“She was fierce. Never one to back down, even from me. She spoke her mind and gods help you if you were on the wrong end.” Finley chuckled at that, his eyes going distant again. “She was a force of nature itself but also gentle, loving, and kind. You would have loved her, Lola. And she would have loved you."

Lola started to tear up at the words. She imagined what her life might have been like if she’d been able to stay with them. Would she have been the same person? Would she ...