Briar Valley: The Complete Duet

10. Willow

CHAPTER 10

WILLOW

THE ONLY - SASHA ALEX SLOAN

“Mummy! Time to wake up!”

“Go back to sleep,” I groan.

“No! We’ve been in bed all day. I’m bored.”

Grabbing the pillow that’s covering my head, Arianna exposes my eyes to the harsh glare of sunlight. It’s long past lunchtime. The last couple of nights have been riddled with sweat-soaked nightmares. Even Arianna couldn’t sleep through my screaming.

“Mummy! Let’s go!”

With Arianna tugging on my arm, I nearly fall out of the bed. Rubbing my eyes, I manage to get my feet beneath me with a pained grunt. Arianna peers up at me, and her blue eyes are on the verge of spilling tears.

“Did I hurt you?” she worries.

“No, of course not. I’m getting better, baby.”

“And you won’t be sick anymore?”

Stroking her sleep-rumpled blonde hair, I run a fingertip down the slope of her tiny nose. “What do you mean?”

“Daddy always said I’m too loud. Am I too loud? Do you want me to be quiet?”

Heart aching, I crush her against my chest. “You can be as loud as you want. No more being quiet. Shout, laugh and sing even more than Princess Elsa, if that’s what you want to do.”

“Better than Elsa?” Arianna grins.

“And even more beautiful, my princess.”

“Well, Princess Elsa was locked inside too,” she sasses.

Her snarky, six-year-old attitude is growing with each day. She’s never been prone to temper tantrums or talking back, but she’s getting more comfortable talking and questioning the world around her. In such a short space of time, the change is huge.

“Then I suppose we should go outside, huh?” I give in.

“Yay! I want to wear my new boots that Grams gave me.”

Racing over to our sparse wardrobe in the corner of the bedroom, she digs around inside and reappears with a pair of bright-red boots that I’ve never seen before.

“Grams?”

“Lola is your grandma,” Arianna points out.

“Well, yeah. But not really.”

“Why not?”

I locate some clothes to pull on. “We haven’t seen each other for a long time, Ari. Sometimes, adults have to figure stuff out.”

“Grams loves us,” she deadpans. “What’s there to figure out?”

There’s no arguing with that. Arianna’s view on the world’s complexities is simplistic, but perhaps it’s a good thing that she isn’t swayed by the same doubts and fears that adults can’t ignore. Her love isn’t conditional on any expectations.

After grabbing a cable-knit cardigan to cover the black handprints still visible on my arms, I help Arianna into her new shoes. She races ahead of me, thudding down the staircase and breaking outside without a second glance.

“Ari! Be careful.”

“I will!” she yells back.

The smile on her face as she steps out into the sunshine makes it all worth it. Everything I endured for the past ten years. That’s what I fought so hard for, that smile right there. It’s the most incredible sight, and I’ll never grow tired of seeing it.

Outside the cabin, she races through the long grass and chases a stray butterfly that’s dancing amidst the blooming wildflowers. I sit down on the bottom step of the wraparound porch, content to watch her play. The town is hard at work around us, as usual.

I’m coming to recognise there’s a natural sense of routine around here. No schedules or rules are needed though. Everyone has a part to play and gets on with the work without complaint, all contributing to the smooth running of the town.

Lola is the taskmaster, and Albie acts as her iron fist. They keep Briar Valley spick and span, from ordering in supplies and organising the various greenhouses and allotments that provide food to each household, to maintaining the books that pay for it all.

“Mummy, look!” Arianna’s hands are cupped around a butterfly that she’s caught. “It’s so pretty and colourful. Can I keep it?”

“No, Ari. You have to let it go.”

“Why?” she whines.

“It belongs outside, baby.”

With a grumble, she opens her hands, and the butterfly takes flight. Her enthused gaze follows it up into the air, escaping to a nearby patch of sunflowers sprouting through the earth. I caught her trying to eat one the other day too.

“I can’t take another family right now.” Lola’s voice floats through the open front door from the phone call she’s taking in the living room. “We’re at capacity.”

There’s a brief pause, before she curses.

“Alright, send me the information. I’ll take a look.”

Lola rehomes people in need, from refugees to displaced families fleeing flooding or debt. With minimal funding and an iron will of determination, she gives them a new life, safety and the warmth of a caring community.

