Page 40 of Home for Justice
He reached for his glass of water on the side table and took a sip. “Mom and Dad had a written account with our lawyer that when they died, Jordy had already received the only inheritance he would ever get. I was to inherit the business, and Justice would get their property in town. Their son got a monetary inheritance.”
Jack’s gaze drifted toward the dark window, his eyes following memories only he could see. He shook his head slowly. “With the amount of money Jordy got, he could’ve lived the rest of his life comfortably if he’d invested it wisely, or if he’d simply taken care of it.”
There was no bitterness in Jack’s voice. Only tired, worn-in disappointment. “Anyway,” he continued, his tone lightening slightly, “Justice has told you the rest. My parents passed. The business was already mine by then. The house went to Justice.” He gestured around him. “I bought this with my own savings when Justice was just a little girl.”
“I can’t figure out why Jordy and Debbie are kicking up such a stink now,” Justice said, exasperation bubbling in her voice.
Tyler debated for only a moment whether to speak. It wasn’t his family. But both Jack and Justice had been frank with him from the start, and they deserved the same. “My guess would be,” he said slowly, “they’ve heard about the developer and have decided that’s their ticket to more money.”
Justice groaned. “Yes. And now they want to be a nuisance.”
“I’d be careful of them,” Tyler said, more serious now.
That pulled both their gazes to him, sharp and alert. He lifted his hands, palms out, not trying to cause alarm, but also not willing to sugarcoat the truth. “It’s been my experience that when some people don’t get what they want, they stop being a nuisance… and become a threat.”
Jack exhaled heavily, a sigh that seemed to come from somewhere deep in his chest. “As much as I’d like to believe they’re all talk, you’re probably right.” He turned to Justice with a steady, no-nonsense look. “You need to be careful.”
She nodded, her jaw tight with understanding, not fear.
The conversation shifted after that, drifting into easier territory. Talk of Tyler’s house projects, of childhood memories, of small-town gossip, and Tyler’s rogue goat, who kept escaping the pen. Comforting laughter returned.
Eventually, Jack rose and winked as he announced, “I’m going to head up. Don’t stay up too late. Have a nice evening.”
“Good night, Dad,” Justice said warmly.
“Good night, Jack,” Tyler echoed.
They listened to his steps ascend, followed by the soft creak of the upstairs floorboards. Then silence.
Justice turned toward him, and without a word, Tyler lifted his arm, and she nestled beneath it, fitting against his side like she’d belonged there all along.
Their mouths met in a kiss that was anything but tentative. Greedy, but not rushed. It was the kind of kiss that came from quiet days and interrupted dinners and a porch confrontation that had done nothing to shake what was settling between them.
He already knew her taste—the warmth of her, the hint of something sweet. And he already knew that when he swept his tongue against hers just so, she’d moan softly into his mouth.
That sound… it undid him. But before things could go too far, too fast, he eased back, breathing heavily, keeping his arm around her and his hand cradling the back of her head. Sheleaned into him, foreheads nearly touching, their eyes wide open and full.
“The first time I hugged you,” she whispered, “it was just…”
He waited, sensing she needed space to find her words. Justice wasn’t someone who said things she didn’t mean.
Her lips parted. She licked them, her voice trembling just slightly. “I felt so much fear after Dad had his heart attack. Fear for him. For me. I felt so… alone. When I walked out and saw you standing in the cardiac wing lobby, staring out the window, I felt drawn to you. I didn’t know who you were. Didn’t know why you were there. But you looked alone, too. Like me. And I… I wanted to offer something. Hope, maybe.” Her voice grew softer. “But when you hugged me back… I didn’t feel alone anymore. I felt whole.”
Tyler’s chest ached with the truth of her words. He leaned forward and kissed her again, this time slow and reverent, letting his lips say what his heart had known even before his mind had caught up. When they finally pulled back, he kept his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling, their closeness quiet and still.
“I felt the same way,” he murmured. “I didn’t come here looking for anything but a way to say goodbye to my grandfather. I didn’t expect to feel seen. Understood. But that moment with you? That hug? It mattered. It changed something.”
She reached for his hand and twined her fingers with his. The simple gesture sent a bolt of warmth through him.
“I know it’s fast,” she said, her voice a whisper, “and we haven’t had time to figure anything out yet. But I don’t care. I don’t care if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else.”
He smiled, thumb brushing across her knuckles. “Feelings don’t wait on a calendar,” he said. “They show up when the time is right.”
Justice nodded, her eyes locked with his. “And I’m glad we found each other. No matter how fast it’s moving, I’m not afraid.”
“Me either,” he said. “We’ve got time to learn from each other. To build this the right way.”
She leaned against him again, and they sat in silence, wrapped in each other, in hope, in the slow but certain blooming of something real. The world outside could wait.
