Chapter 22
Claire
The next couple of weeks slipped by faster than I expected.
Days blurred together in the orchard. Mornings started early with the air cool and damp before the sun climbed high enough to warm the rows of trees.
My hands stayed busy twisting apples from branches, stacking crates, moving through routines that felt simple in the best way.
Work left little room for spiraling thoughts, and for the first time in years my mind felt quieter.
I tried not to think about Sophie. About my thesis and the endless questions that had shaped my life for so long.
Instead, I focused on the rhythm of the orchard, the scent of earth, the hum of insects, the way sunlight filtered through leaves like something healing.
Mom’s words kept echoing in my head. How I’d put my life on hold chasing answers.
I used to argue with her whenever she said it, convinced she didn’t understand.
But out here, with nothing but time and open sky, I realized she had been right.
Somewhere along the way I stopped doing things that made me happy.
Everything became about justice. About closure and refusing to let go.
Last week Becket had called with an update.
There was movement on Marcel Bellerose’s case.
He couldn’t share details, only that something big was happening behind the scenes.
Hearing that should’ve sent me spiraling back into research mode, but instead it felt like a strange relief.
Maybe things were finally moving without me forcing them.
Marcel’s downfall wasn’t just about Sophie anymore.
It touched everyone connected to the Thornes.
Harmony wanted her father to answer for everything he’d done.
Elyna finally understood that Marcel’s people were responsible for her mother’s death.
Phoenix and Eric carried their own scars tied to that world.
And now the truth about Helen Thorne had blown open wounds that never really healed.
None of the brothers were speaking to their dad. I knew that mostly through Asher. He’d been avoiding the main house since Pierre admitted why their mother left. The anger still simmered beneath the surface, even when he tried to pretend it didn’t.
It had only been a little over a month since I arrived in Maple Valley, yet somehow everything felt different.
I was changing, trying new things and not living in the past. I had Asher to thank for that.
He wasn’t what I expected when I first came here.
Under the gruff exterior was someone steady.
Someone who listened and made me feel safe in ways I didn’t fully understand yet.
Nights blurred into mornings with us tangled together, sharing quiet moments that felt more intimate than anything I’d experienced before.
We still hadn’t had sex. And despite his promise, he still hadn’t taken me on that date.
Asher was stretched thin. Training consumed whatever hours the orchard didn’t.
In between he gave classes at the community center.
He’d also signed on for a bigger fight in Toronto with more exposure, more money, and higher stakes.
Some nights he came back late with shoulders tight, knuckles raw and exhaustion written all over him.
Other mornings he was already gone before I stepped outside.
He ran the orchard and trained like his life depended on it, and somehow he still found time to be present with me.
Every time we crossed paths, he apologized. “I didn’t forget about the date,” he’d say, brushing his thumb over my wrist or pressing a quick kiss to my temple before running off again.
I believed him. I did. But part of me wondered if time would ever slow down long enough for us to actually go out.
The days kept rolling forward anyway. After finishing in the orchard, I took a walk along the paths in Maple Valley when movement near Phoenix and Elyna’s house caught my attention.
Phoenix was practically sprinting across the driveway.
Elyna was bent slightly forward, one hand gripping her stomach, the other clinging to his arm.
“Oh boy,” I whispered.
Harmony stood nearby with Braden on her hip while Elyna fired off instructions at rapid speed.
“His bag is packed already, the blue one, and he needs the dinosaur pajamas tonight because he won’t sleep without them and...”
“Harmony’s got it,” Phoenix said, voice strained but gentle. “Baby, we need to go.”
“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 stood there 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.”
“It’s not that either. Not at all,” I said, but I was having trouble getting words out.
“What is it?” he asked softly.
“I felt like you were putting it off. Like it was maybe something you decided you didn’t want. Just things have been getting...”
“Serious,” he said, finishing my sentence.
I nodded. “We spend every night in bed together. We share things I’ve never shared, I catch you watching me at the orchard and it makes me smile.”
“You make me smile too, Claire. You’ve made me realize that I wasn’t happy being alone,” he said.
“But,” I said. “It sounds like there’s one in your sentence.”
He shook his head. “No buts here. I may have put off our date because I was scared of what sex would mean for us. I’ve never had feelings like this before and it creeped me out,” he confessed.
I had a feeling, but I kept quiet.
“I want to be with you, Claire. Like I’ve never wanted anyone before,” he said, and that made the flutters return to my chest.
“So it’s a date then?” I asked.
He growled. “You’re going to be the end of me, beautiful.”
He kissed my lips like he meant it.
“I’ll come by your cabin around six?” he asked.
“Sure, but don’t you need to be around in case Elyna has her baby?” I asked.
“It’ll be fine. Right now I need you,” he said. His use of the word need did something to my insides.
“What should I wear?” I asked.
“Well, I had wanted to drive into Montreal and take you somewhere special, but now I should stay closer to home. I was thinking of taking the private room at the brewery. Would that be okay?”
I blinked. “That sounds perfect. The brewery is so pretty, and I love it here in Maple Valley.”
Asher gave me such a warm smile. I felt like I was melting. “Come, I’ll walk you to your cabin.”
He took my hand and we walked down the path to my cabin. He didn’t seem to care who saw us. We bumped into Jonah, and when his gaze dropped to our hands. He asked, “So you guys are official?”
Asher looked over to me, and his cheeks tinged pink. “I’m holding her hand. That’s all you need to know.”
Jonah laughed and shook his head, and then he walked off. Asher walked me to my cabin door, kissed my cheek, and said he’d be seeing me soon. We parted ways. I went inside to get ready. I was giddy and smiling. I was so damn happy. I went to shower, shave, and wash my hair.
When I got out of the shower, my phone rang. “Hi, Mom,” I answered. It felt like she had a sixth sense.
“Hi, baby, how are you?” she asked.
“Good. Just getting ready to go on a date with Asher,” I said.
“Oh, that sounds nice,” she cooed.
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“You sound happy, Claire,” she said.
“I am,” I admitted. “I haven’t felt happy in a long time.”
“Sounds like Maple Valley has been good to you,” she said.
“It has been. It’s reminded me how much I love the outdoors and all the wildlife, flowers, trees,” I said.
“You sound in love,” she giggled.
“That couldn’t possibly happen so fast,” I said to her.
“I fell in love with your dad after four weeks of dating and here we are still happily married,” she said.
“I guess we’ll wait and see,” I said.
“How is your thesis going?” she asked.
That made my stomach drop. I didn’t want my mood to dampen. “It isn’t. I just haven’t been putting in the time and research.” I didn’t want to scare her and tell her about meeting with Nico or receiving that mysterious letter.
“Okay, we can talk about it another time. Enjoy your date,” she said.
“Thank you,” I said with relief.
“Love you, baby,” she said.
“Love you too.”
We ended the call. I blew out my hair into soft curls.
I only packed a few dresses since I didn’t plan on dating, but I had a yellow summer dress that had violet and blue flowers on it.
It was sleeveless and fitted on top and flowed out at the bottom.
I got myself dressed and put on a pair of gold flat sandals, and that’s when the knock on the door came.