Page 78 of Indigo Ridge (The Edens 1)

Mom and Dad would have been so proud to see me in Quincy. Dad would have warned me about the gossip mill and done his best to shield me from it, like Griff. Mom would have insisted on visiting each and every weekend until my house was set up and perfect.

“That’s what you see in your dreams,” Griffin whispered.

I nodded.

Both of them had been wearing seat belts. They’d been trapped in their seats, their bodies destroyed after their car had rolled six times, landing on its roof.

“Dad’s eyes were open. Mom, she, her body . . .” My eyes flooded. The words burned too much. “I can’t.”

“You don’t have to.”

I studied the trees, taking a few minutes to breathe as Griff began to rock us again.

“They didn’t suffer,” I whispered. “It was instant.”

“I’m so sorry, Winn.” Griffin’s arms banded tighter, and when the first tear dripped down my cheek, he just held on. He held on as I buried my face in his neck and cried for the people I’d loved more than anything in this world.

By the time I pulled myself together, the sun had risen above the mountain peaks.

“Thank you for listening.” I wiped my cheeks dry.

“Anytime.”

“You’re good at it.”

“Practice. I’ve got five siblings.”

“No.” I put my hand over his heart. “It’s just who you are.”

He kissed my hair, his arms never letting go as we stayed stuck together in the chair. “What are you doing today?”

“I don’t have anything planned.” Sleep. At some point, I’d have to attempt sleep.

He picked us both up, setting me on my feet. Then he traced a fingertip across the freckles on my nose. “Spend the day here.”

We’d never spent the day together. That had always been a boundary. And like the others, crossing it was as natural as breathing.

“Okay.”

Chapter Fourteen

Griffin

One morning spent in a rocking chair, and the world had shifted. Like going for a ride and veering off the main path to get a look from a different angle, and then discovering that the trail you’d been on was lacking in every way imaginable.

I was in it with this woman.

So fucking in it.

The shift had happened weeks ago. Or maybe there’d been small turns along the way. Yesterday, during the annual Quincy activities, I’d realized just how different life would be with Winn. The Fourth had always been fun. Busy, but fun. Except I’d struggled to relax and enjoy the day.

I spent most of my time searching for her, finding her in the crowd at various events. When I spotted her at the parade, walking up and down the sidewalks, her expression was one of concentration and awareness. Once the street sweeper passed, she disappeared, probably back to the station, and it took effort not to call and check in.

Instead, I rushed around to help my siblings. Knox needed a hand at the restaurant for the lunch rush, so I stopped at The Eloise to haul in supplies. There’d been a ninety-minute wait for a table—which hadn’t seemed to turn many people away.

I left Knox hustling around his kitchen, in his element and exactly where he wanted to be, then headed to the coffee shop because Lyla had been slammed too. Some asshole had clogged one of the toilets, so I plunged it, then cleared the overflowing garbage cans.

It was all hands on deck for the Eden family. Dad was the gopher, running around town to the hardware store or the grocery store for whatever anyone needed. Mom and Talia were helping Lyla behind the counter making coffee. Mateo was at the hotel, working with Eloise to make sure guests were taken care of for the sold-out weekend.