Chapter 20 #2
And for the first time in days, it felt like maybe the shadows were starting to lift.
Three days later, Jake got a message from his contact sharing that Dean had contacted the RCMP counsel and confirmed the full contents of the USB. The information Petra decrypted had been enough to trigger the first wave of investigations, and as promised, Logan’s name never came up.
Logan said little when they told him, but he immediately headed out.
Four hours later Declan spotted him repainting the south fence line without being asked —
A quiet thank-you in the language of High Water ranch. Pay it forward.
There were exactly six balloons taped to the corner of the porch, and someone—probably Tansy—had written YOU ARE OFFICIALLY OLD in glitter pen on a scrap of cardboard and hung it over the swing.
Sydney didn’t feel old. She felt cracked.
Not in a bad way, just peeled back, armor stripped away, and underneath was all the soft stuff she didn’t usually let anyone see.
Love. Fear. Hope.
A woman who still wasn’t quite sure what came next—but at least now she knew what she wanted.
The screen of her phone lit up with a call from Mom, and Sydney stared at it for three full rings before answering.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart!” Marie’s voice was bright and warm. Behind her, a flash of Grandma Belinda’s garden came into view before Marie turned the camera back toward herself.
Sydney propped her phone up on the porch railing then leaned back against the weatherworn wall, hands wrapped around a warm mug of tea. “Thanks, Mom.”
“You look tired but better than the last time we chatted.” Marie tilted her head. “Not working today, I hope?”
“Only accepting hugs and cupcakes from friends.”
Marie grinned. “Good. Everyone should be spoiled a little on their birthday.”
There was a pause. Not awkward, just weighted.
Sydney swallowed. “Thanks for calling.”
“I always will.” Her mother smiled again, but this time the expression was quieter, more careful. “You know, I’ve been thinking about our last call.”
“I have too,” Sydney admitted. “But I haven’t really known what to say. Or how to say it.”
“Start small, then.”
Sydney decided to start big. She glanced toward the front door then back to the screen. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
Her mother’s eyebrows went up.
Sydney didn’t hesitate. “Declan?” she called. “You’re being summoned.”
Declan stepped onto the porch with his usual solid presence, coffee mug in hand and a question on his face.
“Come here, please? I’ve got my mom on chat.
” When he stepped into the camera view, Sydney caught his hand with her free fingers and held on tight as she looked into his eyes.
“Mom, this is Declan Skye,” Sydney said, her voice gentle but sure, staring directly at him, speaking to him.
“The man I love. The one who makes me feel safe and strong and like myself. And the one I absolutely plan to keep.”
He smiled. The barest hint of a curl to his lips, but his entire face was filled with so much love she couldn’t keep from smiling back. Offering up her own honest, heartfelt response.
A soft murmur finally registered, and Declan laughed, tilting his head toward her phone. “Audience.”
Sydney refused to be embarrassed. She twisted to the phone even as she eased into Declan’s side.
Marie blinked once, then twice, then her entire face softened like someone had flipped a switch.
“Oh my,” she whispered. “Your expression matches the one Sydney’s father wore when I introduced him to my mom.”
Declan chuckled. “Hopefully that’s a compliment.”
Marie’s eyes crinkled with warmth. “It is. Welcome to the family, Declan.”
“Happy to be here.”
They chatted lightly for another moment, Declan eventually stepping away to let Sydney and her mom continue.
“You love him,” Marie said after a moment, no question in her tone.
Sydney nodded. “Yeah. I do.”
“I’m proud of you.” Marie’s voice was soft but unshakeable. “You’ve built a life that’s yours. And you finally let someone share it with you. That takes guts.”
“Don’t make me cry on my birthday.”
“I won’t. I’ll just say this; if you ever need anything—anything at all—I want to help.”
Sydney huffed a laugh, sipping her tea. “Sure. You want to invest in a medical clinic in Alberta?”
She said it flippantly, almost bitterly—because really, what were the chances?
But her mother lit up. “Well, now that’s something to discuss. Yes. Tell me more.”
Sydney choked. “Wait. What?”
