Chapter 1
Amelia Bennett exhaled slowly as the familiar twang of country music filled the quiet of her car.
The endless highway stretched out in front of her, disappearing into the horizon beneath a pale blue sky. She’d been driving for what felt like forever, surviving on gas station coffee, drive-thru fries, and determination.
Massachusetts was far behind her now.
Home was getting closer with every mile.
She wasn’t sure if that comforted her or terrified her.
Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
She never thought she’d be making this drive.
Not like this.
Not because of Grandma Hannah.
The thought alone made her chest ache.
Grandma Hannah Bennett had been the heart of the Bennett family. Every Christmas dinner, every birthday, every Fourth of July barbecue somehow revolved around her. She had always been the one to remind everyone to slow down, hug a little longer, laugh a little louder, and never leave without saying “I love you.”
Now...
The family home would feel unbearably quiet without her.
Amelia blinked away the sting in her eyes.
She’d known that someday something would bring her back to Heartline.
She just never imagined it would be a funeral.
Her phone lit up across the center console.
Olivia ❤️
A small smile tugged at her lips.
She pressed the button on her steering wheel.
“Hey, Liv.”
“Finally!” Olivia groaned dramatically through the speakers. “Hunter and Theo are driving me absolutely insane.”
Amelia laughed for the first time all day.
Some things never changed.
“Already?”
“They’ve been arguing for forty-five minutes.”
“About what?”
“I honestly don’t even know anymore.”
Olivia sighed loudly.
“I think it started because Hunter told Theo he parked like an idiot.”
Amelia laughed harder.
“That sounds about right.”
“And now they’re somehow arguing about football.”
“Which neither of them even plays.”
“Exactly!”
Amelia shook her head, smiling to herself.
Being a Bennett meant never experiencing a quiet family gathering.
There was always someone arguing.
Someone laughing.
Someone making too much food.
Someone stealing dessert before dinner.
She’d missed that more than she’d ever admitted.
“So,” Olivia said, her voice softening, “where are you?”
Amelia glanced at the GPS glowing on the dashboard.
“About two hours out.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
Olivia let out a breath that sounded suspiciously like relief.
“I’ve missed you.”
The smile on Amelia’s face faded.
“I’ve missed you too.”
Silence settled between them for a moment.
Not awkward.
Just heavy.
They were both thinking about the same person.
Grandma Hannah.
“I still keep expecting her to call,” Olivia whispered.
Amelia swallowed hard.
“So do I.”
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Sometimes grief sounded exactly like silence.
Finally, Amelia cleared her throat.
“How’s everyone holding up?”
Olivia let out a small laugh.
“As well as you’d expect.”
“Meaning?”
“Gabriel is pretending he’s fine.”
Amelia smiled sadly.
Of course he was.
Gabriel Bennett, the oldest of the six Bennett siblings, had spent his entire life taking care of everyone else. At twenty-nine, he worked as a paramedic, and somehow that protective instinct followed him home.
If someone cried...
Gabriel was there.
If someone needed help...
Gabriel showed up.
Even when his own heart was breaking.
“And Hunter?”
Olivia snorted.
“Trying to fix everything.”
Another smile.
Hunter had always believed every problem had a solution if you worked hard enough.
Unfortunately...
Grief wasn’t one of them.
“Theo?”
Olivia sighed dramatically.
“Being Theo.”
Amelia laughed.
“So... causing trouble?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
Theo had always been impossible to read.
He hid everything behind sarcasm and perfectly timed jokes, and if he cared about you—which he almost certainly did—he’d tease you mercilessly instead of saying anything heartfelt.
“So nothing’s changed.”
“Not even a little.”
“And Wyatt?”
“The baby of the family is officially a college freshman.”
Amelia blinked.
“Stop.”
“What?”
“Don’t call him a college freshman.”
“It’s true.”
“No.”
Olivia laughed.
“Amelia.”
“He’s still twelve.”
“He is definitely not twelve.”
“In my head, he is.”
Olivia laughed even harder.
“I’ll be sure to let him know.”
Amelia smiled as the miles rolled by beneath her tires.
She’d missed this.
The easy conversations.
The teasing.
The feeling that no matter how much time passed, her family still fit together the same way.
Even if one piece was missing now.
“So...” Olivia said carefully.
Amelia knew that tone.
There was something else.
“What?”
“You know everyone’s going to be there.”
Amelia’s smile slowly disappeared.
“I know.”
Olivia hesitated.
“Even...”
She didn’t finish.
She didn’t have to.
Amelia knew exactly who she meant.
Levi.
Her heart stumbled against her ribs.
Six years.
Six years since she’d looked into those impossibly blue eyes.
Six years since she’d walked away without giving him the chance to explain.
Six years of convincing herself she’d done the right thing.
And now...
She was going home.
Back to the town she’d spent years avoiding.
Back to the lake where they’d spent every summer.
Back to the streets where every corner held a memory.
Back to him.
Amelia tightened her grip on the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white.
“I’ll be okay,” she said quietly.
Olivia didn’t answer right away.
“I hope so.”
Amelia did too.
Because if there was one thing she wasn’t ready for...
It was seeing Levi Parker again.
