Page 3 of Reclaimed Roots

As the service continued, I couldn't shake the feeling of Jasper's eyes on me, couldn't ignore the tug of old memories and unanswered questions. Coming back to Sable Point was even harder than I had anticipated. Being here, surrounded by all these reminders of my past, of the life I left behind... it was stirring up emotions I thought I buried long ago.

After the service,we filed out of the church and into the bright sunlight of the parking lot. I blinked against the glare, my eyes raw and swollen from crying. Liam hovered at my elbow, his presence suffocating. I needed air, needed space to breathe and think and justbe.

"I'm gonna go check on my mom," I murmured, gently extricating myself from his grasp. I weaved through the clusters of mourners, offering nods and weak smiles as I went. Mom was standing near the church steps, deep in conversation with Pastor Dan. As I approached, she turned to me with red-rimmed eyes and a watery smile.

"Natalie, sweetheart," she said, pulling me into a hug. "That was a beautiful eulogy. Your father would have been so proud."

I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. "Thanks, Mom. You doing okay?"

She gave a small shrug, her smile faltering. "As well as canbe expected, I guess. It still doesn't feel real, ya know? I keep expecting him to walk through the door, to hear his voice..." she trailed off, her eyes misting over again.

I nodded, blinking back my own tears. "I know. It's gonna take time."

My gaze drifted over the crowd, and I stiffened as I saw a familiar figure making his way towards us. Tall and broad-shouldered, with that tousled dark hair I used to love running my fingers through. Jasper looked as handsome as ever in his charcoal suit coat, crisp white shirt, and what I could only describe as his "nice" jeans. Our eyes met. I felt a familiar tug below my breastbone as some long dormant instinct pulled me toward him.

But I wasn't that lovesick teenager anymore. I was a grown woman with a life back in the city—a well-paying job, a handsome boyfriend, neighbors who relied on me for a cup of sugar now and again. Whatever Jasper and I'd had, it was ancient history now.

I started to turn away, but Mom's hand on my arm stopped me. "Natalie, I know you're avoiding him. But Jasper is practically family."

I sighed. She was right. I couldn't dodge Jasper forever. Not in a town this small, where our parents had been friends since before we were born.

"I know, Mom. It's just hard. Being back here, seeing him again."

My mother's eyes softened, and she squeezed my hand again.

"I get it, honey. But you can't run from this forever. Thesooner you face him head on, the sooner you can start to heal. To move forward. Both of you." She gave me a pointed look. "Trust me. I know things."

I huffed out a shaky laugh at the familiar words—one of Mom's catchphrases. They used to drive me nuts as a kid, but today, it eased the tight knot in my chest. "Okay, okay. I'll talk to him. But not here, not now. I need a little time to prepare myself first."

"Good. You two have a lot to catch up on."

I gave her a small smile and headed off to find Liam. When I glanced back, Jasper had reached my mom and pulled her into what I knew from experience was an epically comforting hug.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little Miss Natalie."

I turned around and the oldest of the Everton twins—by three minutes—seized me in his big, burly lumberjack arms and squeezed me tight.

"Hey, Elliot. It's good to see you."

"You, too, kid. It's been too long."

Double vision kicked in. Elliot pulled back, and I was met with the sweet to his sour. While identical in looks, Elliot and Chase Everton could not have been more different. Where Elliot was disciplined, put together, and maybe a little rigid, Chase was chaotic and messy but a hell of a lot of fun.

"Natty Light!" I was wrapped in a second bear hug as Chase lifted me off my feet and spun me around. "God, I've missed you, girl. This town is boring as shit without you."

He set me back down, and I laughed despite myself. Eventoday, Chase's energy was infectious. "I've missed you too, Chaser. Keeping out of trouble?"

"Now where would be the fun in that?"

Elliot shook his head. "One of these days, brother, your shenanigans are going to land you in hot water."

"Yeah, yeah." Chase waved his words away. "Life's too short to always play by the rules. Right, Nat?"

Our eyes met, a silent acknowledgment passing between us. Chase understood me like few others. We were cut from the same restless cloth. But while I yearned for something beyond the safe confines of Sable Point, Chase was desperate for his own identity—freedom from standing in his brother's shadow and the weight of family expectations.

Chase was the only Everton I'd seen in the years since I left town. He regularly ditched his responsibilities at Ever Eden Orchard and hopped in the car to visit me at college. He'd drink all my friends under the table and then crash on my floor. I knew he felt like he missed out on a lot by not leaving home for college. All the Everton boys had gotten degrees from the local community college. That way, they could stay close to the orchard and help out at harvest time. But their baby sister, Charlie, had been granted a full ride to the state college and was currently finishing her degree a few hours away. I'd always loved sweet, quiet Charlie, and I was sad I wouldn't see her today—something about a final she couldn't miss. But she'd called to offer her condolences.

"Hey, babe. You ready to head to the wake?" Liam appeared at my side, slipping an arm around my waist.

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