Page 6 of His Witness To Protect

They spent the rest of the week talking and sharing and just being there for each other.

Neither of them could remember a time when they’d last felt so light, so free of baggage.

A week later, they heard the news that the killer had been sighted somewhere in New York. The sighting was validated by the sketch Alexa made with the help of Brie, and she felt pretty proud of herself and pretty scared because she felt he might come back for her if Mack had to go to New York.

Brie felt like Mack could sense the tension she was feeling. It made her feel better to unburden her past to someone who cared enough to listen.

After internally debating with himself for a couple of minutes, Mack decided that Brie would be safer among her family. She was hesitant to go because she had left home when Bryan proposed toher, after which they both moved to Chicago and started livingtogether before Brie caught him cheating. She didn’t have the guts to face her parents and siblings after abandoning them to be with Bryan. She left like the prodigal son when she thought about her return to Destiny Falls, but Mack assured her that he would be there to support her if she needed it. It felt surreal for Brie to imagine that she was going back to her roots, her home, and the place she and Mack had shared their childhood—Destiny Falls.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Brie felt she would jump out of the car as Mack drove down the highway to Destiny Falls. The nostalgia nearly choked her as she found herself crying at the memory of how her father would drive her and her two older brothers down the highway to visit their grandparents before they passed away. The drive was always fun, as her father would crank up the radio while she andher brothers sang to their heart’s content. She still couldn’t believe she was on this same highway on the way back to her family she hadn’t seen in over three years.

Her tears fell onto her glasses and blurred her vision. As soon as she took them off to wipe the tears away, she felt Mack’s hand on hers, brushing his thumb over the back of her hand. She sniffed hard and nodded to Mack that she was okay, but it didn’t stop him from occasionally catching a glimpse of her as she stared out the window. She rolled down the window, and the breeze blew her hair all around her face; she started giggling. Mack felt a little bit at ease, hearing her giggle, but he was also a bit nervous about going back to Destiny Falls because his family was still there, too.

Brie smiled when they approached the half-dead wooden sign that read, “WELCOME TO DESTINY FALLS.” She was home at last, but she still had knots in her stomach as she directed Mack to her family house.

As soon as they pulled over in front of the small metal gate, she swallowed and stepped out of the car. Looking past the tiny hole on the gate that her parents refused to patch up, she could see two dogs sleeping on the front porch, and she mustered up the courage to knock. She looked back at Mack, who gave her a thumbs-up, which she returned.

The knock echoed through the gate and gave off a littlevibration, and she could hear her mother’s soft voice from the other side.

“Who is it?” she called out.

“Mama, it’s me, Brie! I’m home,” she responded, and the speed at which the gate flew open came as a shock to her.

Like a mirage from a dream, there her mother was, standing in front of her in a kitchen apron. Before she had a chance to process anything, Brie’s mother had pulled her into a tight hug. She felt her muscles relax as she leaned into the hug, oblivious to everything else going on around her. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as Brie took in her mother’s scent—like nutmeg and vanilla and sweat and everything from her childhood. She smelled familiar; she felt like home.

Standing there, being held by her mother, Brie suddenly felt all the stress and pressure of the past couple of days. For the first time in days, she let herself cry. It felt good, cathartic because her mother was there to comfort her.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” her mother, Carole, whispered. “You’re safe. I’m here now.”

Even though she didn’t know all the details, Carole knew her daughter well enough to know when she needed her. It didn’t matter that Brie had not been home in a long time. All that mattered was her daughter was finally home.

Mother and daughter held on to each other for a few moments before they finally pulled away. Carole was the first to pull away from the hug when she remembered that Brie had not come alone.

“Oh my god!” she exclaimed, catching sight of Mack standing awkwardly a few steps away. “Forgive my manners. I’m Brie’s mother.”

Mortified, Brie stepped forward to make the introductions.

“Mom, this is Mack. He’s a friend from high school. We ran into each other a few days ago in the city, and Mack was kind enough to offer me a ride home.”

Noting that Brie had not attempt to mention the circumstances under which they had met, Mack spoke up.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Miller,” he said, smiling politely. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh, please, call me Carole,” she trilled, obviously charmed by the handsome young man in front of her. “Brianna,” she continued, giving her daughter a meaningful look. “Why don’t you and your friend come in while I finish up in the kitchen?”

Without waiting for a response, she turned around and led the way in, chattering excitedly as she went.

Blushing furiously, Brie avoided Mack’s eyes as she followed her mother inside.

They followed her into a homely living room full of pictures of Brie, her parents, and her older brothers. Nearly every flat surface had a picture of all or some members of the family.

“You kids make yourselves comfortable while I run in and fetch your father,” Carole said, turning to Brie. “I’ll just be a minute.”

Mack walked in and stopped in front of a particularly cute one of an eight-year-old Brie holding a cute brown dog close.

“One word, and I’ll kill you,” Brie said when she glanced at Mack and caught him in the middle of an adorable smirk that sent butterflies down to her toes.

---