Amelia
Chapter Nineteen
Amelia
T he walls of Mom’s office pressed close, memories and moonlight making the familiar space feel like a trap. Old books and leather chairs surrounded me with her scent, now tainted by Morrison’s invasive presence. He stood against the window, backlit by cold light, both detonators held with casual menace in his manicured hands.
“You won’t do it.” My voice stayed steady despite my thundering heart. “Destroy Pine Haven, you lose the uranium deposits. You lose everything.”
Something flickered in Morrison’s eyes—surprise, maybe respect. That same calculating look from old board meeting photos, always watching from shadows, always weighing angles.
“Smart girl. Like your mother.” He nodded toward the painting I’d seen my entire life. Mom and Richard Miller on opening day, their smiles bright with hope and something else I’d never noticed until now. “Go ahead. Look behind it. See what Margaret and Richard were planning.”
Hunter’s hand tightened on mine as I stepped forward, his warmth anchoring me against the weight of secrets. Each creak of floorboards beneath my feet echoed with history.
But a familiar voice cut through the tension before I could reach the painting.
“They were planning to expose you.”
Taylor stood fierce in the doorway with Van beside her, their protective stance reminding me of countless moments they’d faced down threats together.
“What are you—” Morrison’s polished facade cracked.
“Distracting you,” Van said, his athlete’s presence filling the frame.
Blue sparks reflected in Morrison’s eyes as the detonators died in his hands, disabled by Agent Blake’s signal jammer. Decades of careful control shattered across his features. He lunged before the FBI could reach him, his expensive suit tearing with the same violence that had destroyed so many lives.
“You’re just like them—blind idealists playing at progress!” Spittle flew as his composure dissolved. “Your mothers thought they could change everything. Look where that got them!”
Hunter moved swiftly and surely between us as Morrison’s hands clawed into the empty air. Pine and spice mixed with Morrison’s expensive aftershave—present and past colliding. However, Agent Blake’s team moved faster; their training was evident when they took Morrison down. He thrashed against the carpet where generations had walked, dignity forgotten in raw fury.
“It’s over.” Agent Blake’s cuffs clicked with satisfying finality around his wrists. “Jack Morrison, you’re under arrest for attempted murder, conspiracy—”
“It’s not over!” He twisted to lock eyes with me, voice venomous as a cornered snake. “The truth about their parents—”
“Is that they were heroes?” I cut through his poison, voice steady as a mountain stone. The painted figures of Mom and Richard Miller watched us, their captured smiles guarding secrets finally surfacing. “They died protecting this community. That’s their legacy.”
Morrison’s laugh turned ugly as agents hauled him up, his perfect suit now stained and wrinkled. “Legacy? You have no idea what’s still buried—” An agent forced his head down, expensive shoes scuffing the floor Mom had walked so many times.
I let myself lean into Hunter’s strength, his arms wrapping around me as Morrison’s words echoed. The familiar scent of pine and spice chased away the lingering traces of Morrison’s presence.
“You okay?” His breath warmed my hair.
“Ask me tomorrow.” I turned in his embrace, needing to ground myself in the steady love I found there. “Thank you. For being here. For everything.”
His smile still made my heart flip, just like that first late night we’d worked together. “Where else would I be?”
“Get a room, you two.” Taylor’s tease carried affection as she watched us, one hand resting over Chad, sleeping in his carrier.
The lights hummed to life as power returned, chasing shadows from Mom’s office. Through windows, people gathered on Pine Haven’s grounds, their lights creating pools of warmth in the darkness. The community coming together, as they always had.
“Claire’s handling social media,” Taylor reported, her phone casting blue shadows. “She’s spinning this as a community triumph over corporate greed. The response is overwhelming.”
“Speaking of community,” Van added, arm secure around Taylor, “Catch the Dream’s summer programs are still on. Kids need something good to believe in, now more than ever.” Passion threaded through his voice, the same fire that had made him a baseball legend.
Warmth spread through my chest at their support, at Hunter’s solid presence. The office felt different now—not haunted by secrets, but humming with possibility.
“We should help with cleanup,” I said reluctantly, not wanting to leave the quiet safety of Hunter’s arms, our family circle.
“In a minute.” Hunter turned me to face him, his hands warm on my shoulders. “First, I need to say something. Without bombs or criminals or interrupted moments.”
My heart skipped at something in his tone. “Hunter...”
“I love you.” His hands framed my face, thumbs gentle on my cheeks. “Not because of Pine Haven or family legacies or shared trauma. Just because you’re you—the woman who faces every challenge with grace and strength I fall for more each day.”
