It was all he could manage.
Laurel stepped closer, her hand brushing against his arm. She didn’t say much, didn’t have to.
“You honored her,” she said softly, her gaze on Theo. “That matters.”
Bennett glanced down at her fingers, the way they lingered on his skin like they belonged there. Like she knew exactly when to speak and when to let silence say the rest.
He was so damn lucky to have her.
And he was done pretending he didn’t need her. He slid his arm around Laurel’s waist, pulling her in close, anchoring himself to the one person who made all the wreckage feel survivable.
Theo’s throat bobbed. “I hoped it would. And just so you know, yes, she’s mine. She has the Vaughn birthmark.”
“The one that looks like a stretched star on the right…um…cheek,” Laurel stammered, a blush rising swiftly into her face.
It was a mark passed down through the Vaughn lineage.
His cousin nodded, acknowledging Laurel’s statement but not her embarrassment. “I’m hoping you won’t hold any of this against Claire, or keep her from knowing you, Bennett. Besides me, you’re the only family she has.”
He jerked his head back. “I would never do that,” Bennett said immediately, meaning every word.
Theo blew out a breath. “Good. Because I’m counting on you to watch over her in four years, when she turns eighteen and finishes high school, because I’m going back to Wyoming then to confess. Clear your father’s name, officially. I know the Statue of Limitations will have run out, but I intend to stay there and do whatever it takes to set your dad’s name straight with the community. I’ll work off my debt with the agricultural society for however long it takes.”
Bennett’s heart kicked his ribs hard.
He didn’t speak right away, because for a moment, he couldn’t. The weight of it—the offer, the sacrifice—slammed into him like a second blow.
Then he shook his head. “No. You don’t get to do that.”
Theo blinked. “Bennett—”
“You have a daughter,” he said, releasing Laurel to step to Theo and grip his shoulders. “You don’t fix the past by robbing her of your present.”
Theo’s mouth tightened, guilt rising behind his eyes.
“I’m not saying it doesn’t matter,” Bennett went on. “It does. But she matters more. Your life with her—that’s what my father would’ve wanted you to protect. That’s what hediedprotecting.” He held his cousin’s gaze, something raw flickering in his chest, the same rawness he saw in Theo’s eyes. “Are we on the same page?”
Theo looked down, his jaw flexing. And for once, he didn’t argue. He just nodded. That’s when Bennett pulled him in for a hug.
Theo stood frozen for a second before his arms came up and returned the gesture. It wasn’t long or showy. Just solid. Real. Two men finally letting the weight of the past settle into something they could carry.
When Bennett stepped back, Laurel was already there. She slipped her hand into his, no words needed. He laced their fingers together, grateful for her touch.
Theo looked at them—at her—with something close to gratitude in his tired gaze.
“I should go,” he said quietly. “Give you two some space. But thank you for letting me say it. But most of all, for actually listening.”
Bennett gave a short nod. “Stay in touch.”
Theo looked like he might say more but didn’t. He nodded, sent Laurel a small smile, and let himself out.
When the door clicked shut behind him, silence settled again, this time softer. Lighter.
Bennett turned to Laurel. She was watching him with that open, steady gaze that always seemed to cut right through the noise.
“You okay?” she asked.
He nodded slowly. “I think I finally am.”
