“I suppose you left that bag of muffins down there too?”
They all laughed at Jake's words. The release of tension left Macy exhausted.
“I need to get in shape,” she added, which made them laugh again.
The rest of the journey was accomplished in silence, but she knew when they landed, there would be a party of people waiting, all wanting answers to the questions they would fire at them. Her people, the ones who cared for her and Billy, and now Brad. Only she wasn’t sure he realized that yet.
As Howling came in to sight, Macy felt the first tear fall. She would see her boy again.
“Hey, I told you we would get back safe.”
Macy sniffed, then squeezed the hand Brad held out to her. She intercepted the look Jake and Ethan threw at each other, but didn't care. She and Brad had been through something today, something that bound them together, no matter the distance he put between them in the future. Yes, they'd made love, but this was more. They'd run from danger, and then sat in a tree trunk and bared small parts of their souls.
Brad sawthe landing party as Ethan brought his bird in to land. Buster, Willow, Branna, with Rose in her arms, Newman, Declan, and Cubby and Katie. All wore worried expressions, and he heard Macy sniff as her tears flowed at seeing them, her people.
“You guys always do everything on a big scale?”
“It’s the way it works here, Brad. Brace yourselves, there will be hugs and questions, but after that you’ll get food and coffee. Get it done then we can all eat,” Jake said, climbing out first when they landed. He lifted Macy out and she ducked under the blades and ran with him into the arms of Buster.
Brad watched her friends crowd around her and thought it would be a nice feeling to have so many people on your side.
“Leaving you like that was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Especially as I had to leave you before.”
Ethan’s words were strained. He hadn’t moved, still facing forward, his eyes staring out the windshield.
“I wondered as you flew away if we'd see each other again.” Brad hadn’t moved either. Now that they were safe, and Macy was back with her friends and Billy, he was filled with relief, his body exhausted.
“God, I'm sorry I left you with him.”
“Ethan.” Brad sighed.
“No, just hear me out. I didn’t realize until Annabelle enlightened me that I felt so much guilt for leaving you, but I did, bucketloads of it.”
Macy was right, he did need to cut his brother a break. It had taken her and what had happened to them out there at the Buchanan place to make him see that. To finally break through the anger and resentment he harbored.
“You don't need to keep going there. I understand now why you did what you did. He was destroying you, and you were taking it because you were protecting us.”
“I couldn't do it anymore.”
The words sounded as if they’d been wrenched from his brother.
“I know that now, but I'm not going to lie, I fucking hated you for leaving. But I understood it more as I felt him destroying me.”
Ethan released his harness and turned in his seat.
“But you weren't ready to forgive me?”
Brad shook his head.
“But you’re getting there now?”
This time when he looked at Ethan, he didn’t feel the rush of emotion, just something softer that settled inside him.
“Macy said something to me out there today while we were waiting for you. That I was harboring guilt because I had left Mother alone with EG. She was right, because sometimes I wonder if she’s coping, and what he’s doing to her now I’m not around. I knew then it was how you must have felt leaving us.”
“I worry about her too, Brad, but she will never leave him. We both know that.”
“Yeah, I guess I know that too.”
