Chapter 8
Aeron
The grapevines stretched out in winding rows, sunlight catching on the leaves.
Workers moved between them, adjusting branches and checking grape clusters beginning to darken.
Across the vineyard, the wedding venue still carried traces of last night's celebrations.
I walked deeper into the rows, spotting Ayden up ahead, standing on a ladder, clipping stray leaves.
“You know we pay people for that.” Not exactly the nicest greeting for a friend I hadn't seen in a year, but I’d never claimed to be an expert at hellos .
Ayden turned sharply at the sound of my voice—first a flicker of annoyance, predictable given my one-year absence, then a resigned sigh, equally predictable now that I'd shown up again.
After seeing those same expressions year after year, they were easy enough to read.
He climbed down the ladder. “I'm a farmer. Getting my hands dirty comes with the job.”
“Suit yourself.” I turned toward his cabin, nostalgia hitting me all at once.
The paint peeled off in lazy curls, porch steps worn down by endless summers, firewood stacked up for winter, nothing had ever changed here.
I came back every year, yet somehow the rush of memories felt fresh every single time.
A Border Collie charged toward me, bouncing excitedly around my legs. “Pepper.” I chuckled, crouching down to scratch behind his ears. “Damn, buddy, you’ve gotten huge.” I was surprised he even remembered me. Last year, he’d just been a goofy pup stumbling over his own paws.
“I’m surprised he didn’t attack you.” Ayden gave Pepper a skeptical once-over as the dog hopped on his hind legs, front paws patting at me in pure desperation.
“He treats strangers like they're grape thieves. He’s even chased off a few wedding guests before. I swear you speak some secret animal language nobody else knows about.”
Part of it came from spending a lot of time in the wild. When you watch animals long enough, you start noticing things—what calms them, what they need, what makes them trust you. Mostly, though, I just enjoy being around them. They’re uncomplicated.
We headed inside, Pepper trailing behind us, tail wagging. Ayden recounted all the pranks we’d pulled in this house as kids—me, Allen, and him.
Pepper disappeared briefly, then reappeared with a ball in his mouth, dropping it into my hand. I got the message, and tossed the ball across the room, watching him run after it. Seconds later, he was back, dropping the ball at my feet again.
“Is Mom doing okay?” I'd asked Ayden to check in on her now and then—not that he ever needed a reminder. He'd been part of our family ever since his parents passed away, though he preferred the vineyard over staying with us.
“If by okay you mean she's not missing you, then no,” Ayden said. “She misses you, Aeron. She won't admit it, but it's obvious every time someone mentions your name. She’s strong, but even strong people fall apart sometimes.”
“I know.”
“Yeah, you know everything,” he laughed bitterly. “Except how to actually stay and deal with it.”
A smile curved my lips, fully aware of the jab beneath his words. “Well, I do now. I’m done running.” Pepper, who seemed bored of ball-tossing, wandered off to find something more interesting.
Ayden looked up sharply, eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You’re serious?”
Mom hadn’t believed me either, at least not at first. “Have I ever lied before?”
“You haven’t, but I’m still processing this.” Ayden shook his head, disbelief fading into a genuine grin. “Wait, Allen doesn't know yet. Let me call him first. We’re partying tonight.”
“He’s already on his way. I called—”
Right on cue, a tiny hurricane burst into the room.
“Aewon!” she squealed, nearly tripping over her own feet in her excitement to reach me.
“Hey, Kaia.” I crouched down just in time to sweep her into my arms, gently ruffling her hair. Allen’s little girl—his spitting image, but with double the energy. “Where’s your dad?”
“Pwaking the cal. Daddy said you came, so I came to see you too.” She stared up at me with wide, earnest eyes, adorably stumbling over her words.
“Why do I feel like you only came to see if Aeron brought that dinosaur toy you asked for?” Ayden said playfully.
Kaia shot him a fierce glare, pointing one tiny finger accusingly. “You..you mind youl own beeswax, Ayen. No one awsked you.”
“It’s business, not beeswax,” Ayden corrected. “Funny how you trip over words but never over that attitude.”
“Aewon,” she cried, turning to me with pleading eyes for backup.
I shot a pointed look at Ayden. “Stop mocking her.”
Ayden snorted. “Please. You’re always the one picking on her first, and then she turns around whining to me: Ayen, Aweon’s mean . Now look at her, switching sides again.”
Every time Allen, Ayden, and I got on a group call, Kaia insisted we switch to video, pressing her tiny face close to the screen, eyes wide with hope that some wild animal might wander past. Those calls usually ended with Ayden and me teasing Kaia, while she jumped back and forth between us, switching loyalties based on who was being nicer to her at that moment.
This time, I decided it was my turn to back her up.
“Don’t worry, Kaia. We’ll kick him when he’s asleep.” Her sour face instantly shifted into a bright grin. “And I brought you that dinosaur toy you asked for.”
“Lealy?” she squealed, bouncing on her toes, eyes wide and already demanding to have the toy right now.
“What did I miss here?” Allen walked into the room. Kaia sprinted over and wrapped herself around his legs, recapping the dinosaur toy I’d brought and demanding we get it from his car.
“Not now, princess,” Allen coaxed. “Later, okay? We’ll take it when we go home.” Kaia still wasn’t convinced, so he softened his voice. “Why don’t you go play with Pepper for a bit?”
Her attention instantly shifted, and she dashed outside to play.
It felt surreal watching Allen patiently coax his daughter. The reckless, carefree Allen I'd always known was suddenly careful, and responsible. Kaia had rewritten his entire story.
“I love these reunions,” Allen settled back on a chair. “Even if they're one day a year.”
“Better rethink that.” Allen’s mouth curved into a smirk. “Aeron’s staying for good this time.”
Allen's head snapped toward me, eyebrows raised. Skepticism again—first Mom, then Ayden, and now Allen. Clearly, staying put required more proof than my words alone. Maybe if I managed more than twenty-four hours here, they’d finally believe me.
But considering I'd spent exactly one day a year in Orange Falls for the past five years, I couldn’t exactly blame them for having trust issues
I caught up on everything I'd missed—Allen's chocolate business, Ayden's vineyard drama, and all the chaos I'd been absent from. Of course, Kaia ensured things wouldn’t stay peaceful for long. She rolled around in the dirt, dragged Pepper into her mess, and, most impressively, destroyed Ayden’s favorite plants. Ayden had the kind of patience you could bottle and sell, except when it came to his plants. Allen took one look at Ayden’s darkening expression, scooped Kaia into his arms, and bolted.