Everything should have been better after that.

It wasn’t.

Because healing a family isn’t a movie.

You don’t have one emotional conversation and suddenly become normal.

I still got angry.

Noah still disappeared sometimes.

Cole still shut down when conversations became too personal.

Damian still believed protecting people meant controlling everything around them.

Dad still worked too much.

And Eleanor still fought all five of us.

But now we came back afterward.

That was the difference.

Then, five months after Eleanor arrived, she announced she was leaving.

We were eating breakfast.

“I accepted another position.”

Four forks stopped.

“What?” I said.

Eleanor looked uncomfortable.

“It’s with a family outside Boston.”

Noah stared.

“You’re joking.”

“No.”

“When?”

“Three weeks.”

Cole stood and walked out.

“Cole,” Eleanor called.

The door slammed.

Noah pushed his plate away.

“Why?”

“It’s a good opportunity.”

“We can pay more.”

“It’s not about money.”

Damian had said nothing.

He finally looked at her.

“You decided already?”

“Yes.”

“Without telling us?”

“It’s my decision.”

His jaw tightened.

“Of course.”

He walked away.

Noah followed.

I remained.

“You promised.”

Eleanor’s face fell.

“I never promised forever.”

“You said you wouldn’t leave.”

“I said you wouldn’t break me.”

“Same thing.”

“No, Landon.”

I stood.

“Everyone leaves.”

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Turn six months of progress into proof that nothing changed.”

“You’re leaving!”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She looked toward the doorway.

“Because you don’t need me anymore.”

I laughed bitterly.

“That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said.”

“Landon—”

“We don’t sit together because we suddenly became perfect. We sit together because you taught us how.”

“You can keep doing it.”

“That isn’t the point.”

I left.

For two days, nobody spoke to Eleanor except when necessary.

On the third evening, Dad called everyone into the dining room.

Eleanor walked in last.

We were all waiting.

“What is this?” she asked.

Dad stood.

“An intervention.”

She stared.

“You’re staging an intervention because I found another job?”

“Yes.”

“That’s insane.”

“Probably.”

I smiled.

Dad had been spending too much time around Eleanor.

He gestured toward us.

“Apparently my sons have things to say.”

Noah went first.

“I was awful to you.”

“Yes.”

He frowned.

“You’re supposed to let me finish.”

“Sorry.”

“You were the first person who kept showing up after seeing exactly how awful I could be.”

His voice lowered.

“So…please stay.”

Cole spoke next.

“You never forced me to talk.”

Eleanor looked at him.

“You hated when people did that.”

“I know.”

He swallowed.

“You just sat there.”

“Sometimes.”

“It helped.”

He looked embarrassed.

“I want you to stay too.”

Then me.

I had prepared something.

I forgot all of it.

“You came to the police station.”

Eleanor’s eyes softened.

“That’s it,” I said. “Everybody else in my life can fix things. You were the first person who made me fix myself.”

My throat tightened.

“So don’t leave because you think your job is finished.”

Then Damian stood.

He crossed the room slowly.

The tattoos on his hand disappeared beneath his rolled sleeve as he folded his arms.

“You told me I couldn’t make your decisions.”

Eleanor nodded.

“You can’t.”

“So I won’t.”

He paused.

“But I can tell you what I want.”

She waited.

“I want you here.”

The room went silent.

Damian looked almost uncomfortable.

Not frightened.

Damian Cavanaugh didn’t do frightened.

But vulnerable?

That was new.

“I spent years making sure nobody got close enough to matter,” he said. “You ignored every warning.”

“Most of your warnings were dramatic.”

Noah laughed.

Damian ignored him.

“You became family anyway.”

Eleanor’s eyes filled.

Damian finished quietly.

“Stay.”

She looked at Dad.

Julian smiled.

“For the record, I’m also asking.”

Eleanor wiped her cheek.

“This is emotional blackmail.”

“Absolutely,” Noah said.

She laughed.

Then looked around the table.

Four broken brothers.

One father finally learning how to come home.

And a house that no longer felt empty.

“All right.”

I stared.

“What?”

“I’ll stay.”

Noah jumped up.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

I hugged her before she could finish.

Noah joined.

Then Cole.

Eleanor laughed.

“I can’t breathe.”

Damian stood back.

She looked at him.

“Well?”

“No.”

“Oh, come on.”

“No.”

She opened one arm.

Damian sighed like he was being asked to surrender an empire.

Then he stepped forward.

For perhaps three seconds, all four Cavanaugh brothers were holding Eleanor.

Dad took out his phone.

Damian immediately said, “Don’t.”

Dad took the picture anyway.

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