Mr. Henderson grips me into a tight bear hug that holds the weight of a promise. “We love you, son. Don’t forget that.”
Their car disappears into the night, the headlights fading until it’s just me and my past. I know I still have work to do, but it doesn’t seem so daunting anymore.
As I walk back down the quiet street, the world around me stills, and my thoughts drift to Erin, and the way she’s been there for me through all of this.
I drag my feet up the steps to my door. My body is tired, but the walk home was refreshing. I unlock the knob and step inside to find Brodie in my kitchen, a mug in his hand.
“Hey, how’d it go with the Hendersons?”
“Part of me wishes I would have had the conversation sooner, but I know their words wouldn’t have landed as well as they did today.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Brodie answers.
The silence hangs between us as we take in what Erin did for us tonight. For all of us.
“Thanks for coming back for this. I know you’ve been busy with the club. Means a lot that you showed up,” I say, my words rough.
Brodie walks over to me and looks at his feet. “I miss him, too. Sometimes I catch myself looking at the door, as if he’s gonna walk through it,” his voice drops an octave, “but he never does.”
“Yeah, I know,” I say.
“All we can do is be here for each other through the sad days and the bad,” Brodie says, his eyes welling. “I gotta get to the airport. My dad’s flying out tomorrow. I’m introducing him to Bella,” he says.
I grimace, the last time Brodie introduced a girl to his father he grilled her so hard she left in tears, but I think Bella can handle the frostiness of Sebastian Emerson.
Brodie pulls me into a hug and slaps my back. “Your girl’s out back.”
He leaves, and I trail through the house, taking in how quiet it is. After everything that was said tonight, the noise in my head has been silenced, too.
When I slide open the patio doors, I find Erin curled up on a sofa bed, a blanket wrapped around her, a book in her hand, and a content expression on her face. Immediately, the silence shifts into a quiet serenity—peace.
I stand there, watching her and wondering how I got so lucky to be on the receiving end of her kindness, affection, and compassion.
“Hey,” I greet.
Erin looks up, her eyes locking on mine. She closes her book and sits up.
“Hi,” she says. “Is Brodie still here?”
“Just left. You’ve been waiting for me?”
“I wasn’t sure what you’d want after tonight,” she says, her eyes flickering with a touch of uncertainty. “I figured if you needed space, you’d tell me to leave. But if you ended up at Hendrick’s Bar... I knew you’d probably need someone to help you get home. Your place is closer, so I thought being here would be easier, just in case.”
Just in case I needed her.
Doubt swims in her eyes. She’s trying to be there for me, but it’s hard not to miss the uncertainty in her every word, wondering if she’s crossing a line.
My limbs are heavy as I try to put my thoughts into words. How the hell does she manage to be so… everything? She’s always there, always seeing me, and knows what I need.
I didn’t know how much I needed her until now.
“How did you do it?” I ask, referring to my birthday present.
“I’ve known Robert since I was thirteen.”
The name helps me connect the dots. She almost mentioned Robert on my birthday.
“He used to play golf with Mr. Silver. I’ve babysat his grandson over the years,” she explains. “I ran into him at Bakes by the Lakes while I was getting lunch with Valerie, and the idea just sort of popped into my head,” she continues, using her hands as she talks. “Valerie and I pitched the idea to her dad, and he called the Hendersons. I wasn’t sure if it was possible. I thought there would be rules and regulations but it was actually pretty easy, especially with the new season. The GM took care of it all.”
