"Too close," Thatcher mumbled, not squirming to get away from Tenn's hold.
"Mom! Thatch! Tenn!" August barreled down the front steps, followed by Savannah.
"Sorry," she called out. "I couldn't get him to go to bed until you got home."
August reached us and slammed into Tenn's legs. Tenn let go of Thatcher and me long enough to haul August into his arms and we were hugging again, me still sobbing and the three guys laughing, a little at me and my tears but mostly in sheer relief.
We were home. Thatcher was safe. And Tenn still had his inheritance.
Now, we just had to figure out what came next. In light of everything we'd been through, that part didn't seem too hard. In my giddy relief, I forgot exactly how complicated life could be, and how impossible it might be to move forward with so much of the past holding us back.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
TENN
All of them had waited up for us. Even Finn and my youngest brother Brax were there, wearing the same relieved smiles as everyone else. Once I let go of Scarlett and the boys, I got backslaps from my brothers and tight hugs from my sisters as well as Hope and Daisy, all of them warning me not to take any crazy chances again. I wasn't planning on it.
The only people missing were Bryce and Ophelia. I didn't ask where they were. This was a celebration, and I'd prefer to pretend they didn't exist. I'd find out what Hawk and Griffen might have discovered about Bryce later.
Just as I was turning to find Scarlett and get us settled for the night, Savannah took my arm, leading me into the house.
"I knew you'd make it back," she said, glancing back to catch Scarlett's eye. At the look, Scarlett gathered her boys and joined us. "I did a little reorganizing while you were gone. Called Billy Bob in for some muscle. I think you'll like this."
Confused, we followed her up the main stairs and to the right, into the guest wing. The hallway was lit by a floor lamp Savannah had relocated since we'd last been there. Beside Scarlett, Thatcher was looking everywhere at once, his eyes wide with wonder. "This place is huge," he whispered to August.
"It's even bigger than you think," August said with glee. "Nicky and I will show you around tomorrow. Heartstone is the ultimate for hide and seek."
I'd played the same game with my siblings when we were August and Nicky's age. August was right, Heartstone was the ultimate for hide and seek. I could give the kids some tips. Warmth spread in my chest at the idea of a whole new generation of kids making Heartstone a home with their laughter when Savannah drew to a halt in front of a door. One room down from the one with my favorite velvet chaise, this room had been empty of furniture the last time I'd seen it.
I barely recognized it after Savannah led us inside. Now, it was set up as a sitting room with a television, two couches, and a desk in one corner. None of the furniture matched, and all of it was well worn, but the room had been transformed from an abandoned space into a functional place to hang out. At the far end, the door was open, a light on in the room beyond.
"Go check that out," Savannah said to the boys, lifting a hand to point to the open door. August and Thatcher made a beeline for it, August shouting, "Awesome!" as he crossed the threshold. We followed at a slower pace to find the formerly empty room decorated with mismatched twin beds, cheerfully made with red plaid comforters and matching pillows, a table with a lamp between them. A door at the other end was open into a white-tiled bathroom.
Leaving the boys to bounce on the beds, Savannah turned to lead us across the sitting room to the open door on the other side. The chaise was no longer the main piece of furniture in the room. Savannah had found an antique, queen-size four-poster somewhere, probably the attics, along with matching bedside tables and a tall wardrobe she'd placed beside the small closet. Nothing in this wing had been updated, and the closets, while expansive for the standards of a century ago, were tiny to a modern eye. Scarlett didn't seem to care.
"This is amazing! For us?" She turned wide eyes to Savannah. "How did you manage this?"
Savannah laughed. "With the help of some of the day staff and Billy Bob—two brothers who work around Heartstone when we need them. They don't say much, but they work fast."
"I can see that," Scarlett murmured, turning a slow circle then crossing the room to push open another door and finding a second bathroom, also tiled in white.