Til Debt Do Us Part (Married At Midnight #4)

Chapter 7

Seven

Talia

T he powerboat glides through the still lake, its prow slicing the waves. My stomach clenches at the sight of the barren, rocky island ahead—the place Dare's mother lies buried, her body entombed in its stony heart.

Dare's knuckles blanch around the steering wheel. His jaw clenches, eyes fixed ahead. I wonder if he's thinking of the last time his entire family came here without him to lower his mother's casket into the dark earth of her grave.He avoided coming here for his whole life.

But today, he will finally have to confront his mother’s death and the splintering effect it has had on his whole family. His mouth is pressed into a thin line and he gazes over the dark water, his eyes troubled.

Dare is obviously apprehensive enough without a word from me. But I do reach out, smoothing a hand over his back and rubbing shallow circles into his tense shoulders. The cool air makes me shiver but I don’t complain.

This is a somber but momentous event. When I stop touching Dare and pull my touch away, he catches my hand in his and kisses it.

The boat skids onto the shore with a crunch of stones. Now that I can see the entire island, it’s barely a few hundred yards in circumference. Dare leaps out onto the shore and hauls me up, his hands like iron around my waist. Underfoot is bare brown rock, the terrain uneven and treacherous.

Burn is already here, the shape of his kneeling body evident. He is alone on this small isle, his head bowed before his mother’s grave. The burial site is marked by a dark stone obelisk and a stone angel, each object about three feet high. Burn’s head is bowed, and his eyes are closed, as though he is genuflecting before an altar.

I wobble as I step on the craggy stone ground. Dare grabs my arm, supporting me as we pick our way to stand beside Burn.

As we stand facing Dare’s mother’s grave, the chill seeps into my bones. I shiver, both at the cold and at the seriousness of the moment. Dare stares at his mother's headstone, his expression angry. A silent tear slips down his cheek before he dashes it away.

"You ruined me," Burn says softly.

Our heads whip around to Burn. He collapses back on his heels as though he has been carrying an immense weight on his shoulders. His mouth is still cracked and bleeding. His face is swollen and mottled red from the fight he just had with his twin. Bruises are already forming around one eye, which appears to be so puffy it is closed.

“Who are you talking to?” Dare barks.

“You.” Burn gestures to the grave before him. “Mom. Dad. Remy. You all just… moved on with your lives. I feel like I died right here all those years ago when we buried Mom. You didn’t even come?—”

“Remy didn’t want me to,” Dare interjects. “I was a kid, too, Burn. I just did what other people told me to do.”

Burn’s expression turns furious.

“You never brought her up! You never asked about coming here to see Mom, ever!”

“I didn’t know what to say. I thought…” Dare pauses, dragging in a breath. “I thought that you had moved on.”

Burn laughs, an ugly sound. He shakes his head.

“No. I was hurting.”

“So was I!”

Burn turns, peering at Dare for several long seconds.

"After you left, Remy—" He swallows hard. "Let's just say that life got harder."

“I know that life wasn’t easy for you. I know that things were never the same between us.” Dare flinches. "But you stole Daisy from me, Burn. And you never explained yourself!"

"You were going to marry her. You would have ruined your life," Burn accuses, but there's a tremor in his voice now. A fracture in the wall of anger and resentment he's built around himself.He stands, dragging a hand across his lips. "I did what I had to do to show you she didn't really care about you."

I lick my lips nervously, my hands protectively shielding my unborn child. Burn would have been a terrible choice to be the father of this baby. And now that he has proven himself willing to kidnap me, I have every reason to distrust his slightest movement. As the two men circle each other slowly, I keep gradually orbiting around them.

"You have said that you stole Daisy to protect me. But you haven't apologized for doing it the way you did." Dare suddenly closes the distance between them and grips Burn's shoulders. "I didn't kill you today, even though I wanted to. I don't want to lose you again. But I need you fucking tell me you're sorry for all the shit that you caused. You tried to hurt Talia!”

Burn huffs. “She’s fine.”

