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Richard swallowed. The bruise was a small thing now, compared to the bravery it marked. \u201cI\u2019m proud you stood up for him,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cAnd I\u2019m sorry I wasn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace exhaled, relief softening her posture. \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keys scraped the front door; Amelia swept in, her perfume a whisper of gardenias. She froze at the sight of them, a guilty flicker crossing her face. \u201cRichard. I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSave it,\u201d he said, too fast. Amelia flinched. He forced himself to breathe. \u201cNo. Don\u2019t save it. Tell me why I heard about this at all by accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
She set her bag down carefully. \u201cBecause last time I brought you a school thing on a presentation day, you didn\u2019t speak to me for an hour. You said I derailed you. I thought\u2026 I thought I was protecting you from yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words landed with terrible accuracy. He remembered that day: the rushed tie, the snapped sentence he wished he could pull back. He looked at Oliver, whose thumb traced the edge of the Courage Points notebook like a shoreline.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was wrong,\u201d Amelia said. \u201cGrace has been wonderful, but you\u2019re Oliver\u2019s father. You should have been the first call.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace rose. \u201cI\u2019ll give you a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n