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In that moment, surrounded by love, laughter, and the glow of twinkling lights Sutton insisted I had to hang in my room, I felt truly at peace.
The three ofus were spending Christmas Day with the Byrne family. We left before nine to give us time to detour to the cemetery to visit Mom and Dad.
The early sunshine took the edge off the misty morning as we entered El Camino Memorial. It was a serene place, with manicured lawns and rows of trees offering shade to anyone grieving. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, and everything was quiet, calm, and peaceful. The chirping of birds filled the air, but there was a hushed stillness.
Trace, Sutton, and I had flowers we’d located in the jungle that had once been Mom’s garden, and as we neared our parents’ resting place, I took a deep breath, trying to keep my emotions in check. “Eleven years,” I whispered, almost to myself. The inscription on their gravestone read:Together in life, together in eternity.
“I can’t believe it’s been that long,” Sutton said, placing the cheerful flowers onto the grass, and staying in a crouch. Trace placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, and I stepped closer, just to be there for them both.
Around us, other families gathered, some huddled together in tight-knit groups, others sitting alone, lost in their thoughts. There was a shared sense of loss, a collective mourning, made worse because it was Christmas, which was supposed to be a time of joy. But there was happiness too, a small child ran in and out of the headstones, not understanding where they were, or even why, but high on the excitement of Christmas. The parents tried to apologize, but I waved it away and smiled, because Charlie would be walking one day, and if there was even the slightest chance my parents were looking down, I would want them to see his same unbridled joy.
“I’ll go first,” Sutton’s voice was soft, but steady. “Hi, Mom, hi, Dad. I've started college; I wish you could see it. I mean I’m not loving it, but I’ve joined a couple of societies, including one for graphic art, which is so cool. Maybe that is what I want to do, maybe animation, although, I don’t know yet.” He shot me a glance, and I smiled. He was a talented artist, saw things in life that most of us would never see, and maybe art and animation, was where he’d end up. He had the confidence to talk his way into anything he wanted.
“Me next,” Trace said. “I'm graduating soon. Got a job lined up too. I think you'd be proud. Actuarial science, which is hard, but I love numbers, and I’m good at it.”
They both glanced at me in expectation. Of course, I had news about work now that I was heading to be a partner in Marshall-Byrne Construction, but that wasn’t the most important thing. I smiled, tears in my eyes, thinking of Jax and the love and support he brought into my life. “Hi, Mom, hi, Dad. So, I've finally found the nerve to be with Jax, and he gets who I am, and it’s new, but I think it’s forever. No. Iknowit’s forever.”
We stood in silence for a while, taking in the moment, lost in memories, and the love that still bound the three of us together. Despite the pain and the grief, we’d found strength in each other, and whatever Sutton and Trace thought, they supported me, as much as I did them.
“We probably need to talk about the house again,” I murmured, and met Trace’s knowing gaze and Sutton’s frown.
“About selling it?” Sutton asked. As the youngest, maybe he’d changed his mind, moving away and not having a home might mean he wouldn’t want to sell, maybe it was still a home he wanted to live in.
“Mom and Dad left us money for most things, but the house… it’s too big for me. I don’t want to live there, and if we sold, we could release the money tied in it and… I can invest with Jax, and you two could buy a place each, or the three of us could get something together, or… It’s a big house,” I ended.
Sutton and Trace exchanged glances. “Okay,” Sutton said with a cautious tone.
“But we have to do it together, not just two of us, or one of us. It’s our house. It’s home.”
Trace shrugged, and Sutton tugged both of us into a hug. “Home is whenever I’m with the two of you,” he said, and tears collected in my eyes. “Love you.”
We hugged and hugged, and the three of us were complete idiots right by our parents’ grave.
But I think Mom and Dad would have understood.
As we turned to leave, Trace squeezed my shoulder. “Look at us now. We made it through.”
Sutton smiled. “They'd be so proud.”
And as we walked out, still hugging and exchanging memories of Mom and Dad, I couldn't help but feel a warmth in my heart, knowing that while they might not be with us physically, our parents would always be with each of us.
When we arrivedat the Byrne house, we were swallowed by heated discussions over football, and jokes, and laughter, but the best bit was when I found Jax in the kitchen with the kids, and the way he grinned when he first saw me before proceeding to tug me under some mistletoe in front of his entire family.
And how, when I waved my brothers off at the airport the day after Christmas, he was right by my side—Charlie in his stroller—and he held my hand so tight I could never forget he was there.
I needed to tell him everything, and for some reason, it needed to be now, when my brothers were gone. I stopped him dead, the person behind us close to barreling into us and cursing about being late even though I apologized.
“So, we’ve decided we’re selling the house.” I hadn’t told Jax about the cemetery conversation, nor about how much I loved that he’d gotten me and my brothers talking.
“You are?” Jax didn’t sound surprised.
“Trace and Sutt are coming back in February, and we’re going to tackle the attic and tidy up the yard, and then, put it on the market. We own it outright, so anything we make they can invest or buy a property each or whatever, and what I make, I can put into the business, or whatever.”
He tugged me to one side of the access and held out a hand, which I grasped. “Make it official and move in with me. Not when it sells, but now.”
I thought about the things I’d been squirreling away in his spare room and cradled his face. “You’re sure?”
“As sure as I know Charlie is going to wake up at any second.”
