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“Dad?”

Kevin looked up from the cup of coffee he was currently stirring to death. “Hey, hon.” He smiled wearily. “Did you have breakfast?”

“Yeah.” Kirby slid into the chair across from his at the table. “You look awful.”

He lifted a shoulder. “I didn’t sleep much last night, kid.”

“I heard you go up to the studio. Did you paint anything?”

Kevin reached out and tugged at her ear. “You’ve got sharp ears, Kirby.”

“I know, but did you paint or were you just thinking?” she asked again. “Because a lot’s been happening. I mean, Dr. Stevens died, Dad. That’s scary.”

He squeezed her hand. “I know, and it’s sad. It’s awful for everyone who loved and cared for her.”

“But it makes you think about life a lot differently, right? I mean, up until now, death was sort of distant for me. I was too little to really understand what exactly Mom’s death meant for everyone, but Dr. Stevens’ death sort of made me think about everything a lot differently,” Kirby explained and had Kevin raising a brow.

“Baby, I didn’t know Juliet’s death would affect you so much. I’m right here, though, if you need to talk.”

She nodded. “I know, and I kind of wanted to talk to you about something that I’ve thought about a lot.”

“Yeah? Go on, tell me.” Kevin pushed aside the coffee mug and held his daughter’s hands in his. Right before his eyes, he could swear she was growing up so fast. A little too fast for him, but he knew he couldn’t shield her from everything life would throw at her. Death was one of them.

“You and me, Dad, we’re a team. Even after Mom died, I never felt like I needed a mother because you’ve been the best dad a girl could want. I guess I kind of figured that you and me could be a team for the rest of our lives and never need anyone else.” Kirby paused and lifted solemn green eyes to meet her father’s. “But it’s different now.”

“Kirby, if this is about Gwen…”

She shook her head. “No, at least, not totally. Life’s too short to waste time. I want you happy, Daddy.”

“Oh, honey.” Emotion clogging his throat, Kevin shoved back from the table and skirted around it to gather his daughter in his arms. “I am happy. I have all I need right here in my arms. You’re my whole world, Kirby. You’re all I need.”

“But I want more,” Kirby admitted and watched the puzzled frown appear on her father’s face. “I want a mother, too. I want to go prom dress shopping with my mom or gossip over boys with her. Dad, as much as I love you, there are a lot of things that guys don’t like to talk about.”

Boys. Oh, boy, Kevin thought. His little girl really was all grown up. But if any guy tried to touch her… “Kirby. I don’t know what to say.”

“I know Mama can’t come back from the dead. It’d be a little freaky if she did, but…” She bit her lip. “I think we have a chance to expand Team Richardson. I think we should.”

Unsure of what to say, Kevin opened his mouth, but the doorbell ringing cut off his words. “I wonder who that is,” he murmured to himself as he hurried to the door.

“Kevin.” Brian stumbled through the door when Kevin opened it. His hair was disheveled, and he looked as though he hadn’t slept in years. “I need your help.”

Kevin grabbed his cousin’s arms before Brian nearly tripped over the foyer rug. “Whoa, buddy. Maybe we should sit down. When was the last time you slept?” he asked, helping Brian into the living room where Kirby watched them with curiosity and concern.

“That doesn’t matter,” Brian waved it off. “I need your advice.”

Kevin sat next to him. “Okay, tell me what’s wrong.”

“Juliet’s dead.”

Obviously the man was starting to lose it. It was a wonder what grief did to a man, Kevin thought, concerned. “I know,” he said gently. “It wasn’t your fault, Bri, and there’s nothing any of us can do to fix it.”

“I love Reena,” Brian said abruptly. “Juliet loved me, but I love Reena. Now, Juliet is gone, and Reena’s leaving town. Maybe she already left.” His gaze swept the room wildly. “What time is it?”

“It’s eleven-thirty,” Kirby supplied.

Brian gave her a tired smile. “Thanks, Kirby. Kevin,” he turned back to his cousin. “What do I do? Do I just let her go because, if I’m with her, I’d be dishonoring Juliet? Or do I just say screw it and go after the woman I’ve waited for my whole life?”

“How do you know Reena’s leaving?” Kevin asked.

Brian pressed his fingers to his aching head. “Uh, Gwen broke into my house this morning to tell me. She thinks Reena’s wrong to leave and I’m wrong to stay away from her. She thinks we shouldn’t blame ourselves for what happened and to stop punishing ourselves for it.”

“She’s right.” Kevin realized he had no choice but to think of Gwen. “What do you want to do? What was your first instinct when you heard that Reena was leaving?”

Brian sighed. “To go to her and tell her to stay. With me.”

“Good!” When her father and uncle looked over at her, Kirby slapped a hand over her mouth.

Kevin grinned. “Well, I think I’d have to agree with my daughter, Bri. I think you should hold on to Reena if you truly love her. If she’s the one you’ve been waiting for, don’t let her slip away from you.”

***

“I’m sorry, Brian.” Howie watched his friend closely and noted the sadness set into his face. “Reena left twenty minutes ago.”

