Chapter 2 #4
"I'm well aware of who Monica was and what happened to our marriage. I’m reminded of it every time I see her or even run into some of her friends that used to be our friends, like Kim, Stephanie, and Mae. But we don't need to rehash that, and it's not what's bothering me."
His dad arched a brow. "Yeah, well, you haven’t had a girlfriend since your divorce."
"Not entirely true." But it wasn't false. He dated and had one girlfriend who’d lasted two years, but she complained that she was competing with a ghost—and it hadn’t been his ex-wife. He’d had another one that lasted a year.
She bitched that he lived at home with his parents, and he didn't want to move out.
In the end, all she'd wanted was the family name.
Since then, he hadn't bothered much, and he still lived at home with his parents. But he had an entire wing to himself. Not to mention they lived in a freaking mansion. People got lost in his parents' house.
His two sisters lived there. And Devon, the oldest, lived just down the street.
"Are you going to get to the root of the problem?" his father asked.
The fire cracked softly in the hearth, casting flickers of light over the built-in shelves and wine-soaked history lining the walls.
Not that Bryson wanted to continue with this dangerous topic, but he did want his father's insight.
"I called Riley," Bryson said, holding his father's unwavering gaze. "She's coming back."
That got a longer pause. His dad raised his glass to his lips as if he were trying to hide a smile. But he couldn’t disguise the crinkling around his eyes that suddenly glinted with amusement. He sat forward slightly. "You two haven't spoken since she left town. How'd that go?"
"It was interesting. Weird. But good." Bryson took a slow, long sip. Liquid courage. The familiar warmth spread through him, steadying his nerves. It worked. "I didn't think I'd ever hear her voice again."
"And how did that feel?" Sometimes, his father enjoyed treating conversations as if he were peeling an onion.
The question hit deeper than Bryson expected.
He’d been trying not to analyze the phone call, not to pick apart every inflection in Riley’s voice or the way his heart had hammered against his ribs when she’d said his name.
"Like someone split my chest open and poured twelve years right back in." He hadn’t meant to be that honest, but there it was—the truth he’d been avoiding.
"I've never understood what happened between the two of you.
" His dad waved his hand. "I know. She wanted to travel and see the world, but you'd never leave this winery or give up any time at school. You had a goal, and nothing was going to get in the way. You were both so stubborn." His father’s words weren’t judgmental or harsh.
If anything, they were laced with a tinge of regret.
"You both made decisions, dug your heels in… and well, the rest is history."
"It was bigger than that, Dad."
"Most parents worry about teenage love. Kids getting in too deep, too young. Your mother and I never worried… until you went off to college and you started to have problems. Your sisters did tell us some of the gossip that was going around school."
"Most of it was just that."
"But you ended up with Monica anyway," his father said, voice softer now.
Bryson stared into his glass. That time in his life had been filled with confusion, anger, and a need to move past the deep hole loss had created.
"We loved each other, but it wasn't enough.
It was never going to be… enough. In the end, the only way for us to survive was if I left Stone Bridge.
If I did that, I doubt we still would've made it, because I would have wound up resenting her.
And that's a truth I know deep in my bones, or I would have chased her years ago.
" Bryson raised his glass. "This winery is part of me.
The dirt, the grapes… It's always been my future.
Letting her go was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it was right for both of us. "
His father's eyes softened. "Sometimes, we have to let things go to allow them to come back."
Bryson snorted. "Sometimes, that's just cowardice dressed up as wisdom."
"Interesting hearing my words repeated back to me," his father whispered. "Sounds like you made my point about still being hung up on that girl."
They fell silent again while Bryson collected his thoughts. Sorted his feelings. He'd been pushing them down for twelve years. But a volcano was brewing in his gut, and eventually, it was going to blow.
"It's not that. It's just that with Sean's passing and her coming back, it's brought so much to the surface.
" Bryson gave his wine a good swirl before taking a nice, satisfying mouthful.
"She's staying at the inn," Bryson added after a moment.
"Didn't even consider staying with family.
I understand that. Things are still tense with them. "
"She's been gone a long time." His dad lowered his chin. "Riley does have to take some accountability for her relationships with her family."
"I won't argue with that," Bryson said. "But they didn't make returning easy. They judged her for every decision she made. It started with her wanting to live with Sean. Dating me. Wanting to travel. I know I also made that one difficult, but once she left, they wrote her off."
"And how do you know this?"
"Because Grant, Erin, Elizabeth, my ex-wife, and even some of Riley’s old friends—like Stephanie—enjoyed letting me know that if it weren't for me, she might have returned." Bryson rose and made his way to the fireplace. He set his glass on the mantel and stared at the fire.
"I would think Monica was glad about that."
Bryson snorted. "Oh, she was… mostly. I mean, Erin didn't like Monica back then, because she blamed her for Riley taking off. But once things went sideways with my marriage, Monica liked to poke me about it. As if I were the reason she’d lost one of her best friends.
" He ran a hand over his mouth. "I suppose, in a way, I was. "
"Again, not your fault."
"I’m partly to blame." Bryson lifted his glass and took a nice, long draw. "So many people act like Riley abandoned them when she left. But it's Riley who felt that way her entire life."
"Are we talking about her parents' divorce?" his father asked. "Because you're all over the place right now." His dad held up his hand. "I get it. Sean just died. We're all emotional. But I have no idea where you're going with this conversation."
Bryson knew exactly what he wanted to discuss, but he wasn't quite sure how to get there.
Perhaps it was best to start at the beginning.
"Riley was so deeply affected by her mother's affair and how no one in this town seemed to know about it.
