Chapter 12
Twelve
Late afternoon sunlight spilled across the Boone backyard, bathing it in a honeyed glow, warm enough to coax the last lazy bees toward the flowering vines that climbed the surrounding fences.
The air was rich with the scent of grass and the dusty, herbal aroma of the olive trees from the grove beyond.
This had always been one of Riley’s favorite times of the year. But today, everything just felt… wrong.
She sat at the long teak patio table with Erin, Kelly, and Brea, each of them cradling a glass of wine.
Erin’s kids, Nathan and Willa, were darting across the lawn, shrieking with laughter as Bryson and Devon chased them like the overgrown kids they were.
Kelly’s two, Jessica and Randy, joined in, weaving between lawn chairs and past the garden beds in a chaotic blur of limbs and giggles as if their world wasn’t in turmoil.
As if their father wasn’t facing the biggest hurdle of his life.
On the far side of the house, behind the glass doors of the home office, Riley could just make out the shapes of Grant, Harlan—the lawyer Bryson’s dad had recommended—and Walter. Heads bent together, their silhouettes moved slowly, deliberation written in every gesture.
On the patio, the ladies tried to make the conversation lighter, but it proved impossible.
Erin sighed as she leaned back in her chair, pulling her legs up under her.
“Brea, thank you so much for letting us spend the day here. I can’t remember the last time I walked the vines or just relaxed in the fresh air. I’d forgotten how beautiful it is.”
“You’re welcome anytime.” Brea smiled. “I’m sorry your husband couldn’t come.”
“No, you’re not, and neither am I.” Erin huffed, looking down at her lap, hands crossed. “I’m sorry. That was rude.”
“It’s honest.” Riley reached out and took her sister’s hand. “No more pretending, right?”
“Maybe not with you. With Kelly. Or even the Boones.” Erin stared out at the vineyard, her gaze following her young children, ten and eight.
So young. So innocent. “But with them?” Erin shook her head, wiping a finger across her cheek as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“I don’t know how I’m going to tell them I’m leaving their father.
It’s not like they don’t know. Willa cries sometimes at night, asking why daddy leaves after dinner.
Nathan acts out. But his aggression is pointed at me.
He blames me for his father’s physical and emotional absence. ”
“It’s not your fault, sweetheart,” Brea added softly. “And, I’m sorry to say, but it might get worse before it gets better. But as long as you don’t make adult problems theirs, they’ll adjust. Kids are resilient. What they need is love. Understanding. And the truth, in an age-appropriate format.”
“That’s not going to be easy.” Erin took a tiny sip of her wine. “And once my mother gets wind of my plans… God, that’s going to be a mess. I know how she’ll be, and because she likes to think I’m the one with the problems and constantly takes my husband’s side, she’ll put that on my children.”
“You’ve got to create boundaries with her,” Kelly said.
“It’s about the only thing Grant and I ever really fight hard about.
He loves his mother, and she’s been pulling at his strings for as long as I can remember.
Standing up to her isn’t easy. He did it for me, and he continues to do so for our children.
” She ran her hands up and down her thighs.
“It’s a delicate dance to keep her in our lives sometimes. ”
“I had no idea it was that bad.” Riley shifted, staring at her sister-in-law. “No one ever mentioned this before—not Grant…or Dad…”
Kelly shrugged. “Grant and I kept our issues private. We didn’t want it touching our kids.
It started back in college when we started dating, and Elizabeth had a freaking meltdown over me.
Grant told her that either she accepted he was going to marry me, or he would walk out of her life.
” Kelly waved a finger like it was a laser pointer and she was giving a keynote speech.
“Just like you did. That really got to her, but she’s been mostly okay.
It’s Grant who struggles with it. He’s always missed you and hates the family dynamic but doesn’t know how to change it.
Years of hurt. Years of blaming people. Years of staring at Bryson, feeling as if things had been different there, you’d still be here. ”
“Jesus, that’s a lot to take in.” Riley swallowed hard. It was a bitter pill, but she couldn’t deny that this had been her brother’s reality. “However, Grant has said some pretty crappy things to me when we’ve chatted on the phone.”
“That’s because his mother still knows how to get to him when it comes to you,” Kelly said. “This isn’t meant to hurt you, but it’s hard when he’s only seen you a few times in the last decade.”
