My grandparents’ lawyer shakes his head, clearly rattled by Ethan’s testimony. “No, Your Honor.”
“In that case, we’ll take a short recess and return with a decision.”
As the judge stands and the courtroom stirs, Ethan leaves the stand and walks straight to me. I can’t hold it in any longer. The moment he reaches me, I collapse into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. He holds me tight, his voice gentle in my ear. “I’m so sorry, Scarlett. You’ve done everything for me, and I’ve been such an idiot. But it’s okay now. We’ll be okay no matter what.”
His words are a lifeline, something solid to cling to in the storm of emotions. He strokes my hair, his tears wetting my shoulder. “Just this once, Scarlett,” he murmurs. “Just this once, you can break down. I’ll hold you up.”
And for the first time, I let myself lean on him, let myself be weak. Ethan’s definitely strong enough to hold me up.
“To Scarlett and Ethan, reunited at last!” Celeste says as she cheers.
Everyone raises their glass and drinks, and almost mechanically, so do I, watching the faces of people I love as they come to congratulate me.
We won.
It still doesn’t seem real. I can almost feel Ethan’s hand gripping mine, hear the judge say that the best interest of my brother lies in his being in my care. It was like my breath had been trapped in my chest for months, only to be released all at once. Ethan’s tears of relief. The way my grandparents got out of there without so much as a glance our way.
We actually won. Ethan is now in my temporary custody, and until the judge sets a follow-up hearing, we’re done. We live together, and no one can tell him how to live his life. He’s free.
I watch him next to Jace, and despite the casual stance, I can tell they’re flirting. I think I like his boyfriend—the way he looks at my brother. Maybe soon he’ll feel like he can be more obvious about it.
“Congratulations again, Scarlett!” Jennifer from the bakery says as she approaches the table with food. I raise my glass in a silent thank-you, then let my eyes roam.
I know I should be thankful for this. Half the town must be squeezed at The Oak, and more are drinking outside. They all showed up for me, wanting to celebrate this moment, and all I can focus on is the one person who’s missing. The one person who’s gone.
Left this morning, Mrs. Prattle said. The new homeowners will be here in a couple of weeks.
“Scarlett!”
I turn around, locating Steve, who elbows his way through the crowd until he’s in front of me. “Steve, my hero!” I cheer, cutting through the noise as he leans forward for a quick hug.
“Oh, please.” He waves off the compliment. “The real hero was Ethan. What he did today was really brave.”
“It really was. But seriously, without you—”
“Don’t even mention it.” He cuts me off before I can finish.
I persist. “Look, I know what Celeste said, but you deserve compensation. Let me—”
“Scarlett.” His blue eyes glint with a hint of affection. “Please, forget about it, okay? Your mom… I could never accept money from you. Not for this.”
I feel the lump in my throat rise. “At least let me buy you a drink,” I say, then gesture to the tables piled high with food. “And take something to eat. The whole town’s been cooking.”
“Thank you, but I just came in to congratulate you and your brother.” His smile quickly turns sour. “Between you and me, I’d rather stay as far away as possible from my wife and her boy toy.”
His words land like a slap.Her what?
I glance over at Celeste, who’s laughing with Theo and Paige at a table nearby as Quentin pours them drinks. He can’t mean Theo, can he? Picturing him with Celeste feels less natural than seeing Sherlock with a labradoodle.
“Anyway, congratulations again.”
“Thank you, Steve,” I manage, hugging him one more time. As he walks toward my brother, my gaze flicks back to Celeste. Nah. There’s absolutely no way she’s having an affair with Theo.
“Hey, stranger.”
I flinch at the voice, snapping out of my spiral to find Quentin standing beside me with a pitcher of beer. Like a flash before my eyes, I see the recording of Sherlock’s camera that caught him tripping over the garden gnome. “Hey, hi,” I say, straightening.
“Congratulations,” he says, but it almost feels empty. “I didn’t know you were doing all of this, but it’s really cool. You must be happy.”
