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But he’d found someone.
Surely Athena would want to know that she had a sister. She couldn’t be upset with him for breaking a promise when the outcome ended up being something so wonderful.
He nodded to himself. This was a good thing. It had to be. If he’d found out that his parents had actually wanted to be with their family, but something had kept them apart, he would have wanted the same thing.
Henry charged forward with determination. Finding Athena’s sister was a good thing. No one would be able to convince him otherwise. If she got upset, she only had to read the email he’d received. She’d have to admit that she was just scared that she wouldn’t find anyone who was related to her.
Or even worse, find someone that was related to her that didn’t care.
Athena didn’t move when he took a seat beside her. The thoughtful expression on her face said it all. She’d come out here to be alone. She didn’t even glance toward him when she spoke. “Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong?”
“You belong here, Athena,” he blurted.
A faint smile hid behind her stoic expression. “I wasn’t asking if you thought I belonged here. I was asking if you felt like you didn’t belong somewhere. That no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t seem to find a place where you fit. Like you were a square peg surrounded by round holes.”
He hated that he didn’t know where this was going. But more than that, he hated that he couldn’t understand what she was trying to express to him. If she thought she was an outcast, she couldn’t be more wrong. “You belong here, Athena,” he tried again, this time taking her hand in his. “I don’t want you to worry about that.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter how many times you say that. It won’t make it true for me. I’m just… not like everyone here.”
“Neither is Harley.”
Athena snorted. “Harley isn’t a homeless street urchin who has run away from every situation she’s ever been in.”
Henry chuckled. “I don’t think you are allowed to make assumptions about Harley. From what I understand, she’s never really belonged with her family either.”
“I doubt that.” Athena let out a heavy sigh. “Even people like her who think they don’t fit with their family can be wrong.”
Oh, how he wished he could see into her head and know what this was all about. He’d thought he’d done right by her. He’d welcomed her into his home, into his heart. What more could he do?
Athena glanced at him and then looked away just as quickly. The frown on her brow deepened, and she pulled her hand from his. “It’s just that when I look around at everyone here, they all have their place. They all have someone who’s looking out for them.”
“I’m looking out for you.” Henry’s voice was getting desperate. He had to rein it in, but how could he do that when he felt like she was slipping through his fingers as they spoke? This wasn’t fair. He had to do something to stop her from leaving.
“It’s not the same.” She gave him a smile that could only be described as patronizing. “You’re sweet. You make me feel like there might be more to my future than just moving from town to town. But there would be nothing stopping you from walking away.”
“Walking away?” he sputtered. “Who says I’d walk away? I’m not the one who runs.”
She flinched, and he immediately regretted the words that had spewed from his lips. Shoot! This wasn’t going the way he wanted it to. “I didn’t mean that—”
“Yes, you did. And it’s okay. That’s my MO. I’m a runner. When things get hard, I run.”
“Are they hard now?”
She didn’t answer right away, which was all the answer he needed. They were getting difficult, but in what way he couldn’t be certain.
“What can I do?” he asked quietly.
“Nothing.” She swallowed and shot a smile in his direction. “This is something I have to work out on my own. There’s this emptiness inside that I can’t seem to shake, and it doesn’t matter that I’ve found a place that makes me feel safe. I thought that maybe it was finding someone who I could love.” Her smile deepened but then faded away. “I’ve even found a purpose… working with Beast. But there’s still this cavern inside me that I can’t fill.”
Henry straightened. This was it. Here was his moment to show her exactly what she was missing. “I know what it is.”
Her eyes cut to his, and the hopefulness there nearly shattered him.
“Family.”
The dim light he’d seen in her gaze went out. “Henry…” she started, but he cut her off.
“I know you said I shouldn’t go poking around, but—”