Driving past in his age-spotted truck, Albie waves at me from the driver’s seat. He’s transporting a huge, ride-on lawn mower in the back. Next to him, Ryder is riding shotgun with a pair of shades shielding his eyes from the sunshine.

“Hey, Willow!” he shouts.

I wave back with a smile. “Hi.”

Ryder is the resident gearhead. He’s lived in the valley for most of his life after being raised by his uncle. I’ve heard that his boyfriend is a criminal investigator working hundreds of miles away in London. He rarely makes it out to Briar Valley.

Asking Albie to pull up at the edge of the clearing, Ryder hops out and bounds over to me with long, loping strides. He’s ridiculously tall. Stopping to ruffle Arianna’s hair on the way past, she’s too distracted by the flowers around her, staining her clothes with pollen.

“How’s it going?” Ryder stops at the steps.

“We’re good.” I gesture to his uncle. “Going somewhere?”

“Just finished my latest job. The lawnmower is going back to Highbridge. I’ll be glad to see the back of that piece of shit. It was a nightmare to repair.”

“Why don’t they take it to a mechanic in town?”

“Because I’m the best around and everyone knows it,” Ryder answers confidently. “Hell of a job getting it up the mountain though.”

“You’re so modest.”

He shrugs, unfazed. “I’ve been working with engines and cars for my whole life. Albie taught me everything I know. We’re lucky to have decent clients who pay well.”

“Can I ask you a couple of things?” I glance around. “In confidence?”

His smile expands into a conspiratorial grin. “Oh, gossip. Fire away.”

“Okay, so Rachel and Miranda. Sisters.”

“Yep,” Ryder confirms.

“But they’re both with Doc? Like… with with him?”

“Been married nearly fifteen years. Not legally, of course. But they’ve been together forever as a kind of shared unit. Mia, Henry and Phoebe all belong to them.”

I figured as much, having observed their behaviour over the past week or so. Rachel and Miranda both clearly love Doc with everything they have. Their kids are lovely as well, all offering their clothing and toys to Arianna.

“You look a bit mind blown right now.” Ryder snorts.

“Not at all. It’s just a bit unconventional.”

“Sure, but not around here. We don’t judge. People can live however they want.”

“And it works?”

“So far,” he replies with a wink. “What’s the other question?”

Feeling myself flush pink, I curse my curiosity. Ever since I ran into Zach’s sullen, antisocial twin in the middle of the storm, I’ve been dying to know more about the three gruff men that have captured my attention.

“I met Micah. He seems interesting.”

This time, Ryder howls in amusement.

“That’s not the word most would use.”

“I was trying to be polite,” I retort, biting back laughter. “What's the deal with those three? Are you related to them too?”

“Nah. Just neighbours, though, we’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember. Killian grew up here and the twins were adopted by his folks when they were kids.”

“Where are Killian’s parents?”

His smile falters, grief filtering across his face. “They passed away years ago, hiking Mount Helena. There was a freak accident. Killian was eighteen at the time.”

“Shit. That’s awful.”

“Yeah, it was pretty rough on Killian for a long time. He kinda closed himself off after that, but the twins were still underage and ended up being entrusted to him.”

That explains so much—Killian’s abrasive attitude and obvious sense of mistrust, his clear protective instincts and inability to tolerate other people’s pain. Beneath his barked words and prickly exterior, he’s simply trying to protect the family he has left.

“Listen, I should get going.” Ryder jabs a thumb over his shoulder. “You need anything picked up from town while I’m there?”

“Oh, I don’t think so.”

“Alright. Take it easy, Willow.”

“Be careful on that mountain road.”

“Worried about us?” He chuckles.

I wave his antics off. “Whatever.”

Still laughing to himself, he shoots me a final wink before jogging back over to the truck and climbing inside. The pair disappear, their taillights swallowed by trees. With the new information, I have an idea of all the residents in Briar Valley.

The other cabins are occupied by various families, all with their own colourful stories. Marilyn and her husband, Harold, moved here twenty years ago after going bankrupt and fleeing loan sharks. Lola gave them a chance to rebuild, beyond their credit histories.

