“Hm,” Wil nodded. “Interesting.”
“Who would have donated so much money?” Axel asked.
Clint shook his head and mumbled, “No idea.”
Noting the slightcreasein his brow, Wil wondered if hedidhave an idea.
Rita sensed Connor’s steps slow as they approached the Browns, who stood with a small gathering of family and friends. Rita had no extended family to lean on for comfort and no close friends to confide in. The friends she’d had while she was married drifted away when her husband left her to raise two boys alone. Maybe the loss of her “friends” had something to do with the fact that her husband was cheating with one ofthem. Maybe more than one. She didn’t know. She didn’t care anymore. Especially not today. When her husband abandoned them, he’d left behind the best part of himself—her boys. What was left over wasn’t worth keeping.
She grasped her son’s hand when he faltered again. It wasn’t only the Browns that made him draw back, but their loved ones all around them. Rita hesitated as well. Would they be as understanding as Dan and Nora? Dan Brown had defended her son on TV, but there would always be some people who blamed him.
“Rita.” Nora Brown stepped forward as soon as she saw them. She hugged Rita, then the young man beside her. Tears shimmered in her eyes, magnifying her grief and anguish. “Please, join us.” She led them to the small group and made the introductions.
The others appeared sympathetic and offered their condolences. Connor stood with his eyes on the ground, not meeting anyone’s gaze. Dan drew the boy closer, wrapping a thick arm around his bowed shoulders. He cupped the back of Connor’s neck and drew his head to his shoulder.
“We’re going to get through this,” he murmured into his hair. “All of us, together.”
Connor turned his face into the man’s broad shoulder and broke down as Dan enveloped him in both arms, crying softly with the brokenhearted boy.
CHAPTER 17
Axel stood between Clint and Abel throughout the service, clutching both their hands. When he saw Dan Brown pull the Healy boy into his arms as they both broke into tears, Axel couldn’t hold back his own. He’d been so frightened for the young man, but when Dan Brown embraced him—literally and figuratively—Axel’s fear quieted. With the older man’s appearance on the news interview, Axel had hope that the public might be less harsh toward Connor Healy and his mother.
He looked at Abel as a tremor ran through the young man. Tears streaked Abel’s face. Axel wasn’t surprised; Abel had a tender heart and felt others’ pain. Even Devlin, Wil Jordan, and Frank Hayes couldn’t hold back their emotions as family members stepped forward and spoke with deep love for the lost boys.
Rita Healy struggled to hold back tears as she spoke of her son, Gage. Connor Healy stood at her side, openly crying. When he tried to speak for his brother, he broke down, sinking to his knees on the brittle grass before his little brother’s casket, his face in his hands.
Axel swallowed hard and let out a slow, shaky breath. Clint squeezed his hand, drawing Axel’s gaze to his face. The cowboy stared ahead at the mourners, the strain in his face betraying his inner struggle. No one would blink an eye if he let the tears flow, but it was hard for Clint to show his feelings in front of others.
Tonight, alone with Axel, he would let the emotion out. Axel felt both thankful and honored that he was such a “haven” for Clint, a place where the cowboy felt safe enough to hold nothing back and show him everything of who he was: his joys, dreams, and fears. And what cut him to the core of his heart.
Axel didn’t take his place in Clint’s life for granted. He knew howspecialit was.
Rita sank to the grass beside Connor and wrapped an arm around his trembling form. “It’s okay, sweetheart,” she whispered through her tears. “You don’t have to speak. Gage knew how much you loved him.” She stroked her fingers gently through his hair and kissed his head. “He loved you, too, so much.”
Connor curled forward, his face pressing harder into his hand, his sobs breaking him. Rita felt grateful when Dan Brown sank to his heels beside the young man. He didn’t speak, just rubbing his back until the boy’s sobs subsided. Rita and Dan gently helped him to his feet.
Connor took a few deep breaths and straightened his back. Rita handed him a tissue to wipe his eyes and nose. “Hon, it’s okay if you don’t speak.”
He shook his head and cleared his throat. “I… I have to,” he whispered, a quiver in his voice. All murmurs hushed as Connor stared at his little brother’s casket, only a few feet from Jamie Brown. He sniffed and wiped his eyes again. “Gage…” His breath shuddered, and fresh tears trickled down his face. “… was my best friend. He was…” His chin trembled. “… he was the coolest little brother in the world.”
Rita leaned against him, her arm around his waist, sobbing quietly. Dan stayed at his side, his strong hand resting comfortingly on Connor’s shoulder.
“He… He was… so funny… He could always make me laugh.” His lips pressed tight as warm tears streamed down his cheeks. “I loved him… so much.” His head dipped, and he cried. Rita hugged him as he wilted against her.
“He loved you, too, baby,” she whispered. “You were his favorite person in the world.” She held him tightly, sobbing into his hair, wondering how they were supposed to move on from this very moment. It didn’t feel possible.
Dan trembled beside the mother and son. He took a shaky step forward, then another, and pressed his palm to his son’s casket. It was cold to the touch, an embodiment of death. The flowers draped across the top blurred as his eyes swam. “Jamie was our miracle,” he said so quietly he wasn’t sure anyone heard. “The child they said we would never have.” He swallowed hard, pressing his hand firmly against the casket. “He was… perfect. He had a kind heart, a beautiful soul.” Nora came to his side and held him, sobbing. He drew her into his arms. “He was our whole world.”
As soon as the words slipped out, he felt Connor Healy crumble beneath his guilt. The boy’s sobs grew stronger. Dan turned just in time to see the young man backing away, about to flee. Dan’s shattered heart broke a little more, and he moved toward the boy, catching his arm and drawing him back. Connor Healy clung to him, crying against his shoulder.“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”The boy’s body strained under the force of his sobs, the crushing weight of guilt.
Dan held him tightly. “It’s not your fault, son,” he whispered brokenly. “It was never your fault. The man who took your brother away…hetook Jamie. Not you. Not you.”
Rita and Nora moved closer and hugged the young man, offering words of comfort and assurance. Dan feared for the boy’s mental state as he crumbled under his guilt and remorse. Connor Healy would need therapy… and soon.
Devlin ducked his head as tears fell. Watching the Healy boy come apart was more than his heart could take. It broke him in a different way to see Dan Brown comfort the shattered young man, stepping so naturally into the role of a loving, compassionate father. Thatinstinctoffered insight into the kind of father he had been to his own son, making his tragic loss hurt even more.
Jamie was our miracle. The child they said we would never have. He was our whole world.
