“I thought I was protecting you,” he continued. “Then time passed, and every year it felt harder to bring it up. I kept telling myself I’d find the right moment, but there never was one. Truth is I was scared,” he admitted quietly. “Scared you’d hate me. Scared I’d lose you.” His voice cracked slightly, and Sandy reached for his hand.
Becket rubbed the back of his neck. “We already lost Mom. Finding out you knew things and didn’t tell us… that hurt.”
“I know,” Dad said softly. “And I’m sorry.”
The sincerity in his voice stripped away the last bit of tension in the room.
Elyna spoke next. “You were there for all of us. Even when things were messy. That counts for something.”
Harmony nodded. “You’ve always shown up.”
Eric sighed. “We’re not saying it didn’t hurt. We just… understand more now.”
I looked at my brothers, seeing the shift happen in real time. The anger that had been burning through all of us melted into understanding.
Dad swallowed hard. “I never wanted to carry it alone forever.”
Phoenix stepped forward then, smiling slightly. “You don’t have to.”
He walked over to Elyna and carefully lifted Oliver into his arms. The baby stirred, tiny fists stretching before settling again.
Dad watched, eyes widening. Phoenix crossed the room and held the baby out to him.
“You should meet your grandson properly,” he said.
Dad hesitated, almost afraid to take him. When he finally did, his hands trembled.
“This is Oliver Pierre Thorne,” Phoenix said softly.
The room fell silent as Dad looked down at the baby. Tears filled his eyes almost immediately.
“You named him… after me?” he whispered.
Phoenix nodded. “Yeah.”
Dad blinked rapidly, emotion overtaking him. He looked around at all of us, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t deserve this.”
“You’ve been the one consistent thing in all our lives,” Eric said quietly.
I saw Dad’s shoulders shake slightly as he looked back down at Oliver.
Something loosened in my chest as I watched the moment unfold. The fight with Dad had felt like a fracture that might never heal. Seeing him standing there holding his grandson, surrounded by all of us, felt like the first step toward putting things back together. Sandy wiped at her eyes quietly and smiled. For the first time in weeks, it felt like we were all breathing the same air again. Dad held Oliver like the weight he’d carried for years had finally eased. My brothers looked lighter too as if something tight in all of us had finally loosened. I stepped onto the back porch and drew in a slow breath. The night air felt cool against my skin, steadying me. For the first time in a long time, things didn’t feel like they were falling apart. And yet my mind wasn’t here. It drifted straight to Claire. I pictured her smile, the way her eyes lit when she talked about something she cared about. The way she challenged me without even trying. The way being around her made me feel calmer and more restless at the same time.
Before her, when things got complicated, I left. That had always been my pattern. Move on. Find the next fight. Keep going before anything could matter too much. Now I wasn’t thinking about leaving. I was thinking about her. About the fight coming up. About the risk. About what it would mean ifsomething happened, and I never got the chance to tell her how much she’d gotten under my skin.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and stared at her name. My thumb hovered over the screen. I didn’t call. But as I headed back inside, one thought settled deep in my chest: I couldn’t wait to see her again.
CHAPTER 26
Claire
I sat cross-legged on my bed, chatting with Jamie on speaker while staring at the soft glow of the lamp beside me. Outside, Maple Valley was quiet. The kind of quiet that made you think too much.
“Okay, but seriously,” Jamie said, laughter in his voice. “How’s the summer going? Are you living your small-town nature girl era yet?”
I smiled faintly. Jamie always sounded the same. Easy. Familiar. Like home.
“I love it here. This place is like something out of a fantasy. You know how much I love the outdoors,” I said. “The orchard is hard work, but it keeps me busy.”