It had just been instinct to pull her into her arms and hold her. There was a need to take care of her even though she’d only met the woman.

Now she waited for Zach and Regan to take her place so she could go back to her life. But her life would never be the same. She’d watched a man die. She’d watched a woman lose the love of her life. She’d witnessed love that wouldn’t end even now that Tyler Benson had passed away.

Audrey sipped a small bottle of brandy from the bar. “I appreciate you giving up your day off to be with me.”

“My sister loves your son very much. As far as I’m concerned, that makes us family.”

“Zachary and Tyler were my family. My father died ten years ago after Zachary started with the firm.” She dabbed her eyes. “I feel so alone.”

Arianna moved closer to her side. “Perhaps you should lie down. You haven’t had any sleep. I’m going to go down to the lobby and wait for them, and I’ll be only a phone call away. You call down if you need me.”

“Thank you, darling. Thank you so much.” She patted Arianna’s hand.

Arianna sat in the lobby and waited as she’d promised she’d do. Carlos had called, and her parents had as well. Her mother was already cooking for Mrs. Benson, and her father waited for word of something he could do to help. She’d been in the lobby forty-five minutes when Zach and Regan walked through the doors.

She stood the moment she saw them and headed them off before they could go to the front desk.

Regan ran into her arms and hugged her sister. “How terrible this must have been for you. Thank you for staying with Audrey.”

“It was my pleasure,” she said as she watched Zach walk toward them, his face long and drawn. His eyes were sad like his mother’s. “Zach, I’m so sorry for your loss.” She gathered him in her arms and held him tightly. “She’s okay,” she whispered in his ear, and he held her tighter.

“I appreciate you being with her.”

“They are wonderful people. I’m so glad I got time to be with your dad. He’s so proud of you.” She kissed him on the cheek. “C’mon, I’ll take you up to her.”

Arianna laced her arms around them both and escorted them to Audrey’s room. It was dark and quiet when they entered. Regan and Arianna stood by the door while Zach moved to his mother.

“Mother,” he said softly as he touched her cheek.

“Tyler?” Her voice cracked as she opened her eyes. “Zachary.” She sat up into his arms.

Zach stayed with her, and Arianna took her sister back to her apartment.

Arianna handed Regan a cup of coffee as she sat at the counter of her small kitchen. She watched her sister dig through her bag and pull out her notebook. Her eyes were purple and black with bruises. Red marks marred her cheek. Cuts and gashes covered her arms. And yet she sat at the counter in the kitchen going over notes she’d handwritten in regards to Zach’s father’s services, calling the hospital, making more notes. Arianna shook her head.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“I don’t know. This is such a shock. I certainly wasn’t prepared for…”

“Reg, I mean how are you feeling after your attack?”

“Oh.” Regan laid down her pen and slowly shifted her eyes to Arianna’s. “I’m sore. My face is ugly, my arms are all cut up, and I’m pissed off. Other than that…”

“You’re amazing.” Arianna lifted her mug to her.

“Why’s that?”

“Some maniac attacks you one day and the next your making funeral arrangements for your boss’s father.”

“He’s more than just my boss’s father.”

“Say it. He’s who?”

Regan smiled. “Zach asked me to think about spending the rest of my life with him.”

Arianna nodded her head, not shocked by the statement. “And what did you tell him?”

“I told him I love him and that’s what I want too.”

“That’s a big step for you. This hasn’t been one of your better years. Are you sure you want to commit to that?”

Regan fisted her hands on her hips and gave her a long cautious look. “I haven’t decided whether you’re testing me or just being a ray of sunshine in my life.”

Arianna let out a snort. She knew her pretty well. Regan’s problem had always been too much optimism, and she’d been the opposite, always full of pessimism. “You love him?”

“Yes.”

“You want to marry him?”

“Yes.”

“Alexander?”

“Thinks I’m dead and so is the baby.”

“And if he finds out otherwise?”

Regan waved her hands in front of her and shook her head. “There’s no reason for him ever to find out.” But her voice cracked, and that worried Arianna.

“And Zach knows what you went though? He understands that you gave birth to another man’s baby and then your family told him she died? You told him that Curtis told him you died too? He understands that the asshole got away with almost killing both of you just so he could move on with his life and you wouldn’t be any problem? He understands?” Her voice was rising because she found it highly unlikely that any man would be perfectly okay with such a thing. Even the wonderful Zachary Benson.

Regan was biting her bottom lip. “I don’t think Zach is the kind of man to back away from me for any of those reasons.”

“You haven’t told him everything? You didn’t tell him about the baby?”

“No.” Regan stood and walked toward the window. “I’m not ready for that.”

“You’re playing with fire.”

“Like I said, I don’t think he’s the kind of man to back away.”

“You don’t think he is. That’s an awful lot to swallow.” Arianna sipped her coffee. “I hope you’re right.”

They flew back to Nashville with Tyler’s body the next afternoon, and Regan went back to work arranging everything for Audrey, at her request.

People began to stop by the house, and Audrey accepted the visitors graciously. She needed to be a hostess; it was what she did best. Zach followed his mother through the house, which Regan assumed he’d probably done as a young boy as well.