Page 72 of A Castle in the Sky: Fern & Connor
They stayed there until a light drizzle painted icy patches on their clothes.
Connor stood. "I have to go."
Jacob's voice was no more than a whisper of autumn leaves. "Will you come back?"
Connor hesitated, but only for a heartbeat.
"I might not," he said honestly. "But we can talk on the phone."
He had already spoken to Fern about this, and she had agreed—as long as there was no contact with Matilda. Ever.
Jacob nodded, shoulders slumping.
Connor pulled him into a hug—carefully, gently, holding the boy who still felt like family.
"You're strong," Connor murmured into his hair. "Stronger than you know. Sometimes... sometimes mums let us down. Mine did, and I survived. Sometimes, they do bad things, unforgivable things. And it's not your fault, though it feels that way sometimes."
Jacob didn't speak, but his fingers curled around the back of Connor's jacket and held on for just a moment longer before moving away. Then he abruptly got up and ran inside.
***
Sawyer walked Connor to the front door, his hands shoved in his hoodie pockets, shoulders hunched.
"Hey," Sawyer said quietly, just as Connor reached for the handle. "There's something you should know."
Connor looked up, wary.
"There's someone who's come forward," Sawyer said. "Someone who wants to be tested against Jacob. I think he is his father. They look very much alike. It’s almost like looking at a grown-up version of Jacob. I have not told him yet though."
Connor frowned. "Who is it?"
Sawyer went to his desk and got their old year book out. He turned the pages and pointed. "You remember Darren? Skinny, with glasses, nobody talked to him? The girls used to call him Darren Four-Eyes."
Connor blinked as a vague memory resurfaced.
Sawyer nodded. "He looks really similar to Jacob now. Actually, he looks good—filled out, nice haircut, lost the glasses. Total glow-up situation. And he is rolling in money now. A startup that went public, I think."
Connor nodded.
"He didn't know he even existed," Sawyer continued. "He heard about all this through one of the school groups, and he came forward on his own."
Connor rubbed a hand over his jaw. "Well, I hope it works out for Jacob. He deserves a break. And I hope he's a good guy."
Sawyer nodded. "Yeah. I think he might be."
Connor stepped out into the cool air.
He felt the smallest surge of something like relief, like all the puzzle pieces were falling into place.
Some doors had closed forever, while a new one was opening.
Impatient now, he turned the key in his car, driving back to Manchester—toward the two people he needed the most.
Chapter 32
They were in Harlan's garden one late chilly evening, Coral already asleep, rolled up in a plush blanket like a moth in its cocoon and boneless against her Da. Her mouth was slack, and she made cute little grunting noises because she was recovering from a runny nose. Fern was tidying up the chalk Coral had left scattered on the patio but she could feel Connor's eyes focused on her like a physical touch—as they had been many times in the past few months.
She didn't look away as the invisible thread between them stretched taut and he seemed to give it a tug.
