Griffin nodded. “You did right by her in the end.”
“We were teenagers, just barely turned eighteen when she died.”
“Felt like we knew it all back then,” Griffin acknowledged.
“We’re not kids anymore, we’re grown adults. And so is Payton. She’s way smarter and more mature than we were back then. You need to give her more credit.”
“I don’t want to let her down. With our parents gone, I have the responsibility to protect her.”
“She can hold her own. She needs you to love her.”
Griffin’s mouth pulled down. “I do love her. It kills me that we’re not speaking.”
“You can fix that by not being such a stubborn jerk. Go talk to her and apologize.”
Griffin glanced at the barn, then extended his hand to Austin. “I can’t promise I won’t be a jerk again, but I’m willing to put the past behind us. Though I’m warning you if you hurt Payton, I will follow through on that punch.”
Austin accepted the handshake and tugged Griffin in for a half hug. “Understood. Now go make things right with your sister.”
Pacing the barn wasn’t helping and served only to upset Mabel. Payton gave her a final pat before moving to the table to rearrange the brochures. She peeked outside the barn but Austin and Griffin had walked far enough down the path that they weren’t visible from where she stood. And she wasn’t going to intrude by following them outside.
She’d just moved the brochures for the second time when Griffin returned, alone. For a moment, images of Austin unconscious on the ground flashed in her mind.
Griffin shook his head at her panicked look. “Austin’s fine. He’ll be back in a few minutes. I wouldn’t hurt your boyfriend.”
Payton cast a questioning look his way. “You’re okay that he’s my boyfriend?”
Griffin shrugged. “I don’t love it, but he and I had a good talk and I know that I need to accept the facts. You’ve grown up when I wasn’t looking and have a right to find your own way in the world.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling you for months! I need to spread my wings and grow.”
Griffin ran his hand along the rough wood of the beam he leaned on. “I understand but it’s hard when I had to pick up everything after our parents died and be the responsible one. You were still in high school. I became a parent of a teenager overnight.”
“I never thought of it that way.”
“I only ever want what’s best for you.”
Payton approached her brother and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “You’ve done an incredible job of keeping us together, Griffin. I’m happy and can’t wait to see what the future brings. I needed space to grow on my own for a while. But I’ll always be your sister.”
Griffin returned her embrace and for the first time in weeks, Payton felt herself relax. Things were going to be okay between her and her brother. And she had an amazing boyfriend and a new job she loved.
“Are you and Austin…” Payton left the question hanging as she didn’t know how to ask if they’d made up.
“We talked through some things and are in a better place. It will take time to fully move beyond our past.”
“Thank you for trying.”
“If he’s important to you then I need to get to know the man he’s become rather than make assumptions based on the past. I owe that to you—and to him.”
Payton playfully punched him in the arm. “You’re going to be seeing a lot of him, so get used to it.”
Griffin fake groaned. “I’ll never get used to you dating.”
Payton grinned. “Technically we live together.”
“I’m going to ignore that. You have your own apartment.”
“Ok big brother. Whatever you need to tell yourself.”