"Impossible," Gage muttered as he stared back at Ben. "I'm going to need to see the DNA test."
"Me, too," Ben returned. "But when I think about how often my dad stood up for you, it makes sense. I couldn't understand it before." He cleared his throat. "But you are free to go if you want."
Gage hesitated. "I can stick around."
Drake got to his feet. "I need to talk to my parents."
"Do you want me to go with you?" I asked.
"I need to do that on my own, but I'll give you a ride home."
"Okay." I stood up. "Ben? Do you need me for anything else?"
"Not right now. I'm glad you're okay, Willow."
"Thanks. I know this is a difficult day for you."
"Difficult isn't a big enough word to describe this day, but I am glad that I have the person in custody who took my dad's life."
I gave Ben a sympathetic smile and then followed Drake out of the room.
As I left the building, a ray of sun hit me in the face. "The storm is over," I said, as I got into his car.
"Nothing left but the cleanup," he muttered. "And there's a lot to clean up. Do you want me to take you home, or do you want to get your car from the cabin now?"
"I'll get the car later. I want to see Kelsey."
Drake started the engine but made no attempt to put the vehicle into drive. He was staring out the front window, lost in thought.
"Drake? Are you all right?" I questioned.
"No." He turned to look at me. "I wanted answers, and I got them, but they don't change anything. Telling my parents what happened will make it seem like Melanie is dying all over again."
"But they'll know the truth."
"The truth is horrific. Someone they knew killed their daughter, someone they trusted covered it up. A lot of people told lies to protect themselves. And in the end, Melanie is still gone."
"I know it won't be easy. Are you going to tell them she was pregnant?"
"I have to tell them everything. I don't want to hurt them, but that will be unavoidable."
"Maybe it will be some solace to know that she just fell asleep. She wasn't afraid. Eileen had just made her tea. She didn't know what was going to happen."
"I wish that made me feel better, but it doesn't. The only thing I feel good about right now is that you're safe and that Kelsey is home. That's because of you, Willow. You figured everything out."
"I got lucky when I saw Dillon and the van, and my memory suddenly reappeared. I wish I'd remembered things earlier."
"Your memories would not have saved Melanie. We know that now. It's time to stop looking back. It's time to let go of the guilt."
"I could say the same to you." There were a lot of other things I wanted to say, too, but I wasn't ready to say them.
Chapter Thirty
When I walked into my house, the atmosphere was completely different than it had been earlier in the day. I could hear the laughter, the high pitch of voices, the happy undertones of conversation coming from the living room. As I stepped into the room, I was relieved to see it was just us: my parents, Brooklyn, and Kelsey. I didn't want to see anyone else right now.
"Willow," Kelsey squealed, as she got up from the couch, hobbling on one foot as she opened her arms to me.
"Don't walk on that ankle," I said, moving across the room to give her a hug.
"Totally worth it." She gave me a radiant smile.
Kelsey looked a thousand times better. She wore leggings and a soft sweater and smelled like soap and lavender. Her hair was silky smooth. Even though shadows were under her eyes, her gaze was filled with gratitude.
"Come sit by me." Kelsey took my hand, and we sat down on the couch next to Brooklyn.
"Kelsey told us what you did, Willow," Brooklyn said, amazement in her gaze. "You were incredibly brave."
"We're very proud of you, Willow," my father added.
"Thanks." My gaze moved inevitably to my mother. I wasn't looking for praise from her. Well, maybe I was, because old habits die hard.
"You brought Kelsey home," my mother said, her expression one of bemusement, as if she still couldn't quite believe it.
"Yes, I did. Where she belongs."
"How is Gage?" Kelsey asked, her bright eyes dimming. "Did you talk to him, Willow? Does he know everything?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure most of it has sunk in yet."
"Brooklyn told me about Carter's overdose. I feel so awful about that. I really made a mess of everything."
"Did you love either one of them?" I asked curiously.
"I liked both of them. Carter was sweet to me, but his love scared me. It felt too overwhelming, like it would carry me away. I also didn't think I could stay on the pedestal he'd put me on."
"And Gage?"
"Gage didn't love me as much as Carter did, but it was simpler. We had a lot in common, and we had fun. When we got engaged, our careers, our brands, grew like crazy, and everyone wanted us to be together. They wanted to put us on TV and follow our lives. I got caught up in all that. I had Carter in one ear telling me not to make the biggest mistake of my life by marrying a man I didn't love, and then I had Gage in the other ear telling me how exciting our lives were going to be."
"And what did you think, Kelsey?"
"I didn't let myself think. I just went along with things. I used to call you out for doing that. Willow always bends, never stands up for what she wants. But that's exactly what I did."
"I remember both of you saying that a lot," I said dryly, my gaze encompassing Brooklyn as well as Kelsey.
"We were wrong," Brooklyn said. "I have to admit that your actions over the last few days surprised me. I always thought you were weak, Willow, that you didn't have determination or ambition, but you were much stronger than I realized."
"I got stronger this week. I couldn't live in the shadows anymore. I couldn't wait for someone else to solve the problem. I couldn't lose another person I love."
"I don't think I realized you loved me that much," Kelsey said.
I smiled. "I've loved you since the day you were born. We drifted apart over the years, but I hope we can forge a better relationship going forward." I looked around the room at my family. "I hope we can all be who we are now, and not who we used to be. Let's change the patterns. Let's change the way we see each other. We are far more complicated and three-dimensional than we give ourselves credit for."
"I agree." Brooklyn cleared her throat. "On that note, Mom, I'm going to be quitting the firm."
"What?" my mother asked in shock. "Why?"
"I'm not happy. I need to be on my own. I need to create a path for myself that doesn't follow in your footsteps. I'm sorry if that disappoints you," Brooklyn said.
"Well, I'm surprised," my mother replied. "I didn't know you were unhappy."
"I was afraid to tell you. You're not the easiest person to open up to."