The mansion changed along with them. Emma opened windows, painted walls white, planted more flowers, and let light into rooms that had once held only tension. Riley chose wild daisies for the garden because, as she said, they do not give up even when they are stepped on.
Michael watched the two of them—one small, one grown—laughing together in the sun and realized that no reputation, no company, and no fortune had ever brought him as much peace as that simple sight.
He made coffee in the mornings, baked imperfect cakes, and joked that if Safe Harbor ever ran out of money, he could at least feed “his two girls.” Emma laughed and ate even the burned pieces.
One day Emma caught him drafting expansion plans for new Safe Harbor branches and noticed he had written a name in the corner: “Executive Director Emma Brooks Sterling.” She looked at him, startled. Michael smiled and said he was only writing the name of the woman who would guide his heart into the next chapter.
From then on they worked side by side more openly than ever. They visited schools, inspected new locations, and let the gossip say whatever it wished.