“Talia is very much not fine. And she’s the only reason I didn’t kill you. So you had better own up to it all, admit your mistakes, and apologize to my fucking wife! Beg for her fucking forgiveness. And know that she doesn’t owe you a single thing."

Burn searches Dare's face, looking so much like his twin in this moment that tears prick my eyes. Then he nods once, a jerky motion full of emotion he can't quite contain.

"I'm sorry," Burn says to Dare. "I was just trying to help. And..." He glances at me, uncertainty splashing over his face. "I'm sorry to you, too, Talia. I was trying to protect my twin."

Tears shine in his eyes as he says it and my heart actually aches for him.

Dare waits several beats before pulling him into an embrace. Burn goes rigid for a heartbeat before melting against his brother. They cling to each other, two boys grown into men but not yet ready to face the world alone.

Watching them reconcile after so long, I lay a hand over my belly and smile through my tears.

"God damn," Burn curses. "I've missed you, fucker."

Dare's mouth curves up. He stays quiet but I can guess just how badly he has craved fraternal connection. I have the feeling that this means a lot to him.

“You too,” Dare grits out. He releases his twin brother and pushes him away.

The feud is over, but the damage remains. Years of hurt and betrayal don't fade overnight, even with the best of intentions. Dare and Burn have a long road ahead of them if they want to rebuild the brotherhood they once shared.

Still, it's a start. That's more than they've had in far too long.

Dare threads his hand through mine and squeezes it, looking straight ahead. The stone angel stands, her hands held aloft, her limbs covered with algae and pocked by years of harsh salt water. We both stare at the grave, unsure what to say.

“This feels awkward,” Dare sighs. “Maybe it’s been too long. Maybe I’ve missed my chance to mourn Mom.”

Burn wraps an arm around his shoulders. "Talk to Mom’s grave. She can hear you. Tell her everything you need to say."

Dare swallows hard and blows out a breath. He stares at the stone obelisk.

"The day you died, I lost Burn, too. We were so close as children, able to communicate without words. But after you were gone..." He shakes his head. "Gradually, we grew apart. The unbreakable bond between us shattered, leaving jagged edges that cut whenever we were together. I know that it wasn’t your fault, Mom. But you left us to the wolves after you died."

Burn's face twists with anguish. He bows his head. "I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you, but I was drowning in my own grief. Losing our connection was like losing a limb. Like losing Mom all over again. I think I’ve mourned it for my entire life."

"As have I." Dare clasps his hands in front of his body. "Perhaps it's time we forgave each other... and ourselves. To rebuild what was lost, stronger than before."

Joy flickers in Burn's eyes as he gazes at his brother. "I'd like that."

They embrace, clinging to each other. I breathe a sigh of relief, wiping away tears of my own. At long last, these two souls have found their way home.

Dare pulls back, patting his brother’s cheek. "She would be proud of the men we've become. Of the family we're building back up again."

The ghosts of the past fade away, no longer standing between them. A new chapter begins—one of healing, hope and a love that transcends all else.

We stay for another half an hour and then walk back to the speedboat, driving it the long way around, through the narrow, windy river and out onto the open ocean once more. Burn slumps in the corner of the boat, picking the backseat and promptly falling asleep. I ride shotgun, keeping my eyes open though I’ve been through quite a bit in the last twelve hours.

As he motors the boat down the coast, Dare turns to me, eyes gleaming softly. "You know, when I first met you, I was drowning.”

“Were you?” I ask. My eyebrows rise. It was not what I expected him to say.

He nods. “I was adrift in a sea of sorrow and regret, certain I would never find my way back to shore. But your light guided me through the darkness. You don’t know it, but you healed me. You saw beyond the scars of my past into the man I could become. You made me want to be that man, if only to deserve you."

His words pierce my heart, unleashing a storm of emotion. I reach over and cover his hand with my own, a tear slipping down my cheek. "You were always that man, Dare. I merely helped you remember the truth of who you are."

He kisses me then, a sweet and tender kiss that speaks of forever.