Recently...
"Jonathan!" Humphrey called from the study upon hearing his grand nephew come in from taking Cosmo for his morning walk.
Jon closed the door behind him and released Cosmo from the leash, pausing a moment to give the dog an affectionate scratch behind the ears before heading toward the sound of his uncle's voice. "Yes?" he asked as he turned the corner and stepped into Humphrey's study, Cosmo at his heels, to find his uncle sitting at his desk sorting mail, a roaring fire blazing in the fireplace nearby, a cup of tea and plate of uneaten cookies on the desk beside him. "Is everything all right?" he asked, with undisguised concern.
"Hm?" Humphrey replied absentmindedly, glancing over his bifocals at the younger man, as if he'd already forgotten why he'd summoned him. "Oh, yes. Everything's fine. A letter arrived for you." He sifted through a pile of envelopes, until he found the letter in question and held it out to his nephew. "It's from Cian."
Jon arched a brow, as if this bit of information confused him. "Cian?" he echoed, a puzzled expression on his face. The last time he'd seen that particular cousin was at the memorial service for Cian and Gabi's brother Frank. He and Vicki had offered their sympathies, but little else had been said. It had been awkward at best, and Jon knew from others in the family that he and Cian had a somewhat turbulent past, though like everything else that had happened before the shooting, Jon remembered nothing about it. "What..." he asked, the question dying on his lips, unasked.
"Why don't you read it and see what the lad has to say?" Humphrey suggested, holding the letter out to his nephew with a steady but wrinkled hand.
Jon frowned thoughtfully, hesitating a moment before reaching to take the envelope from his uncle, almost afraid to open it and read what his cousin had written there.
Humphrey seemed to sense his nephew's reluctance. The old man removed his bifocals, folded them neatly and laid them on the desk before reaching for his cane and moving to his feet. He moved around to the front of the desk and laid a reassuring hand against his nephew's shoulder. "Read the letter and see what he has to say. Maybe he's finally ready to let the past go."
"I don't even remember what it was that came between us," Jon said with a troubled look on his face. He'd managed to put the past behind him, forgotten as it was, but he knew it wasn't as easy for those around him to do the same.
"It was a girl, Jon. It's always a girl," Humphrey replied with a frown of his own. He had shared some of the mistakes of his own past with his nephew, but the telling had been hard enough the first time around. He gave Jon's shoulder a squeeze and whistled for Cosmo to fall in. "Come along, Cosmo. Let's check on the little princess, shall we?" Humphrey hobbled out with Cosmo at his heels to check on Vicki and baby Emily, leaving Jon alone with the letter.
Jon dropped onto a chair beside the hearth and stared at the unopened envelope in his hand. His name was scrawled on the front in handwriting he didn't recognize: To: Jonathan Granger, Maple Grove, Rhy'Din. From: Cian Granger. There was no return address, and Jon wondered where the letter had come from and how it had made its way there, but there was only one way to find out and that was to open it. He tore open the envelope and drew out a carefully folded piece of parchment upon which words had been written in black ink.
Dear Jon,
I know this letter must come as something of a shock, but I've had a lot of time to think and thought it was time I write.
Gabi told me what happened, that you don't remember the past, but it doesn't matter. It was never your fault anyway. It was Frank. It was always Frank. It's hard to explain, but something happened to him after Mom died. He changed. He was never really the same after that. It's taken me a long time to figure it all out, to come to peace with what happened. He gave his life for mine, and for that I will always be grateful. He's at peace now. That I know. I forgave him a long time ago.
What I need now is to ask your forgiveness. For years, I've been blaming you for something that wasn't your fault, for something that happened so long ago, it no longer matters. For something you don't even remember. I'm sorry. Truly sorry. It was never your fault. I know that now.
Gabi wants us to be friends again. I know you don't remember, but we used to be close once. All of us. I don't know how it got all screwed up, but I want to be part of the family again. I want us to be friends again. She told me about the baby. Congratulations. I'm truly happy for you. You deserve to be happy, Jon. We all deserve to be happy.
I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me and let me start over. That's all I really want. Just another chance. A fresh start. A new life. I know it's not easy to forgive, but life is too short. That's all I ask.
Your cousin, Cian
Jon laid the letter in his lap and turned his gaze to the flames dancing in the hearth. His thoughts traveled back to the hospital, to the car accident that had almost taken Cian's life a little over a year ago. Frank had died in a routine operation that had saved his brother's life. Cian and Gabi had been devastated, and there had been little Jon or anyone else could do to console them. Cian had left Rhy'Din shortly after that without warning, and Jon had never had the chance to reconcile their relationship, but Cian didn't need Jon's forgiveness. How could he forgive his cousin for something he didn't even remember?
Jon abruptly rose from the chair. He needed to see Gabi, to find out once and for all what had happened all those years ago and figure out a way to make it right. This had gone on long enough. Life was too short, and enough time had been wasted already.
