I lean into him. “Yeah. Just tired.”
Emotionally exhausteddoesn’t even begin to cover it.
Dinner was awkward at first. Axle and Cabe were outside for a long time, and everyone pretended not to be paying attention when they finally came back in.
And even though we were all a little tense, somehow, through everything, nobody made me feel unwelcome for a moment.
Still, I think we’re both ready to retreat to the safety of our cabin.
As people gather around the firepit, Axle and I begin making our rounds to say goodbye.
Grandma Evelyn hugs me first. Then shoves two dessert containers into Axle’s hands. “One is peach cobbler, and the other is blackberry.”
His eyes light up. “You’re my favorite grandmother. You know that?”
She swats him. “I’m your only grandmother.”
Axle wanders over to say goodbye to Albert and Imma Jean, and a moment later, Irene appears beside me. Before I can say anything, she wraps me in a fierce hug—the kind moms give, the kind that says a thousand things without words—and my throat immediately tightens.
She holds me for several seconds before finally leaning back. Her hands stay on my shoulders, and her eyes drift past me to Axle. He’s standing a few feet away while Imma Jean chats his ears off.
He’s laughing, and he looks relaxed. Happy even for the first time in weeks.
Irene watches him for a moment, then looks back at me, and her eyes soften.
“You know,” she says quietly, “I’ve never seen him look like that.”
I blink. “Like what?”
She smiles. “Content.”
My chest squeezes as I glance over at him.
He’s now balancing pie containers in one arm and hugging Matty with the other.
Irene follows my gaze. “He’s always been searching.”
I look back at her. “Searching?”
She nods wistfully. “Always chasing the next thing. The next win. The next adventure. The next challenge.” Her eyes shine. “Constantly running after something. Never quite catching it.”
I know exactly what she means. I’ve seen it. Even before we were together. There was always a restlessness inside him. Likehe couldn’t quite sit still. Couldn’t quite settle. Couldn’t quite find what he was looking for.
Irene squeezes my hand. “And he’s finally found it.”
My breath catches.
“I just want you to know how happy that makes me. And relieved.”
Emotion floods my chest, and my eyes sting.
Because after everything—Cabe and all the chaos I’ve created—her saying this feels like a gift I don’t deserve.
“Irene … I’m so sorry.” The words come out before I can stop them.
Her brow furrows. “For what?”
“For all of this.” I gesture vaguely toward the yard. To her family. “The entire mess I caused.”