Brian collapsed onto one of the couches in Gwen and Reena’s apartment and buried his face in his hands. He’d sped through town to get to their place and stop Reena from leaving, and now Howie was here telling him that Reena was gone. He felt like he was in a movie—one of the ones where the ending is one that the main characters aren’t happy with but critics rave about it. Unfortunately, he wasn’t raving.

Though she could feel his stare drilling holes in her head, Gwen ignored Kevin’s presence and, instead, reached out to take Brian’s hand in hers. “Why do you want to find her?”

“Because I…” His voice trailed off as he lifted his head to meet her knowing gaze. “Because I love her. Because I need her to stay here, in Seven Falls with me. You were right, Gwen. I was being stupid. Juliet is gone and, while the majority of the blame isn’t on me, I still will have to live with the fact that part of the reason she slipped was because she was running away from me. No,” he shook his head when all three opened their mouths to protest. “You know I’m right in this one thing. What I was wrong about was that, because I felt guilty, I had to stay away from Reena. I don’t think Juliet would want that. She once told me that she wanted me happy because that’s what you want for those you love. I’ll be happy when I find Reena, and I think Jules would have been fine with that.”

There was a long silence that followed his speech, and Brian’s nerves began to scream. All he wanted was to find out how to get Reena to come home, where she belonged. Where they both knew she was meant to be. Finally, when he was about to leap up and demand that Gwen call her sister’s cell and yank her back, Gwen spoke.

“She left her cell phone here, Brian.”

“What?”

Gwen shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’d call her back, but she didn’t take her cell phone. I think she forgot it, but I’ve no idea how to reach her and have her come back.”

His heart sinking, Brian sat back and tried to come up with other ideas. Meanwhile, Kevin turned to Howie. “Why are you here, D? Aren’t you supposed to be fielding calls from the state and the media?”

Howie shrugged. “They’re not that important. And, besides, I’ve left them with a written statement. It’ll have to stave their disgusting appetites. I wanted to be here to see Reena off because I felt that someone should, right?” He smiled supportively at Gwen.

“Yeah. Yeah, thanks, Howie. I’m sure it meant a lot to Reena that someone was here to prove that she did matter to someone in this town.” Gwen looked over at Brian. “Though I think she has no idea that she means the whole world to him.”

Brian looked up at his three friends watching him and winced. “I feel like I’m a lab rat with the way you’re staring at me. It’s creepy.” He paused. “Hey, Gwen? Do you know where in Boston she’s going to be staying? Maybe I could intercept her there and surprise her.”

“Maybe.” Gwen smiled a little. “Brian, I’d love it if you could convince her to come back, but I don’t think Reena has any idea where she’s going to be staying either. At this point, I have no way of contacting my little sister, and it’s scaring me. I mean, what if something happens to her? How am I going to find out? She’s the only family I’ve got.”

Though Kevin winced at her words, Howie put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Gwen, I’m sure nothing is going to happen to Reena. She’s going to be fine, and she’ll find a job and place to stay in no time. She doesn’t strike me as the kind of woman who’d end up on a street somewhere.”

“I know. I just wish there was some way that I could…Wait a minute.” Gwen sat up. “Howie, didn’t she say there was somewhere that she had to stop by before she headed out of town?”

Howie’s brow furrowed as he tried to recall. “I think she did, but I thought she just meant that she was going to pick up something to eat on the road.”

But Brian had already leapt up and was heading for the door. Kevin followed him out and managed to stop him on the landing. “Brian, where are you going?”

“To find Reena. I know where she is!” Brian’s face lit up with excitement. “I have to go, Kev. This is my last chance. If I don’t get to her now, I think I’ll lose her forever.”

Kevin watched him race down the stairs. “But where are you going?” he murmured and began to hope that Brian would find Reena. That someone would have a happy ending.

***

The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and this little corner of the world held all the peace that she was desperately searching for. She felt stuck in her own personal soap opera, one that didn’t have as convoluted an ending as most did, but it was still painful. She wasn’t ready to leave Seven Falls, but she didn’t have a choice. It was either leave or spend her time constantly avoiding the man she was hopelessly in love with. Neither option appealed to her, but she’d decided that the first one left her a chance to start over.

Start over. Wasn’t that what she’d come to Seven Falls to do in the first place? Several weeks ago, she’d transplanted herself to this tiny town in order to escape the past and her broken heart. Now, she was transplanting herself again. And, as before, it was to escape another broken heart. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure that she’d ever recover from this one.

Everything inside her seemed to be torn to pieces. She hadn’t had the energy to pack up her things, but faced with the choice of spending time in a place where she wasn’t wanted and the chance to leave, she’d mustered up the energy and the spirits to gather her belongings and run.

Not “run,” she corrected herself. Running indicated that she was a coward who couldn’t face up to the consequences of her actions. No, she was dealing with the consequences of those actions. With Juliet’s death, she’d not only lost a new friend but, in the process, had destroyed one of the most important relationships she’d ever had. Running wasn’t the word she’d use to describe her reaction to the losses. She was moving on.

“Reena! Oh, thank God.” When she was spun around then crushed close, she had a split second to inhale the familiar scent of his skin before Brian was dragging her away and shaking her. “How could you just leave like that? You didn’t give any warnings, no good-byes. Do you care for us so little?”

