“We do help one another out,” Lorraine agreed, gaining control of the conversation once more. “And that’s just what we’re going to do. For now, so we can do damage control, it’s time to do a little surfing and see what we’re up against.” She motioned for the group to follow her as she hurried past the tree.
“What do you mean?” Sawyer asked.
Camila and Vivia looked at one another. “Media backlash,” they said in unison.
“Media, how?” Burke tore himself off the couch to follow the group.
“They were streaming the event tonight,” Betzy explained. “There’s likely a whole lot of gossip on that thread already.”
“Gossip that, if word gets out, will spread straight to the tabloids,” Lorraine explained.
“Especially with the name Benton attached,” Camila said.
“Yeah, but she didn’t call you Burke Benton,” Michael said. “She called you Burke Richards.”
Burke nodded. “That’s what I told people in town so I wouldn’t raise any questions.”
“If one of them knows you’re a Benton, they all know by now, trust me,” James said.
“Does one of them know? Besides Justine?” Michael asked.
All eyes landed on Zander.
“I didn’t hear anyone say it,” Michael continued.
Duke grinned. “That’s because you were getting the hot chocolate. Zander told some old lady that he’s our half-brother.”
“That was…brave.” Michael’s final word came out more like a question.
“Hey,” Zander said with a shrug. “We agreed to go public. I’m all in.” He shot Burke a smile.
“Thanks, man,” Burke said. It felt good to know he wasn’t alone in it. “If I wasn’t so focused on fixing this, I’d probably be bawling like a baby right now,” he admitted.
The group sank into the sofas in the living area while Burke broke into a pace behind them. With one hand spread across his forehead, he rubbed his temples. “I can’t believe this is real.”
Zander pulled up a search bar on the big screen and typed the words Piney Falls, Bentons, Burke, and Justine. He looked at Burke over his shoulder before hitting return. “Whatever we’re dealing with, however bad it gets, I want you to know that we’ll support you. Sawyer might have an inside contact with D & L Factories. The women can give you advice on how to approach Justine with the truth, and the best way to fix what’s broken.”
“You have to do something grand,” Bezty said.
“But you have to wait for the right moment or you’ll just scare her away,” Kat added.
Zander nodded. “Timing’s crucial.”
“Women need space,” Duke blurted.
Sheesh. Burke felt like his head was going to explode. “Okay.”
“As for the rest of us,” Zander said thoughtfully, “we’re here to keep you from going crazy.”
Claudia made her way over to Burke and, without hesitation, put her hand over his. “I’ll help too. Believe it or not, I’m very glad you came to us.”
Those final comments helped quell the pain. Pain he’d managed to—by pure denial alone—keep mostly at bay. But with the outpouring of support by his family, Burke even sensed sparks of warmth and hope someplace deep in his chest. Justine was meant to be with him, he could feel it. This had to work out.
“Thank you,” he finally said with a nod. “That means…the world.” And it did. It made him think that maybe, just maybe, the life he’d hoped for wasn’t so far out of reach after all.
“Now,” Zander said, fingers hovered over the return key. He gave it a solid click. “Let’s see what the media has to say.”
Chapter 27
Justine poured herself a mug of coffee without taking the time to breathe in the aroma. In the days since the tree lighting, she’d fallen out of that habit. Yesterday, she’d gotten all the way to dinner before realizing she hadn’t paused to take pleasure in even one thing the entire day. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she had.
But how could she find daily pleasures when she was in so much pain? At this point, Justine would settle for feeling okay. As it was, she felt like a walking, aching bruise. Like the tiniest bump or ripple would bring it all back—the flood of hurt she’d spent the last few days trying to climb out of.
She shuffled over to the kitchen table, lowered herself gently onto the chair, and reached for her phone. Burke must have brought it back to her while she slept that night after everything blew up. She’d woken to find it resting on her kitchen windowsill next to the open crack.
By that point, she’d already received her first text from