Their neighbours, Andrea and Theodore, lost a daughter to terminal illness in the nineties. They moved to town to escape the reminders of their loss and found a new family here, going on to have two more children.

I’ve listened to every word and scrap of information that’s been given to me in the time we’ve spent hiding out here. Nothing is without struggle in the valley, but I’ve come to realise that the residents fight for the family they’ve chosen in this tree-lined paradise.

“Poppet?” Lola rests a careful hand on my shoulder.

Startled, I plaster on a smile. “Yeah?”

“You’re up late. Everything okay?”

“Oh, fine. Just tired. I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologise,” she replies, pocketing her phone in her apron. “I just wanted to make sure you’re feeling okay. I can get Doc to look you over?”

“I’m alright, Lola. You don’t need to worry.”

“Very well,” she submits, though her beady eyes still survey me. “I see Arianna is enjoying her new boots. I asked Albie to pick them up in town last week.”

“You’re spoiling her.”

Lola looks hopelessly sad as she looks away from me to watch Arianna dancing through the grass. It hurts me to see her grief. She hides it so well in front of everyone else.

“I didn’t get the chance to do any of this for you. All I ever wanted was to be a grandmother. It’s the least I can do now.”

Splashing into a disappearing rain puddle, Arianna soaks through the floral dress and tights she decided to wear. Lola sinks down on the step next to me, laughing at the mess she’s making of herself.

“She’s so beautiful. I see so much of your grandfather in her.”

“You do?” I glance at her.

“Oh, yes.” She presses her lips together, tears welling up in her eyes. “I wish he were here to see you come home. It would have meant the world to him.”

My throat thickens with emotion. “What was he like?”

Lola wipes under her eyes. “He was the love of my life. We met in the early sixties at a freedom march, calling for equal rights. I still remember the moment I saw him in his tie-dyed shirt and sunglasses.”

Looking down at her wrinkled hand, I note the wedding ring still in place, even after all these years. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Lola, it’s her steadfast devotion to everything she does. Including taking care of those she loves.

“Losing your dad broke his heart,” she chokes out.

A chill settles over me at the mention of my useless father. I wring my hands together, biting back the urge to tell her to stop, because a broken part of me wants to know what we missed out on for all these years.

“We loved your dad so much, but it wasn’t enough. We could barely make ends meet back in the early days of Briar Valley. He grew up and started mixing with the wrong crowd in the city. The drugs came later, and that was it.”

“I used to think he loved me,” I admit in a whisper. “Even when he forgot to feed me because he was too high, or when he sold my toys to buy more drugs. When he died and left me alone in the world, I realised I was wrong. He never did.”

“What happened, Willow?” Lola seizes hold of my hand. “The police called us, but we were too late. You were already gone. We searched everywhere, and there was nothing.”

“I didn’t want to end up in foster care, so I took off.”

She shakes her head, expression cracked with regret. “Oh, Willow. I sent that letter as a last resort, just in case you ever returned and found it.”

Fiddling with a loose thread in my cardigan, I shrug. “I ran as far and as fast as I could. Dad owed people money. I took to the streets instead, begging for scraps of food.”

“Christ,” she curses.

“When I thought it was safe to return home, I’d been homeless for nearly three months. I found your letter in the ruins of our home. A friend of his had turned it into a drug den.”

“Why didn’t you come?” Lola urges. “We would have looked after you.”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to find you. I was too angry with everyone.”

She sucks in a breath, wiping away more gleaming tears. I don’t want to hurt her, but I owe her the truth, at least. Choosing to ignore that desperate letter was the worst mistake I ever made. I had no idea back then where my life was headed.

“I’m so sorry, Willow.” She sniffles loudly. “We failed you. I should’ve searched harder. You were all alone in the world.”

“It isn’t your fault.”

“He was my son, my responsibility.”

I take her hand in mine. “You’re being too hard on yourself.”

“I shouldn’t have accepted him leaving home and cutting all contact with us. We didn’t know you existed until the police told us that he left a child behind.”

The bright, open space of the valley is a cruel taunt compared to the dark memories festering inside of me. Dad was so young, lost and far from home. He couldn’t look after a child. That didn’t stop me from being born and suffering right along with him though.

“How did you survive?” Lola asks quietly.