Dazed that he was here, Reena shook her head. “I, uh, Brian…What are you doing here?”

Knowing he was acting irrationally but unable to stop it, he clenched his hands around her wrists. His relief in seeing that she wasn’t out of his reach had been overcome by the anger that she had planned to leave without seeing him. “I came to find you, Reena. Did you think you could just leave town that easily? Did you really think no one would try to stop you?”

“Gwen tried,” she began but he shook her again and had her mouth dropping open in surprise. She’d never seen Brian angry like this before.

“And if you weren’t so damn stubborn, I’m sure you would’ve listened to Gwen. Unfortunately, she’s a pushover. Fortunately, I’m not. If you want to leave Seven Falls, you’re going to have to get through me.” Brian pulled her slightly closer and watched anxiety and something else flash through her eyes. “Reena. You can’t go,” he whispered, his anger evaporating as suddenly as it had appeared.

Reena pushed his hands away and stalked to the overlook. Taking a deep breath, she glanced over at the waterfalls and allowed herself a moment to think that, though she knew they could be lethal, she was still amazed by their beauty. Then, she turned back to face Brian. “I can’t stay, Brian, and you know it. Juliet would still be alive if I hadn’t gotten involved with you, if I had just kept my distance.”

“That’s right. She probably would still be alive,” Brian admitted, noting the shock that swept over her features. “The fact is, she’s not. Things happened that we couldn’t control, and Juliet is gone. It’s devastating, but nothing we do can change what happened. Reena, leaving this town, leaving me is not going to solve anything.” He placed his hands gently on her shoulders and pulled her closer. “Don’t go, baby.”

His voice was soft and the emotion in his eyes nearly sent her flying into his arms, but she knew better than that, she told herself. “I’m sorry, Brian. I can’t see any reason why I should stay because we both know that everyone thinks I’m a murderer. I can’t live like that.”

“No one’s calling you a murderer, baby. No one blames either of us for Juliet’s death. I thought I’d spend a good amount of time blaming myself, but I was wrong.” Brian pressed a kiss to her forehead. “And so are you. No one’s chasing you out or painting you as a killer. Besides, there’s one very good reason why you should stay in Seven Falls.”

The temptation to let herself lean against him was huge, but Reena tried to keep her distance. “What’s that?”

“I love you.” Brian smiled at the expression on her face before he leaned in and kissed her softly. “I’m in love with you, Reena Phillips. I can’t live without you here, so, as far as I’m concerned, you’re going to stay right here.”

“You’re not mad?” she asked hesitantly.

Brian frowned. “Mad? At you? For what?”

“On Friday, right after they found Juliet in the river, you gave me such an awful look. I thought you hated me for sure.” And she was afraid that he didn’t mean what he’d just said.

Remembering what she was referring to, he gathered her close. “I wasn’t mad at you. I was mad at myself, and, in order to punish myself, I thought that I couldn’t have you. I had to find a way to make you leave, and I’m sorry if I made you feel that I was angry with you.” He tipped her chin up to look into her eyes. “I love you, Reena, and you’re not going anywhere. Except maybe back to my place.”

She grinned and felt as though her face would crack from how wide it was. It was amazing how her heart felt light as a feather at that moment when, just minutes before, it had been dragging on the ground behind her. “I’d love to, but there’s something I have to tell you, too.”

“Is it important?” Brian asked, starting to pull her down the path towards his car.

Reena stopped him. “I think it is. Brian, I’m in love with you, too.”

Moments later, when he’d set her back down, she felt the laugh bubbling through her and, swinging her arms around his neck, she let it free.

“You’re not going anywhere, right?” Brian asked as they headed down the path again.

She shook her head. “Nope. Not ever.”

“Good.” He grinned. “Because you’re stuck here for the next fifty or so years.”

Reena’s eyes widened when she understood his words. “Brian, are you…Are you asking me to marry you?”

“Well, I was thinking now was sort of early to ask you because we’ve only known each other a week. I was planning on romancing you for the next few months and then popping the question.” He smiled foolishly. “I can’t help it, Reena. I can’t imagine life without you.”

“I can’t imagine mine without you, either,” she admitted. “If you wanted to ask now, I wouldn’t think it was too soon.”

Brian’s brows shot up seconds before the smile spread across his face. Stopping next to their cars, he took her hands in his and looked around them at the expanse of greenery and the sounds of the waterfalls in the distance. “I think this was meant to happen here. It’s probably got a lot to do with destiny, fate, and blah blah blah. None of that matters to me as long as it means that I’ve got you with me forever. So, Miss Reena Phillips, will you do me the honor of marrying me and sticking by me for the adventure that our life together is sure to be?”

Her smile grew to match his. “Why, Mr. Littrell, I can think of nothing that would make me happier.”

As he swung her into his arms and kissed her, neither noticed the way the woods exploded into sound and colors. Birds hooted and whistled while the water in the river babbled joyfully. Above the cheerful music of the forest, laughter was heard for a moment before it faded out, and the trees were quiet again.