Page 131 of Red River

"Wait, what?!" My breath hitched. It was just too much. "Another from my dad?!"

Archer shook his head slowly, his gaze locked onto mine.

"You know," he said gently, "after Skye’s graduation, I reached out to him. He never replied." He paused, watching me carefully. "But now… he did."

My heart almost stopped.

"He did?"

"Yes. He apologized for not replying before and asked… how you were. Your whole family saw Igor’s video. So I sent him a new message, telling him you’re my True Mate. I saw his reply this morning when I checked my phone, just before going for a jog. You were still asleep," Archer continued.

It was too much to take in at once.

Were these events even connected? The two attempts to contact me? Perhaps my dad, seeing no response to his comment, had asked Skye to try from his side?

Did he… still care?

Did he think about me?

That thought made my eyes fill with treacherous moisture.

Archer tilted his head slightly, his voice composed but careful. "Skye said Rain’s wedding is coming up soon. The whole family’s gathering for it. All your brothers. Their partners. And…" He squeezed my hands. "They’re inviting us too."

I stared at him, trying to grasp the words.

A wedding. The whole family. A powerful moment. A perfect opportunity to… forgive and reunite?

"Rain is marrying his True Mate, River. It’s a special moment for your family."

My throat tightened. Another True Mate couple in my family? My emotions were all over the place, but Archer’s steady grip on my hand kept me grounded, stopping me from floating away in the storm of my own feelings.

"A few months from now?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

"Yes. You have time to prepare."

I closed my eyes, exhaling shakily, and then nodded slowly.

"I’ll be ready," I breathed out. "I want to be there. I want to see them again."

3.5 MONTHS LATER

We were all packed into Archer’s Jeep, and—no surprise here—I was a bundle of nerves.

My mental preparation had gone fairly well… until today. The day of the wedding. Now, I was right back to my default setting: a ball of stress and anxiety.

We pulled up a short distance from my parents’ house because, at the last second, I urged Archer to stop. My voice trembled as I did.

"You okay, River?" Archer asked, even though he knew perfectly well I wasn’t. My stomach was in knots—tight, painful, and impossible to untangle until this day was finally over.

"I'm so damn nervous, Archer… it’s been twenty years."

I turned around to look at my kids’ faces. We were all here—Riley, Igor, Van, Aiden, and Lake. And inside my body, my youngest, sixth son was sleeping peacefully. My gaze dropped to my rounded belly.

Four and a half months along, but I already looked six. Slowly, I stroked my stomach, then glanced again at the house I grew up in.

So many memories—mostly good, mostly warm—but always shadowed by the lingering feeling that I never quite belonged.

From where we sat, we could see the driveway packed with cars. They were everywhere—on the street, in the neighbors' driveways. Rain’s wedding was happening behind my parents’ house, in a big event tent that wasn’t visible from here. To see it, we’d have to get out and walk across the lawn, but I was shaking so badly that I just… couldn’t move.

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