Chapter 36

chapter

thirty-six

Rylan parked his truck in the driveway and turned off the ignition but didn’t get out of the cab immediately. He listened to the engine ticking softly as it cooled and stared at his house. It sat quiet and dark, the porch light he’d left on before leaving for dinner casting long shadows across the front yard. But for once, though, the silence didn’t feel suffocating—it just felt… still.

But the thought of stepping into that quiet, empty house made his chest tighten.

When he finally slid from the driver’s seat, a soft murmur of voices caught his attention. He paused, scanning the porch, where two figures sat on the swing, silhouetted by the dim light. His heart sank and lifted all at once. Rhiannon. And Pierce.

“You’ve been waiting,” he said, the words more statement than a question.

Rhiannon stood, brushing her hands down her jeans. “We weren’t going to let you walk into that house without talking to you first.”

Pierce rose beside her, his movements unhurried, his expression calm. His hands moved, signing, “ She insisted. You know how she is.”

Rylan huffed a quiet laugh, the tension in his chest loosening just a fraction. “Yeah, I do.”

Rhiannon elbowed Pierce lightly. “Don’t let him fool you. He wants this conversation, too.”

Rylan sighed and ran a hand over his face. All of the tension of the past few weeks seemed to settle into his bones all at once. “Yeah,” he agreed quietly. “We’re overdue.”

Rhiannon stepped forward, her brows pulling together as she studied his face. “Are you okay?”

He shook his head. “Not really. But I’m working on it.” He motioned toward the house. “Come inside. Let’s talk.”

The three of them filed into the house, Rylan flicking on lights as he led the way to the living room.

Jesus, he hated that Valor wasn’t here to greet him in a huff about dinner being late.

He sank into an armchair, his prosthetic arm resting heavily on his thigh. Rhiannon and Pierce settled on the couch across from him, their shoulders brushing.

For a long moment, no one spoke. The silence stretched, thick with unspoken words and old wounds. Finally, Rhiannon leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. "Ry, we're worried about you."

Rylan's jaw tightened. "I know. And I'm sorry. For... everything. For shutting you out. For being—” He hesitated, then gave her a rueful smile. “For being a jackass.”

Pierce chuckled silently, shaking his head as he signed, We’ve all been there.

Rhiannon’s lips twitched into a small smile, but she said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

Rylan shifted his weight, turning his gaze to Pierce. “And to you… I was wrong. About a lot of things. I didn’t trust you, and I should have. You didn’t deserve the way I treated you.”

Pierce’s hands moved fluidly, his expression steady. You were protecting her. I understand.

“That’s not an excuse,” Rylan said firmly. “You’ve done nothing but prove yourself. You’re good to her. Better than I ever gave you credit for. And I can see how much you love her.”

Rhiannon’s hand slipped into Pierce’s, her fingers curling around his. “He makes me happy, Ry. I’ve never doubted that he’d protect me. Just like you would.”

Rylan nodded, his throat tightening. “I know that now. And I’m sorry it took me so long to see it.”

Pierce gave a small smile, his hands moving with deliberate care. Thank you. That means more than you know.

Rylan swallowed hard, his voice thick as he continued. “I’m happy for you. For both of you. I trust you with her.”

Pierce blinked, surprise flickering across his face before he mouthed, “Thank you.”

“So does that mean you’ll be my Man of Honor?” Rhiannon asked with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

Rylan barked a startled laugh. "Your Man of Honor? Christ, Rhee."

She grinned, the mischief in her eyes softening into something warmer. “I'm serious. There's no one else I'd want standing beside me."

He shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. You two aren’t even engaged yet."

"About that," Pierce signed, his expression turning serious. "I wanted to ask for your blessing. Officially. I already have your father’s but it felt important to ask you, too.”

He glanced from Pierce to Rhiannon, then down at her empty left hand. He snorted. “You’ve already asked her, haven’t you?”

Rhiannon winced and poked her elbow into Pierce’s side. “Told you he’d know.” She took the ring out of her pocket and slid it on, wiggling her finger so that the diamond sparked in the light.

Rylan stared at the ring, a strange mix of emotions swelling in his chest. Pride. Happiness. And just the faintest ache of loss. His little sister, all grown up and ready to start her own life. And he’d nearly missed it, too caught up in his own pain to see how happy she was.