Or how they all treated her dad as if he was the one who ended the marriage. "
"While Sean is the one who walked away and filed for divorce, this entire town knows about Elizabeth's affair. The only reason no one whispers about it is because of Sean. He didn't want that for his kids.” His father’s voice dropped lower, as if the walls might be listening.
“I shouldn't tell you this, but Sean always planned on leaving Elizabeth. "
Bryson blinked, gripping his gobbler a little too tightly. "Excuse me?"
"He didn't want to do that until Riley was out of high school and on her own. His children were more important to him than his own happiness, something I think he deeply regretted in the end."
"I had no idea." Bryson made his way back to the chair, collapsing into it.
"I know that Riley caught her mother and Parker together while her parents were still married."
"Did you also know that Elizabeth expected Riley to keep that information to herself? To perpetuate the lie that Parker and her mom didn't start dating until after Sean moved out?"
"I did. The entire thing was a lot for a child, and she felt alone and betrayed." His father waved his hand. "However, she ran from this town and left a lot of heartache in her wake. I'm not saying she didn't have her reasons, I'm just saying she made what appeared to be rash decisions."
Bryson gulped down a few more sips. "I offered Riley the guesthouse, but she wouldn't take it.
I hate that she'll be in a hotel… alone.
This town can be so damn unforgiving. She'll need people she can lean on.
" Mentally, he kicked himself for being such a coward and not telling his father what was really on his mind.
"I understand your concern. Even so, would you consider staying with your ex-girlfriend in a situation like this? Under these circumstances?"
Bryson managed a faint smile. "I suppose not."
His dad reached for the bottle and refilled both their glasses.
Bryson downed half his glass in record time, barely enjoying the richness of his own blend. He couldn't carry this burden a second longer.
"When she gets here, let her find her footing. Let her grieve. The rest… it'll come when it's time." His father’s tone gentled, the way it always did when he was trying to plant seeds of possibility. "Twelve years is a lot of space. Maybe you two can spend a moment and heal."
Bryson turned toward his father, his pulse thundered, it radiated—everywhere.
"There's something I never told anyone," he said quietly, fingers tightening around his glass.
"Not you. Not Mom. Not even Devon. Sean knew, but outside of that, it's probably the best-kept secret in Stone Bridge.
And I need to unload it before I face Riley again. "
His father set his wine glass aside. "I'm listening."
"It happened about a month before Riley's graduation. Right before she changed her mind again about staying." Bryson swallowed. Hard. "Right before me and Monica happened."
"Don't beat around the bush, son. Just spit it out."
"Riley was pregnant, but she had a miscarriage." Bryson couldn't believe he'd spoken the words aloud. The words that had haunted him for so many years. The pain… the guilt… the anger. It had hung over him like a dense cloud ready to dump a storm.
The words spun in the space between them, raw and heavy.
Outside, the wind picked up, rattling the windows as if even the vineyard could sense the weight of what had been revealed.
His father's expression didn't shift at first, but Bryson saw the shock in his eyes. The sadness for his child etched in his parted lips. "My God, son. I… we… your mother and I had no idea."
"Riley didn't want anyone to know. Said it was hers to carry.
Plus, she was so angry at me over Monica.
Over that kiss. We were kids… scared and stupid.
I was just finishing up my first year of college.
Things had been so up and down. We fought all the time about the future, and it wasn't looking bright for us. "
His dad flopped back, arms dangling on the sides of the chair… stunned.
"The whispers about me and Monica had been swirling.
It was frustrating, and it was even harder for Riley because she and Monica were friends.
Everything was compounded by the fact that Monica and I went to the same university.
We did see each other, and while I tried to avoid her, it was impossible.
" Bryson ran a hand over his mouth. "Right around the time Riley learned she was pregnant, Monica came at me hard.
She made her move, next thing I knew, we were in a lip lock.
I ended it quickly, but not quickly enough because someone took a picture, and the rumors spread even faster. "
"That's a lot for an eighteen-year-old to deal with. And I mean both you and Riley."
"Riley, she was already spinning out of control.
" Bryson stared into the fire, his voice low.
"The thing with Monica just pushed her further away, and I couldn't leave school.
There was this baby, and yet we were on the brink of being over, and then the baby was gone, and then so was Riley. No way to fix that."
Walter pushed himself out of his chair. Quickly, he closed the gap in two strides.
Before Bryson could react, his father wrapped his arms around him—not the awkward, obligatory embrace of holidays or goodbyes, but the fierce, protective hold of a parent who just realized his child had been carrying an unbearable weight.
“I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that alone," his father said, his voice thick with emotion.
"All these years, and I never knew. I should have seen it. Should have been there for you.
Bryson’s chest split open—not the sharp kind of break of fresh pain, but the slow, inevitable crumbling of the walls he’d built to hide this secret. He’d forgotten what it was like to have someone else carry even a fraction of what he’d been shouldering.
When his father finally pulled back, tears welled in his eyes. “I love you. I know I can’t make this better, or right. But I will always be here for you.”
"I know." Bryson’s jaw worked as he struggled to keep his composure.
The relief of finally telling someone warred with the guilt that had become his constant companion.
He pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes, trying to stem the tide of emotion threatening to overwhelm him.
" I don’t know how to face her. What to say to her or how to act.
Her father just died, and I'm also reeling over that. "
The fire popped softly, as if exhaling the last of the secret that had finally been set free.
"All I can say is, be a safe place for her to land. Twelve years is a long time. Fundamentally, you're the same man, but people grow, and they do change."
"And she won't stay," Bryson said softly.