Dean chuckled.“Well, your family always did know how to win people over with food.”
We sat at the long oak table, candles flickering, plates filling fast.They asked about my parents, about Clara and Jackson, about what my future plans looked like.Their questions weren’t sharp or invasive; they were just… curious.Genuine.
And somehow, that made it easier to tell them.
“I’ve been walking a lot,” I said, my fork pushing potatoes around my plate.“Last week, I wandered farther than usual and found this stretch of land between our properties.A meadow, almost hidden.And I don’t know how to explain it, but… I felt at peace there.Like I could build something.Like I could breathe again.I saw a for-sale sign buried beneath some overgrown shrubs.Brody mentioned it was yours.”
Judy tilted her head.“That land?”
Dean chuckled.“I’d forgotten we even had the sign up.Meant to keep it in case Adam or Brody wanted it one day.”
My heart stuttered.“So you aren't selling it?”
“It’s ours,” Dean said, “but it could be yours.You’re as close to family as anyone, Cassidy.We’d be glad to see you there.”
I blinked fast, the sting of tears rising.“Just like that?”
“Just like that,” Judy said firmly.
And then Brody walked in.Fresh from the shower, hair damp, shirt clinging to broad shoulders.My chest tightened as he crossed the room, gaze steady on me.Without hesitation, he walked straight for me and pressed a kiss to the top of my head like he’d done it a hundred times before.
Only he hadn’t.
"Sorry, I am late, got caught up in the woodshed."
I sat frozen, breath caught, as he moved into the kitchen like nothing unusual had happened.Dean grinned, elbowing Judy, and she smirked like she’d seen everything.
“Maybe the land will end up back in the family anyway,” Dean teased.
Heat rushed to my cheeks while I processed what had just happened.“Doesn’t it bother you?What people are saying?A...about me?”
Judy frowned, confused.
And then the tears broke free.“What I did.What they are calling me.”
Judy reached across the table, her hand warm and steady.“Cassidy, you didn’t do this.Andrew did.He lied, manipulated, and preyed on you.Don’t carry his wrongdoing on your back.”
Dean nodded, his voice sharp with conviction.“We believe you, Cassidy.Always.We know exactly who you are.”
Something inside me shifted.Not cracked.Not broken.Shifted.Like the ground beneath me had steadied just a little.Settled.
Dean jumped up excitedly, saying we needed something for the occasion.He poured wine, Judy declaring, “If Cassidy’s building next to us, that’s cause for celebration.”Glasses clinked, laughter filled the air, and for the first time in too long, I felt like I belonged somewhere outside my parents’ home.
Adam arrived halfway through, loud and ridiculous, demanding pie before dinner and cracking jokes that had everyone laughing.Judy teased him about eating more than his share; Dean rolled his eyes and handed him another piece of bread.
Brody reappeared, slipping into the seat beside me, his knee brushing mine under the table.He didn’t say much, but he didn’t have to.His presence was steady, grounding, exactly the thing I didn’t know I needed.
Judy leaned across, eyes bright.“So, Cassidy.Tell us about your writing.What’s next for you?”
For once, I didn’t shrink away from the question.I lifted my chin and smiled, soft but sure.“I think… I’m finally ready to tell my own story.”
Chapter 40
I had settled into a comfortable rhythm, living back at my parents.I think it helped that even though I spent a lot of time in my room, I was rarely alone.And that made me feel secure because every few nights, my phone lit up withBlocked Caller.
I never answered.
I didn’t need a voice to know the shape of the threat.It was the pattern that bruised: always late, always clustered, 10:41, 10:44, 10:52, then silence that felt more pointed than the ringing.
