"Luis!" Sheridan dropped her bag as she rushed into their townhouse and straight into his arms.

"Sheridan?" Luis pulled her in close. "Sheridan, what's wrong?"

"I had the strangest conversation with Mike today." Sheridan leaned back and looked Luis straight in the eye. "Do you remember how I had that feeling when we were in Boston that I had met him before?"

Luis furrowed his brow. "Yes, I do. Did you have that feeling again today?"

"No, but something even stranger happened," Sheridan said. "It all started after Mike finished his presentation. He asked Hank and I if we could tell that he'd been nervous, if we had noticed his eyes twitching. . . . That's the way Julian reacts to having nerves, too."

"Yeah, so . . ." Luis shifted his weight between his feet. "That's a pretty common thing, Sheridan."

"Maybe . . ." Sheridan said. "But listen to this—when he was a newborn, Mike was abandoned outside of a foster care agency in Boston the same night Eve's baby disappeared."


Eve shivered as she stood outside the Crane mansion, her eyes glued to the doorbell.

Why was she even thinking about doing this? Was this really the right answer for her and her daughters?

Did she really think ending things with Julian was going to help her with Whitney? And, if it did, what would that mean?

Once again, she'd be denying her own truth to satisfy someone else—sacrificing herself for someone else's feelings. Being the person someone else wanted her to be—regardless of what she, herself, wanted.

It was just that she needed Whitney to talk to her. To let her back into her life.

Wasn't there any way to do that without ending her relationship with Julian—without giving up the love of her life?


Hank locked up the youth center and started down the wharf. There it was—Jimmy's Jewelry Shop—the store that could change his entire life.

Yes, the rings had looked expensive. But Jimmy had been friends with his family since he and Sam were little boys—surely, he could help him out.

Digging his hands into his pockets, Hank grinned and entered the store.

Jimmy looked up from the ring he was polishing. "Hank! How are you doing?"

Hank strolled up to the counter. "Never been better, my man."

"I bet that girl of yours has something to do with it," Jimmy smiled, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes, she certainly does." Hank pulled out the catalog Jimmy had given to him and spread it on the counter. "I'm interested in seeing a few of these rings—and I was wondering what you could do price-wise."

Jimmy picked up the catalog and rubbed his chin. "You certainly have good taste, Hank." Reaching for the calculator next to him, he punched in a few numbers and then turned around the display. "For one of these beauties, I could do something around this range."

Hank's throat tightened. "That's a lot of money. To be honest, I was thinking about half of that."

Jimmy raised his brows. "You're not going to get much for that."

"Well, do you think you could finance it for me?" Hank's heartbeat accelerated.

"Maybe," Jimmy said, punching in some more numbers, "but I'd need this for a down payment."

Hank glanced down at the display.

His heart stopped.

How on earth was he going to be able to buy Gwen a respectable ring?

How on earth was he going to afford that?


"Sheridan, are you serious?" Luis asked.

"Yes, I am," Sheridan replied. "What if Mike is my nephew, Luis?"

"Well, it does seem like a bit of a stretch . . ."

"I know it does," Sheridan said, "but please hear me out on this."

"Okay." Luis crossed his arms. "I'm listening."

Sheridan wandered over to an end table and picked up the picture Luis had taken of her, Julian, and their mother a few weeks ago. Running her fingers down the edge of the frame, she turned back to Luis. "First, you have the fact that Mike is the same age that Julian and Eve's son should be—and that he was born around Christmas. His eyes twitch just like Julian's do when he gets nervous, and we now know that Mike was left at a foster care agency within a few hours of his birth. Maybe all of that would mean nothing at all," Sheridan conceded, "but what about my gut feeling, Luis?"

Luis rubbed his chin. "Do you mean the fact that you felt like you knew Mike the second that you met him?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

"Well, I have to admit that this sounds a little far-fetched, but where would you and I be if I hadn't followed what my gut was telling me?" Luis uncrossed his arms and raised his brows. "Maybe you're right about this, Sheridan. Maybe there is something more to all of this."


"Eve?" Julian pulled her into his arms. "Eve, tell me what's wrong."

Eve sobbed against his chest, her entire body wracked with tears.

She couldn't do this. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to give into her fears.

The fears that told her she would never have a relationship with Whitney again. That the daughter she'd loved and nurtured for close to two decades was all but lost to her.

But to give up Julian? The one and only person on the planet who made her feel loved, flaws and all?

That was like asking her not to breathe—to take a blind step off of a high diving board.

He was the only person she felt completely safe around—the only person she trusted not to judge her. The only person who had proven—without a doubt—that he would forgive her for all of her sins.

No, she couldn't do this.

"Eve?" Julian tried again, pulling back to look at her.

"Julian, I . . ." Eve started.

"Excuse me," a voice sounded from across the room. "Excuse me—Mr. Crane?"

Julian and Eve both looked up, their eyes flying to Muriel.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Mr. Crane, Dr. Russell, but I've got an Agent Hal Freeman on the line." Muriel shifted on her feet. "He's on his way to Harmony—he was hoping to meet with both of you and Mrs. Katherine Crane sometime within the next 30 minutes."