Pulling my hand free from hers, my own wedding ring is revealed. I still can’t bring myself to remove it. I’m too scared the dream will lift and in the cold light of day, I’ll wake up back in that dreaded mansion again.

“I didn’t survive,” I answer without emotion. “I was married by the time I was sixteen. I had Arianna four years later. She became my reason for surviving each day.”

“Sixteen?” she gasps.

“I didn’t have a whole lot of choice in it.”

Lola doesn’t know quite how to respond, staring at me with a look of pure horror twisting her features. Part of me wants to tell her everything, the whole horrid tale, but I can’t face delving into the past again.

Not yet.

I just want to forget.

Unable to continue the conversation, I walk down the steps to approach Arianna. She’s sitting amongst the blooming flowers, their petals opening with the first whispers of spring in the air. Laying down next to her in the long grass, I stare up at the sky.

Lola doesn’t dare follow. I know she’s watching us both from her perch on the steps, too flabbergasted to wrap her head around the truth of our family. All these years, she’s saved countless families in need of a lifeline. All but her own.

Arianna weaves together a crown of daisies and drapes it over me. “For you.”

“Thanks, baby.”

Her beaming smile grows even bigger as someone approaches us, their intimidatingly loud footsteps making the ground shake. A huge, dark shadow falls over us both.

“Damn, peanut. You’re picking all my flowers.”

Trunk-like legs halt beside me, and I shield my eyes with my hand to stare up at Killian through the beams of sunshine. His long, white-blonde locks are pulled back in a sloppy knot, highlighting his beard and firm jawline.

“You can grow some more,” she replies cheekily.

Killian booms a laugh. It sounds so strange emanating from him. I’m used to every other word from his mouth being a threat or order. For a moment, I think I’m dreaming as he flashes bright-white teeth. He’s smirking down at me.

“What are you smiling at?” I snark.

“You’re covered in daisies.”

“Her fault.”

I narrow my eyes at Arianna, and she giggles even harder. Crouching beside us, Killian struggles to fold his legs beneath him. His quads bulge against the worn denim of his jeans. They’re falling apart, full of holes and in need of a good wash.

To my shock, he stretches out to lie down in the grass next to me. Arianna wastes no time adorning him with his own tiny daisy crown. Killian grumbles a complaint but doesn’t stop her from dressing him in flowers.

“Now we match,” I whisper to him.

“If anyone sees me in this shit, my reputation is ruined.”

“You’re the one that laid down. Suck it up.”

Still grumbling, his cinnamon-soaked eyes slide over to me. I hold my breath as he seizes a strand of my hair and tucks it behind my ear, looking puzzled by his own reaction. I’m terrified to breathe in case the spell breaks.

“I came to ask you to come for dinner tomorrow. In our cabin.”

“Dinner?” I repeat, dumbfounded.

“Both of you.”

“In your cabin? Dinner?”

“Am I speaking French or something?” he rasps.

“I’m just surprised that you want to let us girls into your bachelor pad. Does this mean you’ll pick up the dirty flannel shirts from your bathroom floor?”

“What?” Killian’s mouth falls open in outrage. “Who told you that? I do not leave my shirts on the floor.”

“Nobody.”

“It was Ryder, wasn’t it?”

“I’m saying nothing,” I reply lightly.

“That asshole. I’m gonna run him over with my truck. He’s the one who leaves dirty socks everywhere. Even in our damn cabin, and he doesn’t live there.”

“I’m sure Lola would have something to say about you murdering Ryder in broad daylight. Who will run the garage?”

Killian snorts. “Literally anyone else.”

Clambering back onto his boot-covered feet, Killian looks down at me, his shadow blotting out the sunlight and submerging me in darkness. The look he trains me with sets a fire in my belly that I don’t understand.

“Dinner tomorrow, seven o’clock. No buts.” His eyes dart to Arianna, then back to me. “Wear the daisy crown if you want, princess.”

“Yay!” Arianna exclaims. “I want to eat in the giant’s cabin.”

She’s far too attached to this overbearing asshole for my liking. He knows it too, her declaration making his eyes crinkle in that satisfied, smug way that accompanies his rare smiles.

“I’ll pick up my washing,” he adds. “Don’t be late.”

I’m sure the sound of my laughter follows him all the way home.