Page 78 of Together Is Where We Belong

I was shocked they were so welcoming to me, and I told her so.

“There’s one thing in this family that will never change. We forgive people. You did what you thought was best for you and our grandson. Who am I to judge if that was the right or wrong thing to do? If that were the case, you could judge me too.” My curiosity piqued at what she could mean.

“What do you mean?” I asked as I took another sip of my tea.

“I don’t know what Leo told you, but I received those letters. He asked me not to give him anything else you wrote to him, and I listened. Maybe if I hadn’t, things would be different. Maybe if I’d just opened one of them, our lives would be different. But I can’t change it. I can only ask that you forgive me,” she said as she looked at me with a pleading look.

She got the letters?

What did she do with them?

Did she still have them?

“I told Leo I kept them when he came over here to tell us about Luke. I gave them to him before he left that day,” she explained.

I didn’t know what to say.

I was grateful that she’d told me the truth and kept the letters. Those letters told a bit of Luke’s story, and if Leo ever opened them, he’d see Luke through the years.

“Thank you for telling me. You could’ve kept that bit to yourself, and I’d be none the wiser. And, as for forgiveness, there’s nothing to forgive. We can’t change the past. We can only maybe learn from it and move on,” I told her as I gave her a reassuring smile.

“Thank you, my dear. I needed to hear that more than you know. I’m goin’ to go find Sawyer and finish my cup of tea. Let us know if you need anythin’,” she said as she patted my shoulder before she left the kitchen.

“Did Leo already leave?” I asked her before she got too far away.

She turned back to me and said, “He went outside a little while before you came down. I don’t think he’s left yet, though, since he hadn’t come in to say goodbye,” she said with a smile before she turned and sought out Sawyer.

I walked out the back door, the light from the porch light illuminated Leo’s figure sitting on the couch, his feet propped up on the table in front of him, his head resting on in his hand as he stared up at the night sky. He hadn’t noticed me yet, so I stood there with the tea cup in my hand and looked up at the sky. The stars shone bright tonight, crickets sounded off in the distance, fireflies lit up as they flew about. I missed nights here like this over the years. The quietness of the country. The stars shone brighter here than they did back in South Carolina. Sometimes I’d sit outside and look up at the sky and wonder if Leo was staring up at the same stars.

I cleared my throat to let him know I approached before I walked over to where he sat, sitting on the cushion beside him.

“It’s nice out here tonight,” I told him as I looked over at him. I thought I’d find him relaxed as he sat there, but his jaw was clenched tight and the hands behind his head were balled into tight fists.

“You okay?” I whispered and waited for him to respond.

“Not in the slightest,” he replied between clenched teeth.

I set the teacup on the table and turned to my side to face him.

“I’m sorry,” I said as I placed my hand on his thigh and then pulled back. We weren’t close anymore, and I had to remind myself that it wasn’t my place.

He dropped his feet to the porch and turned to face me.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. Not a thing. Do you hear me?” he said as he held his hand up as if to put it against the side of my cheek. His hand hovered for a beat, and I held my breath, my heartrate quickened as I waited to see what he’d do.

Did I want him to caress my cheek?

What would I do if he did?

He looked down at his lap and bit out a curse before he pulled his hand back. The breath I held released, and a part of me wished I could have the comfort of his touch.

“Do you understand this isn’t your fault?”

I gripped the top of my shirt as I thought about my response. The metal of the chain beneath my shirt calmed me as I toyed with the pendant that I held so dearly. Leo’s eyes zeroed in on my hand, and he looked at me, questions in his eyes. Ones I was sure I wasn’t ready for.

I nodded, too choked up to say the words.

“You two will be safe here. Nothing and no one will get to either of you,” he assured me, and I nodded accepting the promise of his words. My hands clenched my shirt tighter.