“I can never thank you enough for all you do around here, Aspen. You may have thought it went unnoticed, but I saw. I witnessed you sacrificing your personal life to carry this place, and that was never fair to you. I’m afraid I put too much pressure on you from the start, and you never got the chance to grow your own wings. Instead, you stayed in our safe cocoon, waiting.”
“Dad, I—” I tried to interrupt, but he gave me that fatherly glare that had my lips sealing together.
“All I want to say is… I’m sorry you felt like you had no choice but to take over.”
Mom quickly chimed in. “And I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t talk to one of us about how burned out you were, when none of this was what you wanted in the first place.”
“But I love the farm, and I’m happy to take over.”
“Sweetheart, we’re not the only ones who’ve observed the amount of time and effort you put into this place. You’re doing the job of five people. You can’t sustain a life like that.”
“Dad did it every day.”
“I did,” my father said. “And look where it landed me.” He gestured to his chest.
Across the room, Alex surprisingly spoke up. “We want you to have a life too, Aspen. Owen let it slip that you want to travel and write about the places you go. We had no idea. We’re all sorry we never saw… you.”
Any hope of suppressing the tears that threatened to spill over was lost. They fell onto my flushed cheeks as I sniffled.
From over in the corner, I made eyes with Beverly. “Did Owen have something to do with this?”
“Not at all, sweetie. Though he might have been given a hint that it was going to happen.”
“So, what do you want me to do? I’m confused. I have a business degree but nothing else I can do with it.”
“We’d love if you still wanted to work on the farm, but we want you to take a step back. See if this is really the kind of life you want. Ask for help. Hire help. You have great ideas for ways to utilize the land when we’re not in harvest. But don’t make this your life, or you’ll regret it when the time comes to an end,” my father said.
“I’m also really thinking about moving back soon, if that helps at all?” Andrew added casually as he rested back in a recliner.
“Really?” I prompted. We talked about it before, but he hadn’t mentioned it since then, so I didn’t think he was seriously considering it still.
My brother hadn’t lived in Ashfield since he graduated high school. He immediately moved away for college, then Knoxville. He visited on the weekends, but that was it. We had a feeling an incident with his ex was the source of his departure.
“Maybe we can talk about some changes? All of us?” I asked the room. Whether they worked here or not, Sunny Brook Farms was our family legacy. Someday, one of their children might take over, and they deserved a say in everything that took place.
“Now that’s what I like to hear. Anywho, if we’re done here, I should probably make my way to the hospital.”
I glanced over to Autumn, who had a distinct line of sweat beading along her forehead.
“Beverly, I owe you a new chair,” she added as she pushed herself up, using the armrests. “My water broke about five minutes ago.”
Pandemonium broke out in the blink of an eye. Siblings rushed around the room, trying to figure out who was doing what, while my parents sat quietly on the couch. Me? I quickly made my way over to Autumn and helped guide her to my SUV out back. Beverly followed with her bags I brought inside earlier.
“Beverly, can you run tell Colton I’m heading out with her now? I think he should follow in his car, since that’s where they installed the car seat for the baby.”
“Yes, dear. Good luck, Autumn. Please keep me up to date,” she replied as she hurried back inside.
I carefully helped my sister into the passenger seat as her husband rushed out to take over the task, speaking to her in a soft, loving tone. I did my best not to overhear, but neither of them seemed to care that I was next to them, buckling myself into the driver seat.
The journey to the hospital was uneventful except for a tractor trailer accident that brought out the demon buried deep inside my sister’s soul. But the moment we broke free of the traffic, she calmed right down.
Colton must have called ahead, because once I parked the SUV and helped Autumn inside, they already had a room prepped for her. Since we were alone, I got to go into the room with her and watched as they poked and prodded her. I felt myself squirming, but the smile never dropped from her face.
“He’ll be here soon,” I said calmly as she squeezed my hand through a contraction. Autumn had every intention of getting drugs for the birth, but she wanted to go as long as she could without them, forsaking my fingers in the process.
“I’m not worried. I have my incredible baby sister with me.”
“Stop, you’ll make me cry.” She shrugged and mumbled something like “better you than me,” but I could barely hear her over the incessant beeping in the room.
“So, are we going to talk about why you’re here and not with your boyfriend?”
“Did y’all have a family meeting about this?”
“Maybe, but I want to hear it from you.”
I pried my fingers loose from her grip and tucked them into my pocket while staring out the window. “You know… we weren’t actually dating. Not in the beginning, at least.”
I glanced down to witness her eyes widening, but then she wiped away the expression in the blink of an eye. “But it turned real?”
“It did.”
“And you love him?”
“Yeah.”
I went on to tell her about his tattoo, the reason we started fake-dating, and even why he antagonized me so much in school. Autumn nearly swooned her way off the bed as she clapped and giggled.
“What are you still doing in Ashfield, Aspen?”