Tears pricked my eyes as truth wrapped around me like a warm blanket. “I love you too. Even when you’re being overprotective and stubborn and—”
His kiss silenced me, sweet and full of promise. Coffee and something deeper mingled on my tongue—hope, maybe, or the future. Behind us, Taylor made exaggerated gagging noises while Van laughed, sounds of family and belonging.
A knock broke the moment. Sandra Martinez stood in the doorway looking triumphant, her suit showing battle scars from the night’s chaos.
“Sorry to interrupt, but you need to see this.” She held up a worn document, edges softened by time. “Reviewing the original resort charter—there’s a land preservation clause that changes everything.”
“How?” Hunter kept one arm around me, his warmth steady against my side.
“It establishes Pine Haven as a historical trust.” Victory brightened Sandra’s eyes. “Any development needs community board approval, not just county officials. Your mother made sure of that, Amelia.”
Hope bloomed warm in my chest. “So even with Wheeler gone...”
“The resort’s protected.” Sandra smiled, raising the document bearing Mom’s familiar signature. “As long as the community supports it.”
I watched people gathering below, their lights crossing like earthbound stars. Friends, neighbors, and families who’d built memories here. Their support had never wavered.
“Well,” Hunter’s lips brushed my temple, “looks like we have work to do.”
“Together?” I echoed our earlier words.
His smile held promises. “Always.”
As we headed down, the lobby hummed with volunteers restoring order. Michael sat with Dad near the fireplace, both worn but reconciled. Flames painted shadows across their faces as they whispered. Secrets finally laid bare. I ached seeing them together, knowing how long they’d carried their burdens alone.
“They’ll be okay.” Taylor appeared with coffee that smelled of home, her therapist’s insight gentle. “You all will.”
Across the room, Hunter coordinated a crisis response with Claire. Even exhausted, he drew people in with natural leadership. When he caught my gaze, his smile fluttered in my stomach like that first night.
“You know,” Taylor nudged me, the familiar smell of her hand cream mixing with coffee steam, “I always knew this would happen.”
“What?”
“You and Hunter. After you visited when Chad was born, I saw how he looked at you.”
Heat crept up my neck. “He didn’t—”
“Oh, he did.” Her arm linked through mine, sisterly and sure. “Why do you think he helped Van start that youth program here? He could have done it anywhere.”
The thought warmed me as Claire approached, her tablet casting blue light. “Social media’s exploding. People are calling Pine Haven a symbol of community over corporate greed. Support’s pouring in.”
Then she turned her screen to show something else—an old article that caught my breath. The headline read: ‘Local Officials Launch Secret Environmental Investigation.’
Below is a photo I’d never seen: Mom and Katherine Miller outside the courthouse, determination bright in young faces.
“They weren’t just investigating property fraud,” Claire explained softly. “They were building a federal case about water contamination. Working with the EPA.”
“They were trying to save the entire valley.” Hunter’s voice carried a thick emotion beside me.
“And they did.” Sandra raised another document, this one newer. “Their evidence didn’t die with them. It’s been building, case by case, state by state. Morrison’s arrest is just the beginning.”
Taylor wiped tears, the firelight catching moisture on her cheeks. “They knew the risks.”
“That’s why Mom left those letters.” I touched her bracelet, understanding deeper now. “Why your mom had to disappear until it was safe. They were protecting more than just us.”
Hunter’s kiss landed soft but fierce on my cheek. “Like mother, like daughter.”
“Speaking of protection,” Van interrupted gently, cradling sleeping Chad, “time to show them the real surprise.”
The sight on the front steps stole my breath. Hundreds filled Pine Haven’s grounds, holding candles that flickered like earthbound stars. Families who’d vacationed here for generations. Kids from Van’s baseball program. Local business owners. All standing together, their light pushing back the darkness.
Through tears, I watched Michael and Dad join Katherine Miller at the crowd’s edge. Three people who’d carried guilt for so long, finally stepping into light. Mountain air carried pine and possibility.
Hunter’s arms wrapped around me from behind, solid and sure. “Ready?”
I turned in his embrace, seeing my own emotions reflected in his eyes. Love, hope, and future stretching before us. “Ready.”
As we joined our family on the steps, as candlelight spread across Pine Haven’s grounds like dawn breaking, I finally understood what Mom had always said about this place.
It wasn’t just a resort.
It wasn’t just a legacy.
It was home.
And standing there, surrounded by love, light, and community, I knew whatever came next, we’d face it together.