Marie leaned closer to the screen. “Darling, your father and I have helped each of your siblings at some point in their lives. Sometimes with first mortgages, sometimes with business loans. Why would you think we wouldn’t be here to help you when you asked?”
Sydney’s heart slammed against her ribs. “You have those kind of discretionary funds?”
“Well, it depends. There is a limit, but if you’re talking about the clinic you’re currently running, we should be able to manage it.”
“I can’t believe this.” Sydney shook her head, confused even as hope rose inside. “You never offered before.”
“You never asked. You didn’t share any financial details of the clinic or how you were establishing it until after your grandfather had already set you up. At that point, we didn’t want to undermine your decisions,” Marie said.
Tears sprang up, fast and sharp, catching Sydney off guard. “All this time, I thought I had to do everything alone. Which meant accepting Grandpa’s help.”
“Never.” Marie paused. “I know we’re different.
You’ve always been fierce and independent and impossibly brilliant.
And I’ve always been more comfortable making cookies and wrangling toddlers and making sure the house runs like a clock.
But I’ve never regretted a minute of the life I chose.
I want you to have that same confidence in your choices. ”
Sydney pressed her hands to her chest. “I do. Finally.”
“Good.” Marie’s smile glowed through the screen. “Because it’s not very correct to say this to you, but your grandpa Nate needs to butt out. He’s shaped too much of your world.”
“I hate that you’re right.”
“Hey, I love that you’re starting to take your power back. We raised you hoping you’d be strong enough to know your own mind. Sometimes it takes a while to come into that power. Also, your grandfather is a bit of a jackass.”
That made Sydney bark out a laugh.
Marie beamed. “There’s my girl.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Start with yes.” Marie leaned back, her voice warm.
“Let us help fund your clinic. Let us be a part of the legacy you’re building—not for my sake, or your father’s, or for Grandpa Nate, but for you.
And if you’ll let me… I’d like to come visit.
Your dad too. We can be there for Thanksgiving. Help you with paperwork. Bring pie.”
Sydney blinked. “You’re serious.”
“I’ve never been more serious. If I have one regret, it’s not making it clearer to you that love and career can live side by side.
I’m sorry you thought that your choices had to look like mine—or like your grandfather’s—to be valuable.
But the truth is, you’ve got your own map to draw now. I want to see what you make of it.”
The screen blurred as tears ran freely now. Not from sadness, but relief. Something long buried finally loosened. Something that hadn’t had a name before.
“I’d like for you to visit,” Sydney whispered. “I’d like that very much.”
“Then we’ll be there,” her mother promised. “We’ll bring things from the garden, and the wine, and we’ll figure out the details for the clinic and celebrate the man who finally cracked open your heart.”
“He didn’t crack it,” Sydney said. “He saw it and held it like it mattered.”
Marie didn’t say anything for a moment, just looked at her daughter with fierce, unwavering love.
“I always knew you’d find someone worthy of you.”
When they hung up a few minutes later, Sydney sat in stunned silence on the porch.
Declan appeared with another mug of tea for her.
“How’d it go?” he asked, taking a seat beside her.
Sydney looked at him, at the mountain of quiet strength beside her, and shook her head with a smile.
“They’re investing in the clinic.”
Declan blinked. “The hell?”
“My parents. They’ve been waiting for years for me to admit that I wanted their help.”
“Damn.” He let out a low whistle. “You’ve got good people in your corner.”
“I do.”
“So, what now?”
“I guess now we talk to a lawyer. Then we plan for Thanksgiving.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “And I spend the rest of the night kicking myself for thinking I had to do this alone.”
Declan kissed her temple. “You didn’t know. You were doing the best you could with what you had.”
“I gave up good things.”
“Yeah,” he agreed softly. “But sometimes the bumps and bruises along the way are what make the good things feel like miracles.”
Sydney sighed. “You always say the right thing.”
He kissed her again, this time slow and sure. “That’s just because I’ve been practicing.”
She let out a quiet laugh, threading her fingers through his. “We’ve got a future.”
“We’ve got a whole damn life.”
For the first time, she believed it down to her bones. The cracks inside her didn’t feel like weaknesses anymore.
They felt like paths for the sunlight to trickle through.