Chapter 346 A Promise for Tomorrow
Ryan watched silently as Trevor reached over and took Rose’s bag from her without either of them saying a word.
It was effortless.
The kind of habit that only developed after spending enough time together that neither person thought twice about it.
His expression never changed.
"Take care."
That was all he said.
Without waiting for a reply, Ryan climbed back into the Maybach.
Rose made no move to walk him to the car.
Nor did she invite him inside.
Instead, she turned toward Trevor.
"Let’s go in."
Trevor nodded.
As Ryan shifted into reverse, his eyes drifted to the rearview mirror.
He watched the front door open.
Trevor stepped aside for Rose.
The two disappeared inside together.
The door quietly closed behind them.
Ryan’s face remained unreadable.
He turned the steering wheel, eased onto the street, and drove away without another glance.
*****
Inside the house, Dr. Nathan Hale wandered into the foyer with a small tin of peppermint mints in one hand.
He popped one into his mouth with an exaggerated sigh.
"My wife confiscated my cigars again," he grumbled. "Apparently chewing mints is supposed to keep me from missing them."
He looked up.
"Rose? What brings you over this la—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
One look at her face was enough.
The color had drained from it, and the exhaustion in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.
His expression immediately became serious.
"What happened?"
Before Rose could answer, Trevor hung her purse on the coat rack.
"Ryan drove her here."
Dr. Nathan frowned.
"He did?"
A skeptical snort escaped him.
"What’s his angle now? Trying to make up for lost time?"
Rose came back to herself and quickly shook her head.
"No."
She forced a small smile.
"It’s not like that. Today was different. We happened to run into each other, and he offered me a ride."
She left out everything else.
The conversation at the sheriff’s office.
The forged documents.
The revelation about her mother’s accident.
It all still felt unreal.
For years, she’d convinced herself the crash had been nothing more than a terrible tragedy.
Life was unfair.
Accidents happened.
No amount of grief could change the past.
That belief had been painful...
But survivable.
Now everything had changed.
Someone had caused it.
Someone had planned it.
Every piece of evidence pointed toward Daisy.
If investigators followed the financial trail and recovered the communications Ryan had uncovered, Daisy could spend decades behind bars.
Rose rubbed her temples.
Her head felt like it might split open.
She knew the truth.
Without Ryan uncovering those inconsistencies in the antique store’s records, none of this might ever have surfaced.
But that didn’t change anything between them.
Ryan hadn’t helped her because he expected gratitude.
He hadn’t asked for forgiveness.
He hadn’t even acted like he’d done her a favor.
He’d simply found the truth...
And told her.
There was nothing more to say.
Dr. Nathan studied her for a few seconds.
He had known Rose since she was a little girl.
If she wanted to talk, she always would.
If she stayed silent, pressing her would only make things harder.
So he simply nodded.
"Dinner’s ready."
He smiled gently.
"Come eat before everything gets cold."
Then he added casually, "By the way, Diana stopped by today to visit Ariel and me. We ended up talking about Ariel’s birthday."
Rose blinked.
"Ariel’s birthday..."
It was almost here.
Trevor looked over from the dining room.
"In previous years, we kept it pretty small."
He pulled out a chair for Rose.
"But I was thinking maybe this year we should throw her an actual birthday party."
Rose didn’t object.
There was no longer any reason to keep Ariel hidden from the world.
She smiled faintly.
"Let’s ask her."
"If she wants one, we’ll do it."
The decision belonged to Ariel.
No one else.
Just then, little footsteps thundered down the stairs.
Ariel came racing into the room carrying a colorful craft project she’d made that afternoon.
She stopped the moment she overheard the conversation.
Her eyes lit up.
She threw herself into Rose’s arms.
"Mom!"
Rose laughed as Ariel hugged her tightly.
"Can I invite everyone from my class?"
Trevor answered before Rose could.
"Absolutely."
Ariel gasped dramatically.
"Really?"
Trevor chuckled.
"Really."
She bounced excitedly in place.
"Thank you, Daddy!"
Watching her daughter beam with excitement eased some of the weight pressing on Rose’s heart.
The investigation...
Daisy...
Samantha...
None of it needed to be discussed tonight.
Not while Ariel was smiling like this.
******
Dinner passed peacefully.
Trevor placed a bowl of chicken noodle soup in front of Rose.
"Careful. It’s hot."
"Thanks."
Rose accepted it almost absentmindedly.
Her thoughts were still elsewhere.
