Page 114 of The Song We Lost

Thomas lifts his cider glass. “And Rachel is terrifying.”

A few people laugh.

Jackson looks at me. “And you just… travel under different names?”

“Sometimes,” I shrug. “Rachel handles most of it. Redirects anything that gets too close to the truth.”

He nods slowly, clearly impressed. “Smart.”

I don’t answer, because none of it ever felt smart. It just felt necessary.

Rose stands suddenly beside the table, tapping a spoon against her glass. The quiet spreads slowly as conversations pause. Thomas rises beside her, resting one hand lightly on the back of her chair.

Rose clears her throat. “I just wanted to say something before we get too deep into our most recent cider batch,” she begins. She is trying for levity but her voice already sounds thinner than usual. “Every year around this time I think about where we allstarted.” Her eyes drift toward me. “A little girl who shined so bright even from a broken-down trailer.”

Heat creeps up my neck as tears prick the back of my eyes.

Rose keeps going. “And now look at this place. This land. These families we’ve built.” Her voice wavers. “I can’t believe we’re all…” She stops. Just for a second. Her dark blue eyes flick briefly across the table. Across the empty space Luke would have sat. “That we’re here,” she corrects softly. Her gaze settles on me. “To my sweet girl. With sunshine in her veins and a heart of gold.” Emotion closes her throat. “Thank you for…”

She can’t finish. Thomas steps forward smoothly, lifting his glass.

“Well before everyone cries into the stuffing,” he says cheerfully, “I’ve got something new for you all to try.”

A few people laugh immediately.

“Cranberry cider,” he continues proudly. “It’s a seasonal batch and if all goes well will be in a local pub next month.”

Someone whistles, as Sadie claps, elbowing Cole saying he has to give her sip by sip tasting notes. Rose wipes at her eyes quickly, smiling again as the moment loosens.

Plates begin passing, and onversations pick back up.

Jackson leans slightly toward Sadie.

“So what names are we considering?” he asks.

Sadie lights up immediately. “Oh God. Too many.” She starts scrolling through her phone. “Maeve. Isla. Rowan. Cole hates most of them. Ohhhhh … Willow… Nate…”

Cole mutters something under his breath, but Jackson nods thoughtfully at every option..

He asks questions about her and the baby. About what I was like when we were growing up.

“Bailey always hated winter...” She laughs. What she doesn't say is that it was because it was so cold in that trailer. Thesnow sometimes made its way in through cracked seals. She continues, "But that was always my favourite season.”

And I know that’s because we used to sleep together to keep warm.

“Every season is your favorite season, Sadie.” Noah laughs.

Jackson listens like the story matters no matter who is telling it, I notice that. I noticed a lot of things about Jackson Reed tonight that I’ve never noticed before. Like the fact that he rarely talks about himself. Like the way he asks Thomas questions about his business instead of mentioning his own success. Like the way he doesn’t once bring up recording or the tour or what people are saying about us.

Not once.

Later, when the plates are nearly empty and the sun has slipped fully behind the mountains, people begin standing. Workers drift toward their trucks. Friends hug Rose goodbye.

Sadie suddenly claps her hands. “Ohhhhh we need a bonfire.”

Everyone pauses.

“Like the old days,” she adds quickly.