“Are you close?” asked Colton, peering too astutely over at her. “You and your mom?”
After a moment’s consideration, she said, “I’m all she has.”
He nodded as if he understood. And maybe he did. Maybe he understood better than anyone. Maybe they’d led very similar lives, without ever meeting. She’d read that about identical twins once—that they made the same choices, chased the same dreams. Maybe the same was true for other siblings. Even just half.
“Well, if you ever need it,” he said, “you have a place here.”
He said it so casually, without caveat or conditions. It should have been a comfort, and yet her hackles raised regardless. She hated how easily her guard went up—how immediately she wanted to ask what he expected in return. Surely, he wanted something. Everyone always wanted something.
But he only smirked and added, “If you’re okay with the occasional poltergeist, that is.”
And a rooster, she added, bringing the tip of her thumb to her forehead.
“And a rooster,” agreed Colton. “Lane’s watching Bastard for some friends. With any luck, they’ll come get him today. Roosters are against Boston’s city ordinances.”
She found herself smiling in spite of her misgivings. A wide, open smile that mirrored his. It was another reflection, this time in the form of a brother. It was a little bit funny, how she kept discovering her own humanity in the faces of those around her. In the care they took with her. Suddenly, she wanted to tell him she’d do it—she’d stay. She managed to bite her tongue just before the words could slip out, atrophied and eager.
There were still some loose ends to tie up back home. Apologies to be made. Rifts to be mended. She’d left a path of carnage in her wake on her way out of town. Hadley. Frankie. Hudson. Reed. She couldn’t disappear. Not when she still owed them an explanation.
“Maybe someday,” she said softly, setting the picture back onto its shelf.
The faintest hint of a smile shone in Colton’s eyes. “Someday works.”
That’s where Thomas eventually found them—sitting together in companionable silence, the sun pouring through the windows in dusty reams of gold. They heard him before they saw him, his feet thudding heavily down the hall. He skidded into the open door just a touch too fast, wincing as he caught himself against the frame.
“Is there a fire?” asked Colton, looking amused.
Thomas cut him a baleful look. “It’s been a long forty-eight hours.”
“I’d agree with that,” said Colton. Then, “It’s good to see you on your feet.”
Thomas glanced between them, frowning slightly. “You know,” he said, “now that I see the two of you sitting side by side like this, I’m finding it a little bit unsettling.”
Colton’s mouth split into a grin. “It’s okay, Walsh. You can admit you think I’m pretty.”
•••
Later, once the sun had well and truly risen, they said their goodbyes on the front porch, hovering in the shade of the steepled portico. Lane stood beside Colton, dressed all in black from head to toe, the rooster tucked under one arm.
“I’m sorry you have to leave so soon,” she said. “We have friends coming by later. I really think you’d like them.”
“They’re an acquired taste,” said Colton. “Anyway, she’ll be back.”
He said it with confidence, as though her return was inevitable, but she could see in his expression that he wasn’t sure. She knew, in that moment, that solitude had been etched into him the same way it was etched into her. That he hated it just the same.
I’ll be back, she agreed, and she meant it.
His smile was slow but sincere. “Excellent.”
Down in the street, Thomas pulled open the passenger door of his truck. Vivienne dithered on the top step a moment longer, wondering whether or not she should go in for a hug. Lane made the decision for her, dumping the rooster unceremoniously in Colton’s arms and tugging Vivienne in close. Vivienne experienced a single beat of uncertainty before returning the embrace.
“I’m so glad you exist,” Lane whispered in her ear, just before letting her go.
Vivienne carried that with her all the way home, sitting with it in the front seat of Thomas’s truck, the music blasting and the windows down.I’m so glad I exist, she thought. Up ahead, the road unfurled in an endless ribbon of black. It seemed to go on forever, carving into the mountains and out of sight.
“I called my sister,” said Thomas, turning down the music. “I think we’re going to have a problem. She’s in love with Molly and Judd. She’s ready to fight you for permanent custody.”
The wind whipped Vivienne’s hair into her face. She pushed it out of her eyes, a thought occurring to her in a sudden, sinking rush.
