Tex sniffed, reaching for the box in my hands, willing me to give it to him. I did, handing over the pieces of jewellery Emma had been wearing and whatever other knickknacks she’d treasured.
They belonged to Tex more than me. It would’ve been Emma’s wish for her husband to possess her last trinkets. “I don’t know. I’ve never known.”
“You never tried to look her up?” Jethro asked.
Tex shook his head. “I wanted to. But Emma made me swear I wouldn’t.”
“But you said you hired the mercenaries before I came to take Nila. What did you mean by that?” Jethro was deceptively calm, as if he’d been planning to ask that question for a while.
Tex swallowed. “You caught that, huh?” Sighing, he added, “You’re right. I’d enlisted the help of a P.I and protective team to track her down. I kept it a secret from everyone—even the men working for me. They didn’t know why they were searching for a girl with my strict criteria. They just hunted.
“Emma said if I ever tracked Jacqueline down and the Hawks found out, they’d take both my daughters. So I kept it secret—half of me wanting them to find her so I could love her from afar, and half of me hoping she remained lost so she stayed safe.” His eyes narrowed. “Is it true you would’ve taken both? If I’d found her?”
Jethro pinched the bridge of his nose. “In all honesty, if Bonnie was still in charge, probably. But now, you have nothing to fear. If you want to track her down, I think you should.”
Tex looked at me. “Nila…what do you think? Do you want to?”
The question was too large to answer so quickly. I bit my lip. “Yes…no…I—I don’t know.”
“I vote yes,” Vaughn piped up.
How would a girl who’d been given up for adoption, stolen from her heritage and family’s legacy, ever slip into our world?
“Imagine it from her point of view,” Jasmine said, wrenching our attention to her. “You two grew up together. You’ve been best friends all your life. She didn’t have that. She might’ve felt like she was missing something but didn’t know what.”
She smiled sadly at Jethro. “I know I loved having more than one brother. It’s natural to want similar people to share your life with.”
Yes, but we didn’t have a similar upbringing.
Vaughn chuckled, sharing my thoughts again. “You think anyone could enter our life and not want to run away? Especially once we told her what happened and why she was given up?”
Tex ran a hand through his hair. “You have a point.”
“Shouldn’t she be given that choice though?” Jasmine rested her hands on her lap. “I think you should find her.”
We all slipped into silence, mulling over the idea. There was still so much to say but not tonight. We’d all been through so much. Jacqueline had been missing from our family for so many years. Another few days wouldn’t make a difference.
Tex straightened his shoulders, looking a hundred times lighter even after recounting something so hard. “I didn’t realise how much that secret weighed me down.” His eyes glittered. “Every time I look at you both, I remember Jacqueline. I wonder if she looks like you, has the same habits and fears. I hate that I was glad my parents died, so I didn’t have to break their hearts by stealing a grandchild.”
He sighed. “I’m not one to complain; I loved your mother. But she did leave me so alone. Stranded with secrets and missing a wife I could never have.”
Unthreading my fingers from Jethro, I went to my father. I’d held a grudge against him for so long, believing it was his fault for not protecting me. But I hadn’t known the full story. There was no black and white—for any of us. We’d all made choices on half-facts and uncertainty. If we couldn’t forgive, then what was the point in any of it?
Wrapping my arms around Tex, I hugged him hard. His arms were imprisoning jaws, squeezing me tight. “Will you ever be able to forgive me for not saving you?”
Vaughn joined our hug. “She already has, Tex.”
I nodded. “He’s right.”
Tex hugged us even harder. “I’m so glad I have you both. I love you so much.”
As we healed each other through touch, Jethro moved to the pyramid and drenched the branches, torture equipment, and boxes full of records with gasoline.
The pungent whiff of chemicals laced the night sky, and our hug ended with much needed closure. It hurt to hear the truth, but it patched up a hole inside me I didn’t know I had.
My heart knotted as Jethro diligently thought of everything, making sure tonight would be a perfect end. I hated the fact I’d just gained a sister I didn’t know, while he’d lost a brother he loved. Life was never fair.
Jasmine wheeled closer, touching my hand. “I know what you’re thinking, and he’ll be okay.”
“I know. It’s just so hard to say goodbye to good people.”
“He was the best.”
We shared a smile as Jethro held out a box of matches. His half-grin fluttered my heart, and my lips ached to kiss him.
Taking the offered box of matches, Jethro cupped my cheek and kissed me softly. “It’s all yours.”
Tonight, when we were alone, I would show him how thankful I was for everything he’d done.
I moved away and stood beside the kindling. The bonfire would burn for days with the amount of fuel Jethro had gathered.