That stung. However, it was also the truth.
“Do you feel that way, Erin?” Riley asked.
“Sometimes, but I’ve been on this rollercoaster ride with Chad. It’s all-consuming.” Erin sighed. “But, I can’t even think about that right now. Grant needs to be the focus. I don’t believe for one second he did what he’s being accused of.”
“These aren’t easy times for any of you,” Brea said. “Just breathe. Tackle one thing at a time.”
“My parents' divorce screwed all of us so much,” Erin whispered. “We all handled it differently, but none of us well.”
“But you’re not them,” Kelly said. “And you have support. Don’t forget that.”
“I can’t believe I brought any of this up. I’m so sorry, Kel. You’ve got so much to worry about, right now.” Erin sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
This entire thing was messed up, but in a very real way, it was also what family was all about. Being there no matter what, and Riley wouldn’t turn her back on her siblings now.
Her mother was an entirely different matter.
Though currently, her mom wouldn’t even respond to her texts or take her calls.
She’d told Erin that she was too disappointed in her youngest child.
If she only knew the entire clan had just enjoyed a barbecue at the Boones. Now that would really ignite a bomb.
“Mommy! Mommy!” Willa jumped and waved. “Watch this.”
Erin sat up and covered her eyes, shading them from the afternoon sun. “I’m watching, baby.”
Bryson snagged the football, pointed toward the far corner of the yard, and Willa took off running, glancing over her shoulder, and stretching out her arms. Bryson sent the ball sailing through the air, and Willa caught it.
“Did you see that, Mommy?” Willa yelled as she jumped up and down and pranced in a circle.
“Bravo!” Erin clapped.
“My turn!” Randy snatched the ball and tossed it to Devon.
“I swear, I have no idea how they have that much energy.” Erin slumped back into the chair. “I’m exhausted just watching them.”
“That’s because you’re old,” Kelly teased, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Look who’s talking.” Erin rolled her eyes. “Thirty-three is not old. Two kids who think sleep is a government conspiracy… that’s what’s old.”
Riley smiled faintly, letting the much-needed switch to easy banter warm her.
She’d missed so much with her sister and Kelly.
She wasn’t jealous of their relationship.
Not at all. She relished it. However, a sadness settled in her heart.
She’d missed so many years, all because she’d been too hung up on past pains that could’ve been cleared up if she’d had the maturity and the courage to come home sooner.
That was on her. Not them.
She reached out and grabbed Erin’s hand. “You’re an amazing mother. I’ve always enjoyed the pictures and the stories, but meeting them? Spending time with them is like seeing the best parts of you,” Riley said, meaning it.
Erin’s dark circles and messy bun told a story of a woman barely able to keep it together, but there was love in every line of her sister’s face when she looked toward the yard.
Bryson caught Riley’s gaze across the lawn, grinned, then took off at a sprint, letting Willa tackle him around the knees. He fell into the grass with exaggerated defeat, Devon cheering the victory like a sideline coach.
Erin sipped her wine, watching them. “You know, for all their gruffness, those Boone boys are really just big kids.”
Kelly laughed. “Makes them perfect uncles, though.”
“One of my children would have to get married, have kids, blah, blah, blah, for that to happen.” Brea waved a finger. “While their lives are not mine, and my purpose in life was as a mother, not necessarily a grandma, I’m always hopeful.” She leaned over and winked at Riley.
“I’ll drink to that.” Kelly raised her glass.
“Me too.” Erin clanked her glass against Kelly’s, then Brea’s.
“You people are crazy.” Riley rolled her eyes. A few days ago, she would’ve boarded a plane so fast it made everyone’s head spin. The mere thought of being with Bryson again seemed like a pipe dream. Absurd at best.
Now? Being in his arms again felt natural. Real. Waking up next to him was like coming back to the place she’d always belonged even though she’d gotten lost along the way. As if being home allowed her to rediscover all the possibilities she’d thought she’d left behind.
A lull settled between them, the hum of conversation drifting from the yard, the sound of kids’ laughter floating up again.
Erin’s cell vibrated on the coffee table. She lifted it and glanced at the screen. “Ugh.”
“Who is it? Riley asked. “Chad?”