"Have you found anything yet, Julian?" Eve looked up from the file drawer she was sorting through and glanced over at him.
"Not yet." Julian continued to dig through the drawer he was examining. "I think there's a file folder stuck in the back of this cabinet, though."
"Can you see it?" Eve asked.
"I can see the outline of something, but I'm not quite sure what it is."
"Here—take this." Eve grabbed her purse and handed it to him. "I have a small flashlight somewhere in my bag."
"Thank you." Julian began to dig through her purse.
His face falling, Julian pulled out a piece of paper and looked at her. "Eve, what's this? You haven't signed your divorce papers yet?"
Sheridan flipped on the lights as she led Gwen into the townhouse. "So, this is it!"
"Oh, Sheridan!" Gwen gasped. "It's so beautiful. There is so much natural light in here."
"That's part of why Luis and I love it so much," Sheridan smiled. "It's going to be a great place to raise our daughter."
"Anywhere you raise her is going to be great." Gwen squeezed Sheridan's hand. "You're both going to be wonderful parents."
"Do you really mean that, Gwen?" A tear sprang to Sheridan's eye.
"Of course I mean it, Sheridan." Gwen hugged her. "Are you still having doubts about that?"
"It's just hard, you know?" Her voice quieting, Sheridan glanced down and cupped her belly. "I'm so terrified that I'm going to fail her."
"You could never fail her, Sheridan." Gwen led Sheridan over to the window seat.
Sheridan sat down.
"You have to trust in the fact that you have a good heart," Gwen insisted, seating herself next to Sheridan. "That's worth everything."
Sheridan looked up at Gwen, her eyes watering with tears. "You have a good heart, too, Gwen. A wonderful, beautiful heart."
"I don't know about that." Gwen averted her eyes to the floor. "If it weren't for me, Grace wouldn't have lost her baby. I've got a lot to atone for, Sheridan."
Sheridan squeezed Gwen's hand and smiled softly at her. "I'd be willing to bet that if you knew that outing Ethan's paternity was going to cause Grace to lose her baby, you would have done everything in your power to stop it."
A lightness seeped through Gwen's chest. "You're right," she breathed, looking up at Sheridan. "I think . . . no, I know I would have."
Sheridan slipped her arm around Gwen and rubbed her back. "That's because you're a good person with a huge heart."
Gwen's heart swelled with hope. "Do . . . do you really mean that, Sheridan?"
"Of course I do, Gwen." Sheridan paused for a moment and smoothed her hand over her belly. "This little girl inside of me—she's alive because you had the courage and compassion to track down Luis and me in Mexico. You put your life at risk to save us—not just anyone would have done what you did."
"Hank was the one who came up with the idea to go down there," Gwen said quietly
"But he wouldn't have if you hadn't gone to Sam in the first place," Sheridan insisted. "You went against your own mother for me."
"I want you to know that I don't regret that, Sheridan," Gwen said. "No matter what my mother says, I will never regret it."
"And I'll never forget it, Gwen," Sheridan said. "In fact, Luis and I have been talking about something—we were hoping you'd be our daughter's godmother."
Tear sprang to Gwen's eyes. "Oh, Sheridan! Are you serious?"
"Of course I am." Sheridan hugged her. "Our daughter would be lucky to have you in her life."
Gwen cupped her hands over her face; a tear slipped down her cheek. "I'd love to. Thank you so much for asking me."
Sheridan smiled and placed one of Gwen's hands on her belly. "Thank you for saying 'yes.'"
Gwen felt a tiny foot nudge her hand. "Oh, Sheridan," she gasped. "Is that her?"
Sheridan beamed and massaged her belly. "Yes, Gwen, it is."
Gwen's gaze fell to Sheridan's belly; fresh tears sprang to her eyes.
Sheridan was right.
She had saved this baby's life.
She had done something good.
Eve took the divorce petition from Julian. "I'm . . . I'm sorry that you had to see this. I forgot that it was in my purse."
"Why haven't you signed this yet, Eve?" Julian swallowed a lump in his throat. "Are you having second thoughts?"
"No . . . I'm not." Eve stuffed the paper back into her purse. "I . . . I just . . . haven't gotten around to signing it yet."
Julian's voice dropped to a whisper. "Eve, are you still in love with TC?"
"No." Eve's eyes flew to Julian's. "That's not it at all."
"Well, then, what is it, Eve?" Julian squeezed her shoulder, his voice softening.
Her voice choking with emotion, Eve's eyes welled with tears. "I . . . I don't know how to explain this. It's just that every time I start to sign those papers, I feel like the floor is collapsing beneath me."
"Oh, Eve." Julian pulled her into his arms.
Eve sobbed against his chest. "For years, TC was the only solid thing I had to hold on to. The thought of letting go of that—it's completely terrifying."
Julian tightened his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "You can hold on to me. I know I've failed you in the past, but I promise on everything I hold dear—this time will be different, Eve."
"I know it will be, Julian." Eve looked up at him. "I do trust you." Her eyes watering, Eve's voice dropped to a whisper. "The person I don't trust is me."