By the time the adults were halfway through dinner, Ariel had already finished eating.
She slid off her chair.
"I’m going to wash my hands."
Trevor stood immediately.
"I’ll come with you."
"Okay!"
The two disappeared down the hallway.
Rose barely noticed.
*****
Inside the downstairs bathroom, Trevor quietly locked the door.
The room was well insulated from the rest of the house.
He knelt beside Ariel at the sink and helped her squeeze soap into her tiny hands.
As she happily scrubbed away, he spoke softly.
"Can Daddy ask you something?"
Ariel nodded enthusiastically.
"Uh-huh."
Trevor smiled.
"Your birthday’s coming up."
"We’re going to throw you the biggest birthday party you’ve ever had."
Ariel grinned.
"I know!"
He dried her hands with a towel.
"Would you like to help Daddy give your mom a surprise too?"
Her eyes grew curious.
"What kind?"
Trevor took a slow breath.
"On your birthday..."
"I want to ask your mom to marry me."
Ariel’s mouth fell open.
"For real?"
He nodded.
"Your mom has already agreed that we’re getting married."
"But I never properly proposed."
"I want to give her the kind of proposal she deserves."
He smiled softly.
"I was hoping you’d help me."
Ariel tilted her head.
"How?"
"I’d like you to bring Mommy the ring."
"You’d be my secret helper."
"Can you keep it a surprise?"
Ariel thought about it very seriously.
Mom had already decided to marry Trevor.
This wasn’t about changing her mind.
It was about making her happy.
She nodded with complete confidence.
"I can keep secrets."
Trevor held out his little finger.
"Promise?"
She immediately hooked hers around his.
"Pinky promise."
Trevor smiled.
"It’s a deal."
Ariel suddenly became unusually serious.
She looked straight into Trevor’s eyes.
For a brief moment, she wasn’t looking at him as her father.
She was judging him as the man who wanted to spend the rest of his life with her mother.
"If you ever make Mommy cry..."
Her tiny voice was firm.
"...I’m taking Mommy’s side."
Trevor didn’t laugh.
He met her gaze just as seriously.
"I wouldn’t expect anything less."
Then he placed a hand over his heart.
"I promise I’ll take care of her."
"I’ll never intentionally hurt your mom."
Ariel studied him for another second.
Finally...
She smiled.
"Okay."
*****
A knock sounded on the bathroom door.
Rose’s voice came through from outside.
"You two okay in there?"
"It’s been a while."
Trevor unlocked the door.
He and Ariel stepped out together.
Both wore perfectly innocent expressions.
"We’re done."
Rose narrowed her eyes.
"You two look suspicious."
Ariel immediately shook her head.
"Nope."
Trevor smiled without saying a word.
Rose looked back and forth between them.
Something definitely felt off.
Still...
She couldn’t figure out what.
After another second, she simply shook her head.
"Come on."
"Dessert’s waiting."
*****
The following afternoon, Rose left Dr. Nathan’s house and drove first to the hospital to check on her mother.
From there, she visited Gabriel Bennett at the assisted living center.
She found him awake, sitting comfortably beside the window after his afternoon nap.
A smile immediately spread across his face when he saw her.
"My RoRo."
Rose walked over and kissed his cheek.
"Want to go outside for a little sunshine?"
Gabriel patted the chair beside him instead.
"Sit with me first."
She smiled and sat down.
He looked at her affectionately.
"Not so busy these days?"
Rose rested her head lightly against his shoulder.
"I just missed you."
His smile deepened.
"My granddaughter finally remembered her old grandpa."
Seeing him in such a good mood, Rose hesitated before taking out her phone.
She opened a photograph she’d saved earlier.
It showed an old jade pendant that had once been displayed in Bennett Antiques.
Grace had reacted strangely the first time she’d seen it, which had made Rose curious enough to photograph it.
She held the screen toward Gabriel.
"Grandpa..."
"Do you recognize this pendant?"
The smile slowly faded from Gabriel’s face.
He stared at the picture.
For several long seconds, he said nothing.
Confusion flickered across his features before recognition slowly surfaced.
His cloudy eyes widened.
He looked back at Rose.
Then down at the phone again.
Finally, he whispered,
"Sweetheart..."
"This isn’t something from the antique store."
His voice trembled slightly.
"It belonged to you."
Rose froze.
Gabriel gently touched the screen.
"You wore this jade pendant every day from the time you were a baby..."
He looked up at her, puzzled.
"...until you were six years old."
"Don’t you remember?"