CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

PIERS

After cleaning up our dinner mess, Drew and I head to the study to play blocks for a bit. Anna argued – she’s a bit old fashioned like that, but if I’m going to be a part of this family, I want to contribute. And not just financially.

Plus, I wanted to give Willow a chance to spend time writing a letter to Wendy. I think it’s something that she needs to do, to find some peace and lay some ghosts to rest. I know she hasn’t been back to the garden, at least not to our spot anyway.

I hate that what was once her favorite place, her safe haven, was tarnished by pain that I caused. I’m hoping that after tonight, she will have new memories to replace the old ones and it will once again be a happy place. A magical place...full of hopes and promises, the way it once was.

Drew yawns and climbs over into my lap. His affection is something I’m still getting used to. It makes my heart so full it could burst. I’ll work every single day to deserve it, to be the best father to him I can be.

“Ready for bed, lad?” I ask, hugging him closer. He had a busy evening chasing Pete the pirate cat.

“Yeah.” He yawns.

“Okay, then. Up we go.” Standing with him in my arms, I carry him upstairs to his room.

“Happy thoughts,” he whispers to himself sleepily.

“Here we are.” I gently lay him down, tucking him in. “Sleep tight, son.”

“I’m glad it was you.” His eyes flutter open and he studies me. “I’m glad you’re my dad,” he adds.

Turning on his bedside lantern, I kneel beside his bed and smile. I’m too choked up to speak, but I try anyway. “I’m glad too. You’re the greatest gift I’ve ever been given. I’m sorry it took so long to find you, but I promise we’ll never be lost from each other for as long as I live.” My hand gently moves a wayward curl from his forehead as his eyelids grow heavy. “I love you, Drew.”

“Love you too, Dad,” he replies, yawning once more, he closes his eyes.

Tears blur my vision, and I blink them away to watch him sleep just a few moments more.

Knowing how much I love him, I can’t imagine how a person could leave a child. Their own flesh and blood. I could never leave him...but it’s not my place to judge. Their story isn’t my own.

My pocket vibrates with an incoming call. Standing, I place a kiss to Drew’s head and quietly walk from his room, leaving the door cracked the way Willow likes.

Stepping into the hallway, I remove my phone and see it was from Scarlett. She didn’t take my call before dinner, nor respond to any of my messages.

Walking to the study, I ring her back. Finally, she answers.

“Piers.” Her is voice flat. At least she’s not trying to pretend she doesn’t know why I’m ringing.

“Why?” I jump right in, tired of the secrets. Tired of pretending.

“Why what?” she huffs out. “Why tell your precious Willow the truth? Why ask her about the loophole that you lied about? Why say I knew about her children’s books? Why admit I picked out her mask? Why point out she can’t make you happy, be what you need? Take your pick.” She rattles off, sounding annoyed I’m questioning her about it.

My jaw clenches as she continues spitting her venom, and it makes me sick to think that it was directed at Willow.

“Because she can’t...regardless if you agree, it’s the truth.” Her voice lowers.

“Scarlett, you’re really not giving me much choice here.” I sigh.

“I’m surprised she’s even letting you call me. I’d be jealous too if I was her. She sees what we have Piers.” The more she talks, the angrier I get.

“What we have? What we had...was a friendship, Scarlett.” I grit my teeth, heartsick at how she betrayed me.

“Had? Let me guess; she’s making you choose.” She sounds shocked, appalled even.

“No, actually. Quite the opposite. She wanted me to give you a second chance. Even after all you subjected her to. Hell, last night alone! But you have yourself to thank for this. It’s you who’s forcing me to choose.” I struggle to keep my temper in check, knowing Drew is asleep upstairs.

“You don’t mean that.” Panic laces her tone now. “You can’t.”

“I’m sorry Scarlett.” And I truly am.

“Piers. I love you. I— I thought maybe you felt the same. And I thought with her out of the way, you could finally see it. See me, see an us. But it always comes back to her. Why?” I’m shocked by her confession. It’s never been like that with us.

“I really don’t know why, Scarlett. It’s always been her. I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you, sorry if I’ve given you the wrong impression. But with or without Willow, there would never be an us. Your blame is misplaced.” I feel guilt that she ever thought there was a possibility of anything more than friendship between us.

“What about PAN Industries? BlackHouse? Are you firing me too? Cutting me out of every facet of your life?” She’s desperate now, and I’m back to being the lost boy, the one who’s loyal to a fault.

“Of course not. I’m going to take a bit of a leave. Focus on my family, the London Lost and some other endeavors. Things will be business as usual.” For the first time the thought of not being in complete control at the office doesn’t terrify me.

“And Anderson’s deal?” She sniffles.

“You can handle it; you said so yourself. It’s been your baby from the start. I’ll be checking in from time to time, but I think it’s better if we don’t work so closely together...for a while.” Silence hangs heavy on the line, then I hear her crying.

“Piers. Please, don’t. Don’t do this to me.” It’s hard to hear her crying. One of my oldest and best friends. It guts me to put a wall up between us, but regardless of what Willow says, I need to do this, at least for a while.

