Chapter 13
Eric
I didn’t follow Harmony right away. I stayed where I was, hands on my hips, watching the orchard settle back into itself like nothing just shifted.
That was the thing about moments like that, they didn’t announce themselves.
They just landed, quiet and heavy, and left you standing there trying to remember how you were breathing before.
She didn’t say anything wrong. Neither did I.
Still, the space she left behind felt different, charged in a way I didn’t have a name for.
I told myself it was nostalgia, the echo of something finished years ago.
That explanation had always been easier than admitting the truth.
By the time I headed back toward the house, I’d already put the feeling where I kept things I didn’t have time for.
Inside, the main house was chaos but not wedding chaos.
Birthday chaos. Streamers hung crooked across the doorway, balloons bumped the ceiling, and Braden’s voice carried through everything, loud and proud and two years old.
Elyna had declared the kitchen off-limits to anyone without a purpose, frosting smeared on her sleeve and determination in her eyes.
Phoenix was sitting beside Braden in his high chair.
Braden squealed. Dad hovered near the counter, pretending not to get emotional every time Braden laughed.
Then the front door opened, and Luc Chabot filled the space like a gust of fresh air, duffel over one shoulder.
“I made it,” he announced, tired but smiling.
Elyna spun. “You weren’t supposed to drive overnight!”
“Coach gave me two days,” he said. “I’m not missing my nephew’s birthday or your wedding.”
Bean stepped in behind him, cheeks flushed from the cold. “You really think a Thorne wedding weekend starts without us?”
Phoenix abandoned the truck and pulled Luc into a hug. “You look awful.”
“Worth it,” Luc retorted, reaching for Braden. “Happy birthday, buddy.”
Braden shrieked. “Uncle Luc!”
Asher appeared with a half-deflated balloon. “Pretty sure I’m still the favorite.”
“Keep dreaming,” Luc shot back.
Laughter filled the room, easy and loud. For a minute, everything felt simple. Even Becket cracked a smile, though I caught the shadow behind his eyes. Clearly, the letter from the attic was still sitting heavy on him.
Later, out back, Braden toddled through the grass chasing bubbles, while Phoenix ran after him, Elyna filming everything with one hand and laughing so hard she had to stop.
Harmony moved between tables, adjusting centerpieces meant for tomorrow, her presence steady, quiet, and grounding.
I told myself not to watch her. I failed.
Asher caught me and smirked. “You’ve got that look again.”
“What look?” I asked as if I didn’t know.
“The one that says you’re thinking about her.” Leave it to Asher to say it like it was.
“Shut up.”
“Didn’t say it was wrong,” he defended.
Bean pulled Luc toward the stairs. “We need to make ourselves presentable.”
“I wanted to have a one-on-one with Phoenix, you know, pre-wedding talk,” Luc said.
Bean rolled her eyes. “Fine, take five.” She walked off.
With Bean gone, we were left with Phoenix, Luc, Becket, and Asher.
“I’m terrified,” Phoenix swallowed. “Not of her. Of losing this. Of finally having something good.”
Becket leaned against the banister. “Some people stay.”
Phoenix nodded. “That’s what I’m betting on.
” Phoenix looked down at his wedding band resting in the box on the counter, the faintest smile pulling at his mouth.
“She walked into my life when I was halfway to giving up on the idea of love. Watching Mom leave, seeing what it did to Dad, to us, it kind of rewired how I saw things. Made me believe nothing good stays. But Elyna changed that. She makes me want to stay. To build something that lasts.”
I swallowed hard.
He glanced up, meeting each of our eyes in turn.
“Not all relationships break, you know? Some people don’t leave.
I know it’s hard to believe, especially with everything that’s happened to this family, but…
” He paused, voice quieting. “Sometimes you get lucky enough to find the person who chooses you every damn day.”
Asher’s grin softened. “You’re really going soft on us.”
Phoenix smirked. “Maybe. But you’ll get it someday. All of you will.”
Becket gave a low chuckle. “You sound like Dad when he gets sentimental.”
Phoenix shrugged, eyes glinting. “Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.”
The room fell into an easy silence, one filled with the kind of brotherly weight that didn’t need more words.
Then Elyna called from the dining room, “Phoenix Thorne, if you don’t come help with this cake. . .”
He laughed and headed inside. “Already on it.”