“I know, but what if he wakes up looking for me?” Elyna said, breathing hard.
“I’ve got him,” Harmony promised, stepping closer. “Go. Seriously. Go have your baby.”
Asher appeared beside me suddenly, like he’d materialized out of nowhere. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“She’s in labor,” I said, unable to stop smiling despite the chaos.
He moved toward Phoenix instantly. “Need help?”
Phoenix shook his head, half laughing, half panicking. “I don’t know what I need.”
Elyna grabbed his shirt. “You need to get me to the hospital before I kill you.”
That got a nervous laugh out of everyone. Then Pierre stepped into the driveway. The shift was immediate. Conversation quieted. Bodies stilled. Even Harmony’s smile faded slightly. Pierre slowed when he noticed the change, his expression faltering. His gaze landed on Elyna, then Phoenix, and something raw flashed across his face.
“This is it?” he asked softly.
Phoenix nodded once, tension obvious in his shoulders.
Pierre swallowed hard. “My first grandchild,” he murmured, almost to himself.
The silence stretched. Then his voice cracked. “I screwed up,” he said suddenly, looking between his sons. “I know I did. I was just… trying to stay above water back then. Trying to keep everything from falling apart.”
No one responded right away. The emotion on his face was hard to watch. His eyes filled, and he wiped at them quickly, embarrassed. “I never meant to hurt any of you,” he said quietly.
Becket appeared from around the side of the house, keys in hand. He paused, taking in the scene.
“Phoenix,” he said, cutting through the heavy moment. “I’ll follow you to the hospital.”
Phoenix nodded, relief flashing across his face.
“Good,” he said. “Let’s move.”
Elyna gripped Harmony’s hand one last time before letting go. Braden reached for her, confused, and Harmony soothed him softly. The tension between the Thorne men lingered as Phoenix guided Elyna toward the car. Then engines started, doors slammed and just like that, the driveway emptied. I stoodthere watching them leave, the air thick with everything unsaid. Beside me, Asher exhaled slowly.
Nothing about this family felt simple anymore.
“Well, that was intense,” Asher joked sadly. Then he looked at me. “Do you think we’re being too hard on my dad?”
“Whoa,” I blew out a breath. “I don’t know if it’s for me to judge.”
“Not asking you to judge, Claire. I just need an outside perspective. My mom’s the one who walked away from five kids without looking back. I’ve always been angry at her, and it shaped the way I viewed relationships,” he said, and something in my chest pinched. This man was becoming so important to me. We spent our nights talking, making out and opening up to each other.
“I mean, your dad stayed and raised all of you on his own. Maybe he was scared if you all knew the truth, he would lose you, or maybe he felt like you guys were too young to understand the depth of what your mom was going through. I can understand how hard it is to lose a best friend, but I can’t understand walking away from your kids. My parents have been a huge support to me through my grief, but I don’t want to judge your mom either.” I shrugged.
“Thanks, Claire,” he said, and he walked over to me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head against his hard chest. “Everything feels so complicated right now. I want to forgive my father, after everything he’s done for me...” he hiccupped. “He’s human.”
“Yeah, he is,” I agreed.
We stayed holding each other a few moments longer, and then Asher pulled away to look at me. “I want to have our date. What do you think of tonight?”
Butterflies danced in my belly. “Oh.”
“If you aren’t sure, we can put it off until after my fight,” he said.
“It’s not that,” I muttered.
Something darkened in his eyes. “I understand if you don’t want to go there.”