Chapter 19
Nineteen
Bryson paced on the front porch, pausing to stare down the stretch of road heading away from town, searching for Grant’s SUV.
“Relax, son,” his father said. “It’s over.”
Bryson shook his head. “We might have the answers we needed to clear Grant, but for them? This is far from over. They lost their father and now, their mother. It’s going to take a long time for them to heal from this.” Bryson pressed his hands on the railing and stared at the sky. “If ever.”
His father stood next to him, resting a firm hand on his shoulder. “What those three brave souls did wasn’t just about making sure Grant didn’t go to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. It was about rebuilding a family.”
Bryson swallowed the bile that bubbled up his throat. He shifted his gaze, staring at his dad. His hero. The man he aspired to be like his entire life. “Maybe, but it doesn’t make this any easier.”
“No one can be prepared for something like what those three are going through, or the fallout it’s created,” his dad said.
“However, what you need to remember is they went into this believing Elizabeth was not only capable of setting up her son… but also killing Sean. Given time, support, and the bond they’re creating with each other, they will survive this. ”
Bryson ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a long breath. His chest tightened. “Old fears are resurfacing,” he said softly.
“You’re afraid Riley will run.”
“A little,” Bryson admitted. “Maybe not race off to parts unknown, but from me.”
“She’s just returned home, and a lot has happened.
” His father took him by the shoulders. “I understand you have regrets. That you look back to those years and think of all the things you could’ve done differently.
Thing is, all that matters is that you’re there for her now.
Be the roots she can ground herself to. The love the two of you have for one another has always been…
enough. But like grapes, the time has to be right.
This is the right vintage for you and Riley. ”
In the distance, Grant’s vehicle came into view. “I hope your interesting metaphor is accurate.”
“I’ll leave you alone.” His dad slipped into the house as Bryson stood there with his heart beating like a caged animal.
Grant’s shiny SUV rolled up the long drive, the sound cutting through the quiet that had settled over the Boone property. Bryson leaned against the porch rail, arms folded, waiting as patiently as possible. This wasn’t about him.
The sun had started its climb toward the center of the sky, casting the yard in a wash of gold that felt almost too good for the emotions swirling in his gut.
The rear passenger door opened first—Riley stepping out, shoulders squared like she’d had to brace them into place. Erin followed, exhaustion carved into her expression. Grant rounded the hood, his jaw tight, eyes shadowed. For a moment, Bryson wasn’t sure which of them was holding the others up.
“I’m not sure I even know what to say,” Bryson said when they reached the steps.
Grant met his gaze, stretching out his hand. “Probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he said quietly.
Bryson pushed his arm aside and pulled him in for a hug. It lasted only a few seconds. Strong. Stoic. Two men, letting go of years of… he had no idea. And forging a new brotherhood that couldn’t ever be broken.
“Thank you.” Grant took a step back. “Not sure any of us could’ve gotten through this without you and your family.”
“As your dad would say… It’s what the family we choose does.”
Grant chuckled. “When Kelly and I got married, he told me that the most important family is often the ones we pick and that I picked a good one with her.” Grant swiped his hands across his face. “He was right. I think he was always right, I was just too damn…” He blew out a puff of air.
“Don’t do that to yourself.” Erin eased closer to Grant, resting her hand on his back. “Through all the ups and downs. The fights. The craziness. He loved us. All of us. And he was proud of you.”
Grant looped an arm around each sister. “He’d be most proud of this. Of us. We’re good now. You know that, right?”
Erin nodded first, quick and certain.
He pulled her in for a hug—brief, almost fierce—before turning to Riley. She hesitated for half a beat, then stepped into his arms. Her chin trembled against his shoulder, but she held it together until he let her go. “I love you, big brother.”
“Right back at you, baby sis,” Grant said. “I’ve got to get to the station. Sandy needs my statement. I’ll call when I’m done.”
Erin touched his arm. “We’ll be here.”
Grant flicked his gaze back to Bryson—one more silent acknowledgment—and then turned away. The SUV rolled out of the drive, tires kicking up dust as it disappeared around the bend.
Erin exhaled a breath that seemed to take the last of her strength with it. “The kids?” she questioned.”
“Walking the vines with Devon,” Bryson said. “Kelly couldn’t send them off to school.”
“I’m glad. I just want to go hug them. No idea how or what to tell them, but for now, I just need to see my babies.” She raced down the steps and around the side of the house without another word.
That left Riley standing on the porch, hands hanging at her sides. Her gaze tracked the empty stretch of road where Grant had gone, and for a moment, she didn’t seem to notice Bryson was still there.
“Ry,” he said softly.
Her head turned, and the raw, unguarded truth of the day shown in her eyes. The strain of holding in too much for too long. The sorrow of losing both parents. The deep grief etched in her dark blue irises.
He opened his arms. She hesitated for only a breath before crossing the space between them. When she stepped into him, it wasn’t a graceful fall but a gradual surrender—her forehead pressing against his collarbone, her fingers curling lightly into the back of his shirt.
At first, she held herself rigid, like she could still keep some of it in. Then her knees softened, her weight leaning into him, and the first shaky exhale feathered against his chest.
He lifted her into his arms. “I’ve got you,” he murmured, carrying her all the way to the back of the house, where his mother quickly opened the porch door for them before quietly retreating inside.
The ceiling fan swirled warm air around them. He settled onto the loveseat, its new green cushions cradling them both. She curled into him, knees tucked, her cheek pressed over his heart.
He didn’t speak right away, just traced slow circles along her arm with his thumb, the rhythm matching the steady beat of his breath. As she cried, the tension bled out of her, leaving only the tremors of release.
“It’s okay now,” he said, his voice low.
Her answer was a quiet, humorless laugh mixed with a sob. “Nothing about this is okay.”
“No,” he agreed. “But you’ve got Grant. You’ve got Erin. And you’ve got me.” He tipped his head, brushing his lips over her hair. “That’s not changing.”
Her fingers gently twisted in the fabric of his shirt. “It feels different now. Knowing they’re… mine again. That we’re us again.”
“You deserve that. You all do.”
They sat there in the hush of the fading morning, listening to the birds’ chorus in the vineyard beyond. She shifted just enough to tip her head back and meet his gaze. “I don’t know what comes next.”
“You don’t have to,” he said. “All you need to know is you’re not facing it alone.”
Her throat moved as she swallowed. “I’ve lived my entire adult life from a distance. As if I were living it in the shadows of home. Not really letting myself be part of it, but never really letting go.”
“Now you can have it. You can reach out and touch it. Be part of all that you’ve wanted.”
“But my dad… he’s gone. And that’s left a hole so deep. And my mom, she took that. Stole it from all of us.”
“I know.” He kissed her temple. “But you never have to go through anything in the shadows again. It’s not going to be easy.
It’s going to hurt. It’s going to take time to heal, and it will leave a scar.
The difference is, you won’t have to face any of this without the love and support you’ve craved for the last twelve years. ”
For a long beat, neither of them moved. Then she lowered her forehead to his jaw, closing her eyes. He held her tighter, letting that promise rest between them without needing to be spoken again.
Whatever storms were still ahead, they’d face them together. And for now, that was enough.