He cleared his throat. “You didn’t need to ask for my blessing, but you have it. Wholeheartedly.”

Rhiannon's eyes shone with tears as she launched herself off the couch and threw her arms around Rylan's neck. "Thank you," she whispered fiercely. "Thank you."

Rylan wrapped his arm around her, holding her tight. Over her shoulder, he met Pierce's gaze. The other man nodded, his expression solemn but his eyes warm with gratitude.

When Rhiannon finally pulled back, she swiped at her eyes. "Sorry. I told myself I wouldn't cry."

"Since when do you ever do what you're told?" Rylan teased gently.

She laughed, the sound a little watery. "I'm just so happy. I wasn't sure if..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

"If I'd pull my head out of my ass long enough to see how good you two are together?"

“Yeah. Exactly that.”

“We were starting to worry we’d have to opt for surgical removal.”

Rylan threw Pierce a wry look. "Hilarious. But… fair." He let out a long breath, his shoulders sagging. “But you don’t to worry about me anymore. I'm going to get the help I need. I've decided to check into a rehab program while Valor recovers."

Rhiannon blinked, her expression shifting from surprise to understanding. She threw herself into his arms arms again. “Good. Oh, that’s so good! I’m proud of you, Ry.”

“That’s a big step,” Pierce signed. “It’s the right one.”

Rylan let out a small, shaky laugh. “Can’t say I’m looking forward to it, but I need to do this. For myself. For Valor. For all of you. I leave in the morning.”

“Do you need us to stay tonight so you’re not alone?” Rhiannon asked, pulling back to meet his gaze. “I know how much you hate that.”

Rylan glanced around his too-quiet, too-empty house. For a moment, the idea was tempting. But then he shook his head. “No,” he said softly. “It’s okay. I need to learn how to be alone with my thoughts.”

“You’re a braver man than me,” Pierce signed. “ Just remember, you’re never completely alone. You have us. You have Zak, Anna, Donovan, Sasha, Sawyer, Lucy, Veronica, Connelly, Shane, Alexis, Ellie, Cal, Ash, Rose ? —”

Rylan chuckled, holding up a hand to stop him from listing off the whole town. “Okay, okay. I get it. I’m not alone.”

“And Izzy,” Rhiannon chimed in. “Right?” When he didn’t answer right away, she narrowed her eyes at him. “ Right? Tell me you didn’t do something boneheaded tonight and push her away.”

“No,” Rylan said, his voice softening. “I tried, but she wouldn’t let me. She’s going to wait for me and we’ll figure things out when I get home.”

Rhiannon nodded once, satisfied. “I like her. She’s a smart woman and she doesn’t put up with your shit. She’s exactly what you need.”

Pierce rose from the couch and gently pulled his fiancee away. “All right. Let’s not get all up in his personal business. You didn’t like it when he did it to us.”

“Right.” Rhiannon held up her hands in surrender and took a demonstrative step backwards toward the door. “Right. Boundaries are good.”

Rylan walked them to the door, his heart feeling lighter than it had in months. As he watched Rhiannon and Pierce head down the porch steps, their hands entwined, he called out, "Hey, Rhee?"

She turned, her eyebrows raised in question. "Yeah?"

"I love you, you know."

Her expression softened, a smile spreading across her face. "I know. I love you, too, big brother." They started toward the car, but Rhiannon stopped halfway across the lawn and spun back. “Oh. One more thing. Call our parents, Ry. Tell them what’s been going on with you.”

Rylan’s chest tightened, a lump forming in his throat. “They’ll be disappointed.”

“Probably, but they love you. And they miss you. And you need all the support you can get. Call them.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. I will.”

She cocked her head and crossed her arms.

“You mean now ?”

Her tapping foot made her answer clear.

With a sigh, Rylan dug his phone out of his coat pocket, scrolling to his father’s number. He hit call and held up the screen to show her the line was ringing.

Rhiannon nodded with approval, and blew him a kiss before turning to meet Pierce at the car.

Rylan watched them go until the faint sound of his father’s voice on the other end of the line drew his attention back to the phone. “Hey, Pa,” he said, his voice steady but soft. “It’s me. Do you have some time? I really need to talk to you and Ma…”