Chapter 16
The summer arrived with a wave of intense and vibrant heat,
and the estate was filled with a renewed sense of joyous energy,
because June was finally coming home for her college break.
Mave and Mrs. Pruitt spent two days preparing June's old bedroom,
filling it with fresh flowers and making sure the mini-fridge was stocked with her favorite snacks,
wanting everything to be absolutely perfect for her arrival.
Landon paced the grand foyer like an anxious lion,
checking his watch every five minutes and looking out the front windows,
unable to hide his eager anticipation to see his little sister.
When the black SUV finally pulled into the circular driveway,
Landon was out the front door before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop,
and he pulled June into a massive,
bone-crushing hug the moment she stepped out.
June laughed loudly,
complaining that he was going to break her ribs,
but she hugged him back with equal ferocity and obvious affection.
Mave waited on the stone steps,
smiling broadly as June broke away from her brother and ran up to hug her next,
squeezing her tightly and declaring that she had missed her cooking desperately.
They moved inside the cool and air-conditioned house,
and June dropped her heavy bags onto the marble floor,
looking around the grand foyer with a sudden expression of surprise.
She noted that the heavy,
dark velvet curtains had been replaced with light,
airy linen drapes,
and that the intimidating antique furniture had been swapped out for comfortable,
modern pieces.
She looked at Mave with a soft and knowing smile,
realizing that the estate finally looked like a place where a real family lived,
rather than a gloomy and terrifying fortress designed for isolation.
They spent the afternoon sitting by the large outdoor swimming pool,
drinking iced lemonade and catching up on all the stories from June's freshman year,
including her rigorous classes and her new circle of eccentric friends.
Eventually,
the conversation naturally shifted toward the upcoming wedding,
and June practically vibrated with excitement as she demanded to know all the details.
Mave admitted that they had not done much planning yet,
having been distracted by the expansion of the charity and Landon's corporate restructuring,
and she confessed that she felt entirely overwhelmed by the prospect of organizing a large event.
June clapped her hands together enthusiastically,
declaring that it was her absolute duty as the maid of honor to take over the planning process,
and she immediately began pulling up bridal magazines and Pinterest boards on her tablet.
Landon watched the two most important women in his life bonding over color swatches and floral arrangements,
and he felt a profound and overwhelming sense of gratitude settling deep into his bones.
He leaned back in his lounge chair,
letting the warm summer sun beat down on his face,
and he closed his eyes to simply listen to the beautiful sound of their laughter.
He had spent eight years terrified that he would fail to protect his sister,
and he had believed that his violent life meant he would die cold and entirely alone,
but now he was surrounded by nothing but pure,
unadulterated light.
June began aggressively arguing for a massive,
multi-tiered cake decorated with fresh sugar flowers,
and Mave laughed so hard that tears sprang to her eyes,
trying to convince the teenager that a simpler design would be far more elegant.
It was a trivial and perfectly ordinary argument,
the kind of joyful dispute that normal families had every single day,
May you like
and to Landon,
it was the most beautiful sound in the entire universe.
