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Luke slid his plate aside; any remaining space in his stomach felt filled with a deep sadness. Remorse lodged itself in his chest as he looked into his son’s eyes, seeing the hurt reflected back at him. He hated himself for not knowing how to connect with his own child, for not being there when Jeremiah needed him the most. Pausing, he drew in a deep breath as he searched for the right words.
“I’ve made big mistakes, Jeremiah. Missing important moments in your life, and I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you like I should’ve been. I let you down, buddy, and I can’t change that. But know that I love you more than anything, and—“
“Just stop. It doesn’t matter now,” Jeremiah said, picking apart a piece of bread on his plate.
“It does matter.” Reaching out, Luke’s touch on Jeremiah’s arm was both an attempt to comfort his son and a silent admission of all the things he had said years too late. “I’ll never be able to change the past, but I want to make things right. I know it will take time and—“
“I told you, I don’t want to talk about it, okay? Just leave it alone!” Jeremiah yanked his arm away and shot up from his chair, which nearly toppled over.
Luke swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding slightly. “I understand. But please know that I’m here for you whenever you’re ready to talk. I love you and I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Jeremiah avoided eye contact, taking his plate to the sink.
Luke’s eyes lingered on the now-empty chair where his son had been moments before. With a deep sigh, he pushed back from the table and followed Jeremiah’s path to the kitchen sink.
While rinsing the dishes, his mind replayed the words exchanged during dinner. Once more, Luke’s attempts to fix the relationship had fallen flat. As with countless times in the past, he was left disheartened and unsure of how to bridge the growing gap between him and his son. All the suggestions online and even the advice from the grief counselor weren’t working. No matter what he did, Jeremiah had remained distant and unresponsive, shutting Luke out and refusing to communicate or engage in meaningful ways.
After wiping his hands with a kitchen towel, he returned to his office to research more about connecting with his son. For hours, Luke scoured countless articles and forums, yet found no new advice he hadn’t already attempted.
Releasing a weary exhale, he eased himself back into the worn comfort of his office chair as his gaze wandered to the laptop’s background photo. In the picture, Kate stood in the middle, her arm curled around a much younger Jeremiah. With one hand, she playfully hoisted a sandcastle bucket near the smudge of chocolate ice cream on Jeremiah’s cheek. Near the edge of the frame, Luke leaned in toward his family, his arm slung over Kate’s shoulder. This treasured snapshot held everything he longed to recapture.
His thoughts drifted to a topic that had often been a source of joy for Kate—the possibility of living on the Georgia coast. A change of scenery from the big city could be exactly what they needed. It was something he hadn’t considered before, but the idea starting over in Georgia, all at once, tugged at his heart and filled him with sorrow, knowing that Kate would never get to experience it. Despite the bittersweet emotions, Luke started searching Zillow for properties in the area.
Scrolling through listings, each one painted a picture in his mind of a new beginning in that idyllic place. But none of them felt like the right fit. So, he entered his email and signed up on the site, hoping the perfect place would soon come on the market.
The next week, at the hearing, the disciplinary board delivered their verdict—Jeremiah would be expelled for the rest of the year. Luke’s heart sank as he pleaded with them to give his son another chance, but it didn’t sway their decision. Jeremiah hardly spoke a word, as if unfazed by the gravity of the expulsion.
Luke’s idea of moving to a new place was now making much more sense. He knew something had to change.
And, as if by fate, change was on the horizon.
One morning, as Luke sat sipping his coffee, his phone buzzed with an email notification from Zillow, showcasing a house that had just become available in Hadley Cove, Georgia. His fingers tapped on the edge of the table as he read the details; the house checked all the boxes for everything they would need. Lost in thought, he barely noticed Jeremiah’s heavy footsteps entering the kitchen.
Luke spoke up as Jeremiah poured a bowl of cereal. “Hey Jer, I need to talk to you.”
“Okay? I’m here. Talk.”
Luke set down his phone and straightened. “Look, we need a change. We’ve been doing the same thing over and over and it hasn’t helped. You’re expelled and are going to have to do summer school online so you can go into your senior year. I don’t want you to throw your life away. I can’t let you do that.”
Jeremiah stirred the spoon around the bowl. “Okay...so what changes?”
Luke took a deep breath. “Well, I think moving might be good for us, starting fresh—“
Jeremiah slammed his fist down onto the table. “You’re always thinking about what you want! What about what I want? I don’t want to leave Mom’s memory behind. This is the only place where I still feel close to her. And you want to take that away from me too?”
Despite the stifling air that seemed to grow heavier with each passing second, Luke forced himself to breathe evenly. “Son, it’s not about leaving her memory behind. You know your mother always wanted to live on the Georgia coast. There’s a house I saw that would be perfect for us. She would’ve loved it. In a way, this would honor her and be a fresh start for us. It’ll be a good thing.”
Jeremiah folded his arms as tears streamed down his face. “I don’t want a new life. I want Mom. I can’t believe you would even consider moving away from here.”
The depth of Jeremiah’s pain struck Luke hard. “Jeremiah, you can hate me, but I’m out of options,” he said. “I’m going to call the realtor soon.” He glanced back at his phone, letting a momentary silence fill the air. “We’re going.”
“If you make me leave, I’ll never forgive you. Ever.”
“If I let you throw your life away, I’ll never forgive myself.” Luke’s voice wavered. “I love you, and I know you can’t see that now, but someday you will.”
3
Emma
