Chapter 30 #2
“Exactly,” I said. “I think what Grandad wanted me to take away from those experiences was that family wasn’t necessarily the one you were born into but instead consisted of the people who showed up for you.
” My thoughts drifted to Agnes and Callum, who’d helped me keep Lochbrae running despite Grandad’s loss, to the festival committee who’d helped shape the latest summer festival into the success it was, and even to Lena, who’d held my world together more times than I could count.
Grandad, in one way or another, had brought all these people into my life, and my chest ached at the thought of never having another chance to thank him and tell him how much I loved him.
“The greatest gift Grandad ever gave me was my connection to Braeburn and the people here.”
Jo smiled softly. “They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I’ve always thought that applies at any age.
Sometimes you need that village when you’re young.
Sometimes you find you really need that village when you’re twenty and searching for yourself.
And sometimes you need that village the most when you’re in your later years. ”
I nodded in agreement. “Which is why I want to make sure I give back to this community that’s given me so much.”
Jo tilted her head. “What does giving back look like to you?”
“Part of it involves sharing the profits from the wind farm with the town,” I told her, pausing again for her to catch up with her notetaking.
“I’m going to set up a trust that supports infrastructure development.
Kincaid Energy will run it, but it will be up to a committee of local members to vote and allocate the funds as needed to benefit the people and small businesses in town. ”
“I—wow,” Jo said, briefly at a loss. She shook her head. “That’s going to change a lot of lives.”
“I hope so,” I said. “It’s what Grandad would have wanted.”
What I wanted. Deciding to move to Braeburn permanently had been one of the easiest decisions I’d made in a long time.
I’d jumped through marriage-sized hoops to protect the estate, to keep Lochbrae out of Jasper’s weaselly hands, and after all that, I knew it would be a disservice to the place and the people that had shaped me to abandon it all now.
“You said sharing the profits was part of how you wanted to give back,” Jo said. “What’s the other part?”
My nerves returned. Talking about the wind farm trust was easy, but the rest of it…
I shoved aside my fears, knowing it was long past time for me to learn to be open about the way I truly felt.
Being with Lena—and then losing her—had made me realize I didn’t want to live this life alone.
I didn’t want to be afraid of feeling too deeply.
I wanted connection. I wanted family. I wanted to love with abandon.
“I’m going to be taking classes and registering to become a foster parent. ”
Jo’s eyebrows hit her hairline. “That’s…a huge step,” she said. “And a lot of responsibility.”
“I want that responsibility,” I said with certainty.
I’d thought long and hard about Lena’s inability to carry children and how much she wanted to be a mother, and I realized there were children out there who probably wanted a family just as badly.
Children who longed for connection, for support, for love—and here I was, with more money than I could ever spend and more space than I could ever fill at Lochbrae.
“How do you think your grandfather would have felt about that?” Jo asked.
That was a question I’d been asking myself, and I’d come to the conclusion that Grandad would have supported me. In fact, he’d probably have clapped me on the shoulder and said there was more than enough love to go around.
“Weston?” Jo said, prompting me.
“I believe he would have been proud to know that the legacy I’m choosing to invest in is the one where Lochbrae remains a place where young people can find a safe space.
It’s where I always felt safest growing up, and I want to provide that for other children who need it.
And…I’ve realized that biology doesn’t equal legacy. ”
“It sure doesn’t,” Jo agreed.
“Family are the people you choose to love,” I said, pausing to let her type.
I didn’t need to have biological children to be the man Grandad wanted me to be.
“The people you choose to surround yourself with.” So whether my foster placements were with me for a couple months or several years, they’d always have a home at Lochbrae.
“This is all very admirable, Weston,” Jo said, pausing, “but it also sounds like a lot of work for a man who’s got a company to run.”
“It will be,” I agreed. “But sharing Lochbrae with the people who need it most, the kids who need safety and support and love…that matters more than whatever renewable project Kincaid Energy has coming down the line next. I know Grandad would agree with that, and I think he’d be even prouder if I found a person to help me navigate this new chapter of my life. ”
Jo shot me a twinkling smile. “It has to be the right person, I suppose?”
“Yes,” I said. “Someone who makes my coffee perfect every time. Someone who knows how to pick me up after a bad day. Someone who lights up my world.” I licked my lips as Jo typed, trying to keep from getting choked up.
“That’s a person I trust completely. The only person I’d trust to step into the shoes of my grandparents with me. Someone I love with all my heart.”
“If you could say one thing to this person,” Jo asked softly, “what would it be?”
“I’d say…” My voice grew thick. “I’d say that I’d like the opportunity to apologize in person, if she’d be willing to give me another chance.”
Jo closed her laptop with a soft thunk, concluding the interview. I let out a heavy breath. Relief bled through me, not because it was done but because I’d had the courage to do it in the first place.
“I’ll have this typed up by the end of the day,” Jo said.
I got to my feet. “You know where to send it?”
Jo picked up a notepad from her desk. “I’ve got an address in Houston, her parents’ house in Ohio, and Tess’s ranch in Montana. I’ll mail out physical copies to all those places. And just to be sure, I’ll send her a link to the article via email.”
“Okay, that’s…” I frowned. Was it enough?
“Don’t worry,” Jo said, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “The words will get to her.”
But the response was all up to Lena. And that was the part I was less certain about, but I had to try.
I was accused of walking away when things got difficult and messy.
What I was proposing now was equal parts both and that much more, and as nervous as I felt about this next step, I was prepared to move forward with or without her, but I really hoped it would be with her.