“Scarlett, I’m sorry. I’ll be in touch. Let’s just take some time.”

“Don’t cut me out. I’ll apologize to Willow. I’ll fix it,” she begs.

“It’s not that simple.” I take a deep breath, remembering how she treated Willow. Reminding myself of what a good actress Scarlett is. Anything to ease the guilt of pushing her away. But one thing sticks out in my mind, the thing that hurt the most. Her lies.

“I have no one else,” she sobs.

“I have always been there for you, and I thought you were there for me too. But lying to me after Willow left, not telling me she called. Making her think I was with you. Putting me on the phone pissed out of my ever loving mind, letting me tell her that I had forgotten her...when you knew I had been searching for her. That I was lost without her.” Her gasp, followed by silence, confirms what I already knew. “You contributed to me losing out on five long years with my son. So, I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a little time while I sort all this out in my mind.”

“I didn’t know,” she whispers. “I swear I didn’t know that’s why she was calling.” I don’t know why, but I believe her.

“Scarlett, I know you can’t see it now. But what we have, isn’t what you think it is. It’s love, the same love I have for Theo. It’s because we were all we had...for so long, a family unit. I’m sorry that my keeping you so close all these years possibly hindered you from finding the other kind of love. But there is another kind, and it’s all consuming, and it doesn’t go away over time or fade across the miles. I hope you find that love, Scarlett. You deserve it. We all do.” My voice waivers, and I think about how lucky I am that Willow came back, that our love survived...that we got our second chance.

“Goodbye, Piers.” She ends the call, and I hope I did the right thing. It’s as much for her as me, even if she can’t see it. Scarlett needs to be able to spread her wings, and to do that, she needs to be out of my shadow.

§

WILLOW

After dinner, I sit down to pen my first letter to Wendy. At first it’s hard, but once I clear my mind and talk to her like she’s sitting next to me, the words just flow.

Dearest Wendy,

I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to write this. I didn’t want to say goodbye. And so I won’t.

Thank you for bringing me home. I don’t know exactly how you managed it all, but I know that you’re responsible. So thank you for giving me my life back. My home, Piers, a family.

I thought about what you said, about forgiveness. I’m trying. Scarlett may take the most work. I’m not going to make any promises. But I’ll try. Because if you saw good in her, she couldn’t have been all bad.

Also for Piers. It’s so hard to think about sharing him, knowing she wants him as more than a friend. But I don’t want to be the person who draws lines in the sand, who robs someone of one of the few constants in their life. So I’ll let this thing with Scarlett go. Forgive her for taking him away, support his friendship with her. Because that’s what love is, right? Putting another person’s needs or happiness before your own? And I do, love him. But you already knew that. Even before I did. So I’ll try.

I’m going to see James again this week. To tell him that we’re staying and that I forgive his actions. He’s not doing so good, Wendy. Anna said it’s a broken heart. We both know a little something about that, huh? I was thinking maybe now that I’m home, I can keep an eye on him for you.

Who am I kidding...you’re keeping an eye on all of us.

I miss you Aunty Wen. I wish you were here, and I could tell you all this while we sit and talk to the roses. You could impart your wisdom on me using makeup or flower analogies.

I’m nowhere near the woman you were. But I hope someday I’ll get there. I look forward to finding more letters throughout the house. As we go through your things and prepare to reopen Everlend.

Yep, you heard that right. We’re going to reopen Everlend and give Drew some brothers and sisters. Maybe a few the old-fashioned way too...if Piers has anything to do with it, it’ll be soon. I want that for him. To see me with child, to hear a baby’s first cry and rock them to sleep on restless nights. He is incredible with Drew.

He’s fully onboard with making Everlend the same place it was to us. A home of hope and second chances for those in need of both.

It’s going to take a little time, and we want to spend a bit with just the three of us because we missed out on so much. But we will be having a grand re-opening July sixteenth next year. Your birthday.

Your life deserves to be celebrated, we couldn’t think of a more perfect gift.

I love you here, there and everywhere in between.

XoXo,

Willow Darling

A tear falls, splattering on the page, smudging my last name.

“Willow, are you in here?” I hear Piers before I see him.

“Yes. I’m here,” I call back as he steps into my new studio space that he and Drew created for me.

“You ready for that walk?” He stands in the doorway, looking sinfully handsome. Dark stubble covering his jaw since he hasn’t shaved since before the gala.

Staring at him, I start to get lost in thought. Thinking about the way that stubble feels on my skin, between my—

“If you keep looking at me like that, you might not be able to take that walk,” he growls and steps closer, offering his hand.

“Oh.” My mouth forms a perfect O.

“Yeah, oh.” His raspy voice warms my blood.

Standing, I fold the letter and place it in the drawer.

Tomorrow I’ll go to her grave and read it to her. Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll visit James, tell him I forgive him.

Tomorrow morning, Piers goes to work, and Scarlett will be there, new boundaries in place.

Tomorrow we start to heal.

But tonight, I walk towards Piers and for once only think about the present.

No history, no plans, just us.