Page 118 of A River of Crows

“Yeah. I’ll leave for now.” Caroline smoothed down her shirt and tightened her ponytail. “But I assume I can come back; I mean, it’s a public street.”

“It would be best for all if you didn’t,” Noah said. “But for now, let’s get you home. Get in with Dylan, and I’ll follow.”

Jay looked at Sloan. “Do you want to come inside for a bit?”

She didn’t. Not at all. She didn’t want to face the Hadfields, but she had some damage control to do. She also wanted to thank her father for going along with her lie about the gun, for keeping her mom out of jail in Tyler tonight. For keeping their names out of the next day’s paper. Hopefully.

“Yeah, sure,” Sloan said. “Just let me say goodbye to Dylan first.”

But as Sloan walked toward Dylan, she saw the passenger door of Noah’s squad car open. She’d been so distracted she didn’t notice his partner was with him.

But the man who exited the cruiser was not Noah’s partner. Not an officer at all. Ridge. Sloan remembered now that Noah said he was with him when she called.

Ridge glanced at Sloan, then at their mother before locking eyes with their father. Sloan waited for him to speak, but he only stared, opening and closing his mouth like a baby crow, waiting for his parents to feed him.

Jay took a step forward and brought a trembling hand to his mouth. “Ridge?” he whispered.

“Yeah, Da—” Ridge’s voice broke. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Yeah, Dad, it’s me.”

Fifteen minutes later, Sloan sat next to Ridge on the Hadfield’s sofa, right under a Welcome Home banner, untouched slices of cake on the plates in their hands.

Sloan couldn’t understand why Ridge had stepped out of that police car. It had surely sealed their mom’s fate. She’d go to prison; they’d all make news again. But as she sat surrounded by her father’s other family, Sloan was glad to have Ridge with her.

“I’m going to take the kids home to go to bed,” Kyle’s wife, Tessa, said as she wrangled two blonde toddlers, mouths stained with blue icing. “Say goodbye to Nana and Pappy.”

Nana and Pappy. This was bizarre.

“And I’ll get a ride home from Tessa,” Brad’s wife said. Sloan didn’t blame them for wanting to run from this family drama. She wanted to run too.

“So nice to meet you all,” Tessa said to Sloan and Ridge.

Sloan smiled and nodded. Of course, they hadn’t actually all met. “I think you all know Sloan,” Jay had said when they came in from outside. “And this is her friend.”

But Sloan knew by the look on Felicity and Anna’s faces—they realized Ridge wasn't just some friend. Even if they hadn’t heard the interaction outside, Ridge had Jay’s sparkling blue eyes.

Their father seemed to be in a daze. He hadn’t even asked any questions; he had barely spoken at all.

Kyle finally approached Ridge after the wives and kids left. “You want to explain what the hell is going on?”

“Kyle!” Anna yelled. “Sit down. This is good news.”

“It is,” Brad agreed. “We can finally prove Dad’s not a murderer.”

Jay put his hand up. “That doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is that my boy’s alive.”

“What happened to you, Ridge?” Felicity asked. “Are you okay?”

Ridge looked at the ground. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Bullshit!” Kyle crossed the room again. Sloan jumped up too. The big sister inside of her awakened.

“Sit down!” Jay scolded, and they both did. Apparently, Sloan, the daughter, was still somewhere inside her too.

“Was it Eddie Daughtry?” Felicity asked. “I’ve been talking to Dylan Lawrence, and he said Eddie had other victims.”

There was a stiffness in Sloan’s jaw and neck. “Well, we’ve been talking to Dylan Lawrence, too, because I’m dating him.”

Felicity flinched. “Well, yes, I heard that.”