now and that Lana is in the best hands. She will be loved above all else. She will never be afraid. She will be strong and resilient and independent and confident—just like her new mom.
I hope she has a little of your wild streak and grows up to be as fearless without being reckless as you. I know her heart will be as big as yours. And I hope she’s as persistent as you in getting what she wants.