Sam didn’t answer. From the back seat, Spank clapped her hands, and a quick glance over her shoulder told Ari she was playing with her feet.

Well, as long as she was busy, Ari didn’t care. “Let me ask you something. You already decided Elena and Nicholas would call Quinn, since it’s what all foster parents do when a child runs away.” Ari gripped the steering wheel tight, trying to formulate her question in a way that made sense to a thirteen-year-old girl. “So what are you looking for? Best-case scenario, what can they do to prove themselves?” Ari asked, truly curious about Sam’s answer. If she even had one.

“I dunno.”

“What did the other parents do?”

“Nothing,” Sam said, squirming in her seat. “Maybe a missed meal or something. Well, not Felice. She just said ‘Thank goodness this will all be over soon.’ ”

Ari nodded. Suddenly, she understood. Undertaking the foster-care process wasn’t enough to convince Sam she was safe and loved. And for all the talk of adoption, the finalization was a long way off. Too long for a teenager who’d been shuffled around to believe it. For Elena and Nicholas to pass this test, they had to react. They needed to act like parents, Ari thought.

While turning the key in the ignition, she thought back to her childhood. Beyond the pranks and the cons, there was always plenty of love and understanding. Reprimanding, too, when the occasion warranted it. She hoped they could come through now, when Sam needed it most.

The ride home passed in silence, Ari not wanting to push Sam and unsure what to say anyway. It wasn’t until they pulled up in front of the Costas house that Sam turned toward Ari and spoke.

“What’s gonna happen to Spank?”

Absorbed in thinking about Sam’s life, Ari hadn’t given much thought to the monkey that night, and the question took her by surprise. “Well, I’ve been looking online and making some calls. Because she’s been well treated and her medical care is all up to date, she’s an easy placement. I just don’t want her in a zoo or someplace like that.” Ari shuddered.

“I don’t want her to go,” Sam said, stubbornness written all over her face.

With that particular trait, she’d fit into the family well, Ari thought. “Believe it or not, I’ve been taking that into consideration. What would you think about giving her to an animal trainer? Someone who lives close enough that you could visit, but also someone with good credentials and who treats animals with kindness, not punishment?”

“You’re asking me?” Sam said, her eyes wide and incredulous. As if her opinion had never counted for anything before.

“Well, seeing as how you love her, and considering you’re a member of this family, of course I’m asking you.” Ari reached out to rub Sam’s shoulder, but the girl jerked away and opened the car door instead.

“Spank’s a member of the family, too. Elena always said so and you’re giving her away. How do I know they won’t give me away next?” With those words, Sam jumped out of the car and ran for the front porch.

She’d revealed her biggest fear at last. One Ari knew her parents would find much more difficult to assuage than anything else on her mind.

Ari followed Sam into the house, then sat through the session between her parents and Sam, in which Elena and Nicholas laid down the laws in their home. Respect for one another was paramount. By taking off without letting anyone know, Sam had violated the rule. She’d worried the family and had to be punished.

Shockingly, Sam had taken the punishment well, reinforcing what Ari already thought-the young girl was looking for proof that Elena and Nicholas wouldn’t abandon her. By including her in the family rules and punishing her for disobeying, her parents had come through for her.

Thanks to that night’s revelations, Ari could suddenly relate to Sam more than ever. It wasn’t that Ari feared being sent away, but she had always feared being on the outside looking in. Being the twin nobody understood. Being the one who wasn’t a real member of the family because she was too different.

The difference was, Ari had had the support system all along. She’d just been too stubborn, too convinced her way was the best, too high and mighty in her ideals to consider anyone else’s way. And in doing so, she’d closed her family out of her life and out of her heart. And she’d shut herself off from fun, spontaneity, and anything that even remotely resembled Costas chaos. Like Sam, she’d pushed away those who loved her most-her parents, her sister, and now Quinn. But understanding didn’t guarantee that a lifetime’s worth of feelings and habits could change.

Or did it? Quinn let Ari into his room, unsure of why she was there. Sam was safe, and as far as Quinn was concerned, Ari had no reason to visit him now. He shut the door behind her, then leaned against the wall, arms folded, and waited. The ball was in her court.

“Sam’s grounded for the next month.” She shifted on her feet uncomfortably.

“She’s lucky it isn’t the rest of her life,” Quinn muttered.

He’d obviously relaxed her because Ari laughed. “That’ll come if she attempts a stunt like this again. My father’s a huge believer in respect for family, and making them worry the way she did…” Ari treated him to a mock shiver and his gaze was drawn to her breasts in her tight tee.

He groaned. Focusing on what he couldn’t have was pointless. He’d learned that early on in life. What was it about Ari that made him forget all his hard-learned lessons?

“Sam needed them to react and thank God they came through,” Ari continued, oblivious to his inner thoughts. “They acted in Sam’s best interest, not theirs. She must be the first kid in the world who welcomed punishment as a sign of love.”

Quinn nodded. Because he’d been raised in the same type of environment, he understood the teenager’s way of thinking. “If your parents can figure out how to keep her in line, more power to them. I really do think they’ll be good for her.”

He knew this in his gut because he, too, had looked for signs of being cared for. He’d just never found them. Not even with this woman who knew all the right things to say and do, but was too afraid to take the risk and be herself.