"Jonathan!" Humphrey called from the study upon hearing his grand nephew come in from taking Cosmo for his morning walk.
Jon closed the door behind him and released Cosmo from the leash, pausing a moment to give the dog an affectionate scratch behind the ears before heading toward the sound of his uncle's voice. "Yes?" he asked as he turned the corner and stepped into Humphrey's study, Cosmo at his heels, to find his uncle sitting at his desk sorting mail, a roaring fire blazing in the fireplace nearby, a cup of tea and plate of uneaten cookies on the desk beside him. "Is everything all right?" he asked, with undisguised concern.
"Hm?" Humphrey replied absentmindedly, glancing over his bifocals at the younger man, as if he'd already forgotten why he'd summoned him. "Oh, yes. Everything's fine. A letter arrived for you." He sifted through a pile of envelopes, until he found the letter in question and held it out to his nephew. "It's from Cian."
Jon arched a brow, as if this bit of information confused him. "Cian?" he echoed, a puzzled expression on his face. The last time he'd seen that particular cousin was at the memorial service for Cian and Gabi's brother Frank. He and Vicki had offered their sympathies, but little else had been said. It had been awkward at best, and Jon knew from others in the family that he and Cian had a somewhat turbulent past, though like everything else that had happened before the shooting, Jon remembered nothing about it. "What..." he asked, the question dying on his lips, unasked.
"Why don't you read it and see what the lad has to say?" Humphrey suggested, holding the letter out to his nephew with a steady but wrinkled hand.
Jon frowned thoughtfully, hesitating a moment before reaching to take the envelope from his uncle, almost afraid to open it and read what his cousin had written there.
Humphrey seemed to sense his nephew's reluctance. The old man removed his bifocals, folded them neatly and laid them on the desk before reaching for his cane and moving to his feet. He moved around to the front of the desk and laid a reassuring hand against his nephew's shoulder. "Read the letter and see what he has to say. Maybe he's finally ready to let the past go."
"I don't even remember what it was that came between us," Jon said with a troubled look on his face. He'd managed to put the past behind him, forgotten as it was, but he knew it wasn't as easy for those around him to do the same.
"It was a girl, Jon. It's always a girl," Humphrey replied with a frown of his own. He had shared some of the mistakes of his own past with his nephew, but the telling had been hard enough the first time around. He gave Jon's shoulder a squeeze and whistled for Cosmo to fall in. "Come along, Cosmo. Let's check on the little princess, shall we?" Humphrey hobbled out with Cosmo at his heels to check on Vicki and baby Emily, leaving Jon alone with the letter.
Jon dropped onto a chair beside the hearth and stared at the unopened envelope in his hand. His name was scrawled on the front in handwriting he didn't recognize: To: Jonathan Granger, Maple Grove, Rhy'Din. From: Cian Granger. There was no return address, and Jon wondered where the letter had come from and how it had made its way there, but there was only one way to find out and that was to open it. He tore open the envelope and drew out a carefully folded piece of parchment upon which words had been written in black ink.
Dear Jon,
I know this letter must come as something of a shock, but I've had a lot of time to think and thought it was time I write.
Gabi told me what happened, that you don't remember the past, but it doesn't matter. It was never your fault anyway. It was Frank. It was always Frank. It's hard to explain, but something happened to him after Mom died. He changed. He was never really the same after that. It's taken me a long time to figure it all out, to come to peace with what happened. He gave his life for mine, and for that I will always be grateful. He's at peace now. That I know. I forgave him a long time ago.
What I need now is to ask your forgiveness. For years, I've been blaming you for something that wasn't your fault, for something that happened so long ago, it no longer matters. For something you don't even remember. I'm sorry. Truly sorry. It was never your fault. I know that now.
Gabi wants us to be friends again. I know you don't remember, but we used to be close once. All of us. I don't know how it got all screwed up, but I want to be part of the family again. I want us to be friends again. She told me about the baby. Congratulations. I'm truly happy for you. You deserve to be happy, Jon. We all deserve to be happy.
I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me and let me start over. That's all I really want. Just another chance. A fresh start. A new life. I know it's not easy to forgive, but life is too short. That's all I ask.
Your cousin, Cian
Jon laid the letter in his lap and turned his gaze to the flames dancing in the hearth. His thoughts traveled back to the hospital, to the car accident that had almost taken Cian's life a little over a year ago. Frank had died in a routine operation that had saved his brother's life. Cian and Gabi had been devastated, and there had been little Jon or anyone else could do to console them. Cian had left Rhy'Din shortly after that without warning, and Jon had never had the chance to reconcile their relationship, but Cian didn't need Jon's forgiveness. How could he forgive his cousin for something he didn't even remember?
Jon abruptly rose from the chair. He needed to see Gabi, to find out once and for all what had happened all those years ago and figure out a way to make it right. This had gone on long enough. Life was too short, and enough time had been wasted already.