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As he headed with his grandfather to the front of the store to check out, Wes’s thoughts were full of the woman they had just left.

He had loved Hannah Goodwin so very much. Even after he walked away, Wes had clung to his memories of her, pulling them out whenever he needed to remember a time when he had known pure happiness.

He could still vividly recall the softness of her hair as he ran his fingers through it, the sound of her laughter echoing across the lake on lazy summer afternoons, the warmth of her hand in his as they strolled through town. Those memories were like a lifeline to a time before his world had shattered.

He had a sudden raw memory of their last night together, blissfully unaware of how their lives were about to change. He wasn’t sure he had known a moment of pure peace since then.

Even that memory was now tainted by guilt. He should have been at the pharmacy that night, not lost in Hannah’s embrace in a stolen moment at his place. Maybe if he had been there, his father would still be alive, and his mother wouldn’t be a shadow of her former self.

Walking away from Hannah had been one of the hardest things Wes had ever done, but it had been completely necessary. In the aftermath of the tragedy, he hadn’t been able to reconcile the joy and happiness she represented to him with the crushing weight of his grief and new responsibilities.

He had known even then that he had to focus on his mother’s rehabilitation, on supporting his young sister who was barely an adult herself, and on navigating his own tumultuous emotions.

He couldn’t find any room for lightness or love in his life. He needed to be strong, to be the rock his family desperately needed.

Pursuing a career in law enforcement became his driving purpose—a way to prevent other families from experiencing the same devastating loss.

Wes sighed heavily, realizing that even after twelve years, the pain and guilt still lingered. He had made the only choice he felt he could at the time, but seeing Hannah again made him wonder about the path not taken.

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to regret his decisions back then. They had shaped him into the man he was today.

He and his grandfather finished their shopping, then he helped Stanley load the groceries into the back seat of his truck. Ignoring the sharp stab of pain in his gut, he helped his grandfather into the front passenger seat.

As he drove off through a light rain-snow mix, he tried to push Hannah from his thoughts. He had known when he returned to town that he couldn’t avoid her completely. He never expected to see her twice in the first few days, with the prospect of even more time spent in her company.

“She’s a lovely girl, isn’t she?” Stanley said.

He did not pretend to misunderstand. Who else would he be talking about?

“She is. Even more lovely now than she was back in the day.”

“You two were hot and heavy for a long time. I really thought you would end up together.”

So had Wes. She had been such a light in his life. He had even been planning to pop the question when she graduated from college the next year.

Until everything changed.

“People grow apart,” he said, trying for a casual shrug. “It happens.”

His grandfather sent him a long look across the width of the truck but to his relief, Stanley changed the subject.

“Your sister tells me your mom will be there for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.”

He nodded. “I’m picking her up in the morning. She’ll spend the day with us, then I’ll take her back.

“The new care center seems like a nice place for her. I’m glad.”

Wes hadn’t been convinced Susie should leave the care center in Portland where she had lived since the shooting. But when his sister’s husband returned to town to take over his father’s HVAC business, it made sense for Kelsey to move Susie to be closer to them. In Portland, Wes had visited his mom as often as he could but Kelsey really had more of an active role in their mother’s care than he had.

“She seems to have adjusted well to the move.”

Stanley was quiet, watching the passing scenery. “I’m glad she’s closer,” he said. “But I have to admit, it’s tough to see her that way. I knew how things were with her. Of course I knew. But I haven’t seen her that many times over the years, except for the times your grandmother and I would drive to Portland to visit you all. Seeing her more often brings home how much she has changed.”

It was still hard for Wes, all these years later. He doubted that would ever get better.

“She was the most vibrant, amazing woman,” his grandfather went on. “It hurts my heart to see her now, struggling even to put two words together.”

“It’s tough,” he agreed as he pulled into the parking lot of the Shelter Inn. Stanley unbuckled his seat belt but didn’t immediately get out.