Chapter 25
Asher
Training had turned into a pressure cooker.
Every hit I threw landed harder than it needed to.
Sweat burned my eyes as I drove my fists into the heavy bag, the chain above it rattling with every impact.
Coach shouted combinations from across the gym, but my focus kept slipping.
My body moved through the motions, muscle memory taking over while my mind drifted somewhere else entirely.
For most of my life, fighting had been simple.
You trained, you stepped into the cage, you won or you lost, and then you moved on.
Now nothing felt simple. The orchard needed me.
The fight in Toronto was weeks away. And Claire had found a place somewhere deep inside me, in a place I didn’t know existed before.
For the first time in my life, I had something to lose. That realization sat heavy in my chest.
I pulled off my gloves and sat down on the bench, dragging in a breath while sweat dripped from my jaw. My phone buzzed from my bag, and Phoenix’s name flashed across the screen.
“Yeah?” I answered.
“We need to talk about Dad,” he said without preamble. “Everyone’s coming over. Elyna and the baby are home, so we’re meeting here.”
I ran a hand over my face. “I’ll be there.”
I finished up my training session and hit the shower, then I drove back to Maple Valley.
By the time I walked into Phoenix’s house, Eric was already there, leaning against the kitchen island.
Becket stood by the window, arms crossed, tension written all over him.
Harmony sat on the couch beside Elyna, who looked exhausted but happy.
Phoenix stepped out of the hallway, holding the baby carefully in his arms. All of us moved closer without thinking.
“He’s perfect,” Harmony whispered.
Phoenix smiled down at his son, pride and awe all over his face. “Meet Oliver Pierre Thorne.”
The name landed heavily. No one said anything at first.
Pierre.
Despite everything happening between us and our father, Phoenix had still chosen to honor him.
We passed Oliver carefully between us. Tiny fingers curled around mine for a second, and something in my chest softened.
Watching my brothers with the baby made everything feel bigger than the anger we were carrying toward Dad.
Eventually Phoenix cleared his throat and the mood shifted.
“It doesn’t feel right,” he said quietly. “What’s happening with Dad.”
Becket’s jaw tightened. “You mean the part where he kept life-changing information from us for decades?”
Elyna sat forward slightly. “He was trying to protect you.”
Becket looked at her sharply. “From what?”
“From carrying the weight of it,” she replied. “I lost my mom because of Marcel Bellerose. I know what wanting justice feels like. I understand why Pierre made the choices he did.”
Harmony nodded slowly. “I put everything on the line to bring my father down,” she said. “I handed over evidence. I betrayed him to the police. And he still walked free because of a technicality.”
Silence settled over the room.
Eric rubbed the back of his neck. “I still think Dad should’ve told us something about Mom at some point.”
“He should’ve,” Becket added, though his tone had softened slightly.
Phoenix looked between us. “But think about when he could’ve told us. We were kids. Then teenagers. Then adults with our own problems.”
“The longer he waited, the harder it became,” I said quietly. Everyone looked at me.
I shrugged slightly. “He was there for us growing up. Every game. Every bad decision. Every time we needed someone.”
Elyna nodded. “He was there for me too.”
“And me,” Harmony added softly.
The room fell quiet again as everyone absorbed that.
Eric sighed. “I can understand it getting harder with time. Doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.”
Becket exhaled slowly, tension leaving his shoulders just a little. “I’m still pissed,” he admitted. “But maybe… maybe it wasn’t as black and white as I thought.”
No one disagreed. The anger wasn’t gone, but something had shifted. We were starting to see the situation from more than one side. Later, while everyone else hovered near the baby, Phoenix and I ended up in the kitchen. He poured himself water and leaned against the counter.
“Claire talked to Elyna.”
I frowned slightly. “About what?”
“She’s worried about your fight.” That landed harder than expected.
I stared down at my hands. “Yeah.”
“You taking this one different?” he asked.
“It’s not that. The stakes are higher. There’s a big payout, but it comes with higher risks,” I explained.
“Is the money worth getting hurt?” he asked.
“We both know it isn’t,” I stated the obvious.
“Then walk away,” Phoenix said.
“My reputation is on the line,” I countered.
“So this is about ego,” he said studying me.
I tilted my head from side to side. “There was a time I would’ve said hell yeah, it is. But since taking over the orchard, I’ve changed.”
Phoenix nodded. “It’s good to see you sticking around. You’ve done a lot of good over there Ash. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks. I fought it like hell, but now that I’m running things, I’m more grounded and steadier,” I said, looking at my eldest brother.
“I see that but I’m sensing something is still bothering you. What is it?” He waited.
“Now with Claire… everything feels different,” I admitted quietly.
His mouth twitched like he already knew where this was going.
“It feels good,” I said, searching for the right words. “But it’s also scary. I’ve never had someone in my life who makes me think about consequences like this.”
Phoenix laughed softly. “That’s when you know.”
“Know what?” I asked.
“That it matters.” The words sat heavy between us.
I looked toward the living room where my family gathered around the baby. For the first time in years, my life didn’t feel like something I could walk away from. The fight was still coming. But now there was something waiting for me on the other side.
“I’m going to call Dad,” Phoenix said. “Him and Sandy should be here too.”
I agreed and went back into the living room. Phoenix followed a few moments later.
“Dad and Sandy are coming over now,” he said.
No one responded right away, but nobody objected either.
The waiting felt heavier than I expected.
Elyna rocked Oliver gently while Harmony talked softly to Eric.
Becket paced near the window; hands shoved into his pockets.
I leaned against the counter, watching the front door like I was bracing for something.
“It’s good,” Becket finally said. “I need to get back to the main house,” he joked.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Eric agreed.
“It is,” I added.
When the knock finally came, the room went quiet.
Phoenix opened the door. Dad stepped inside first, Sandy close behind him.
Dad looked older than I remembered. Shoulders slightly hunched, eyes cautious like he wasn’t sure how he’d be received.
Sandy offered everyone a small smile, the kind that tried to ease tension without forcing it.
“Hi,” Dad said quietly.
No one moved for a moment. Phoenix stepped forward and gestured toward the living room. “Come in.”
Dad nodded and walked in slowly, taking us in. His gaze lingered on each of us like he was checking to make sure we were really there.
“I know I’m not exactly welcome right now,” he said.
Becket exhaled sharply. “That’s not it.”
Dad waited.
Eric spoke first. “You should’ve told us. About Mom. About everything.”
Dad nodded immediately. “You’re right.”
No defensiveness. No excuses. The honesty caught everyone off guard.
“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 if something 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.