“Oh, I know. She got me while y’all went to get pizza.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I like that she’s blunt.”
“She’s an attorney. Kind of comes with the territory.”
“Jaxon, don’t let her get away. Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering what could have been. Again. Ask her to stay,” Catherine whispers while hugging him.
“Okay, sis. Have a safe ride back. Love you.”
“Love you too, Jax. I’ll let you know when I make it back to Raleigh.”
She gives him one last look—the kind older sisters give when they’ve said everything they can—then turns to Sara.
“Sara,” she says, stepping in for a hug. Her arms wrap tight, like she means it. Like this is more than a goodbye. “Take care of my brother. And when I come back to visit, you better still be here.”
Sara smiles, trying to keep it light. “I’ll do my best.”
But Catherine doesn’t let go right away.
Her voice drops low, just for Sara’s ears. “You want to know what scares him the most?”
Sara stiffens slightly in her arms.
“It’s not the loss. It’s not even being alone. It’s getting a taste of everything he’s ever wanted… and watching it walk away. Again.”
Sara pulls back, her eyes stinging now.
Catherine meets her gaze, calm but sharp. “And you, Sara? You’re everything he ever wanted—wrapped in the one person he thought he lost forever.”
Sara blinks, breath catching.
“So don’t just take care of him. Love him. Loudly. Recklessly. Like you’re not afraid of what comes next.” Catherine’s lips twitch into a half-smile. “Because he’s not afraid of falling for you, Sara. He’s terrified you won’t fall too.”
Then, like nothing happened, she pulls away with a wink, turns to Jaqueline, and crouches down.
“Jaqueline, it was so good to meet you, sweetie. I’m glad you’re getting to know your dad. I’ll see you soon.”
“Me too. Bye, Aunt Cat.”
As Catherine walks toward her car, Sara’s still standing frozen—her heart in her throat, and Catherine’s words echoing louder than the sound of gravel crunching beneath her tires.
67
Storm Warning
Catherinehasbeengonefor about an hour. Everyone is sitting on the porch, worn out from a full day of laughter and barefoot racing across the yard. The sky above them is starting to change, the wind shifting like it knows what’s coming.
Sara watches the water as it shimmers with the breeze.I can’t believe how much fun that was. For the longest time, everything has felt heavy. There hasn’t been space for joy, not really. Not with Claire. Not with the aftermath. But today... today was different. Jaqueline laughed like the world hadn’t cracked in half. And for a moment, everything felt untouched. Like it was always meant to happen this way. Deja vu, almost. Either I’vedone this before, or it was always meant to be.
“We might want to go ahead and take showers,” Jaxon says, pulling Sara from her thoughts.
“Why, what’s going on?”
“A storm’s coming. And if it gets bad enough, there’s a good chance the power will go out.”
“Okay,” she nods. “I’ll have Jaq hop in first, then I’ll get in after.”