Ari shook her head. “For a teenager, Sam said something so profound, it floored me. She said that since my parents always called Spank part of the family and they were giving her away, what if they gave her away next?”

“So this was a test.”

Ari nodded. “One her other foster parents failed.”

He pushed off the wall and strode to the center of the room. “Then bless Elena and Nicholas.”

Ari followed him, getting into his space. “I was so scared before I found her. I’m still scared,” she admitted in a soft, husky voice.

She met his gaze with relief and more in her eyes. But he didn’t know what she wanted from him now. He only knew he sensed a turning point. An honest admission she hadn’t planned in advance and one he wasn’t about to let pass.

“Scared of what?” he asked, his hands clenched at his sides. All his self-control went into not touching her, not reaching out, not pulling her into his arms.

He refused to make that kind of move, which to him was the equivalent of a commitment, before he could trust her more.

“I was worried that something would happen to you during this whole… Damon mess,” she whispered, waving her hand around the room, obviously not convinced she could trust that the place had been debugged.

Smart girl, he thought, respecting her intelligence. But it was her heart he was more interested in at the moment.

He stepped closer, closing the already small space between them. “Why?” he asked, prepared to push her hard. “Why are you so worried about me?”

His heart beat a rapid beat inside his chest, and the fear she spoke about threatened to suffocate him. Inside he was still a little boy craving love and acceptance. He’d never allowed himself to expect it, never trusted another human being to give it unconditionally, without reservation. And most of all, he’d never believed anyone would ever invest in Quinn Donovan for the long haul. But despite his well-built walls, Ari had breached them, and he hoped like hell she didn’t let him down now.

She stared at him defiantly, obviously fighting some inner turmoil she kept well hidden. “Because I care about you and you damn well know it,” she said, then clamped her jaw shut tight. Her eyes opened wide as she realized what she’d just admitted.

Quinn would have liked more. But for now it was enough. He pulled her against him and closed his mouth over hers.

She didn’t argue, didn’t fight her feelings; instead he felt the moment she relaxed and gave in to what her body wanted. And Quinn was smart enough to know he only had this one time to convince her she couldn’t leave him behind and go on with her life as if they had never been.

• • •

Ari awoke with a renewed spirit. Quinn slept beside her and she found comfort in his body heat and the knowledge that she lay safe in his bed. So much had seemed to tilt and shift in such a short time. She had Sam to thank for testing and proving the power of her family’s love. Though Ari had a long way to go before she understood them completely, her heart was now open to trying harder.

But most importantly, she had Quinn to thank for expressing a love of an entirely different kind. Not in words but in gestures and emotions and in a distinctive way she couldn’t mistake. He’d made love to her, so she couldn’t help but feel the connection between them. One she desperately wanted to believe in.

But fears and questions remained. She couldn’t forget how easily he’d blended in and accepted her family. A family she wasn’t anything like. Yet Quinn had tried to bring out that more outgoing, sexy, and fun woman he called Ari. But what of Professor Costas? Even without the suits, Ariana was still a part of her personality. Her soul. Could Quinn accept all of her?

Or once again would she be the outsider with a broken heart, longing for something she didn’t understand and couldn’t have?

The sound of her cell phone pulled her away from her thoughts. She leaned over and pulled it out of her purse, hoping not to wake Quinn. “Hello?” she asked softly.

“Good morning, Ariana. It’s Bill Riley,” said a deep, familiar voice.

“Well, hello yourself,” Ari said to the chairman of the Psychology Department at her school. Despite her thoughts, she wasn’t ready to talk to anyone from Vermont. His voice brought stressful tension she didn’t welcome.

“I called your parents’ house. I’m so sorry to hear there’s been no word on your twin. It’s dreadful, it really is.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, the guilt rising in her chest.

“I’m calling because I need to know if and when you plan on returning. Not only because we all miss you, but because I need to work on your replacement’s schedule. Of course I understand it’s a difficult decision and I’m sorry to put you on the spot,” he said with his characteristic mix of academia and caring.

Ari swallowed hard. She knew she’d have to face this decision sometime. “I need some more time here.” She pushed herself up in bed and found Quinn staring at her, his expression closed but curiosity evident in his compelling gaze.

“But you’ll finish the semester yourself? The kids miss you and there’s nobody who teaches with the same flair.”

Ari licked her suddenly dry lips. Since when did Professor Costas, in her dark suits and pulled-back hair, do anything with flair? “Of course I’ll be back,” she said, eager to end this conversation.

When she had come home, she’d planned on returning to Vermont as soon as she found her sister. Now the thought of leaving her family-and Quinn-behind wasn’t as appealing. “I’ll call you when I know more,” she promised Bill. “Probably the middle of next week.”

By then Zoe would have returned and she would have had more time with her family. Deciding about her permanent future would have to wait until she was more sure herself of where she wanted to be. Where she was welcome and wanted-as the complete combination of both Ari and Ariana, she thought.

Quinn watched as Ari turned off the phone and replaced it in her purse by the side of the bed. He’d awakened to the sweet sound of her voice, remembered the intimacy between them last night, and then had his heated memories and hopes shattered by her words. Of course I’ll be back, she’d said. He had no doubt she was talking about Vermont.

Which meant she’d be leaving again. Just like he thought. Just like he should have known all along. Didn’t everybody in his life walk sooner or later?

“Who was that?” he asked, his voice sounding calmer than he felt.