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She’s like a bright, warm light, making this trip through snow and cold and delays more bearable, and now it’s been taken away. The car feels darker, and I wish she was here.

I glance at Callan in the passenger seat, and he has his chin propped in his hand, gazing out the window at the passing shops and trees. It feels weird to ask him if he misses Brynn already too, so I just keep quiet until we reach my parents’ house.

It’s the same as it was the last time I was there, only all decorated for Christmas now. There are lights twinkling around the front columns on the house, and two reindeer decked out in white lights off to the side in the garden. The wreath on the door proudly announces that this is the home of the Thorntons, which in a town this small, where everyone knows each other, is kind of overkill. But that’s how things work here.

We get out of the car, and Tate groans and stretches, cracking his back as he looks up at the house.

“Ready?” I ask him, glancing at Callan too.

They both shrug. We all know it’s going to happen whether they’re ready for it or not.

Before I even get up the driveway, the door is being flung open and my mom steps out onto the porch.

“Ares!” she says, grinning from ear to ear. She waits for me to get up the steps and then folds me into her arms. “It’s about time you got here. I was wondering if I was going to have to send out a search party for you.”

“Blame the weather,” I tell her, hugging her back and kissing her cheek.

“Oh, she has,” my dad says, stepping into the doorway behind her. “Every day since you were supposed to land. It’s good to see you, son.”

He hugs me when my mom finally lets me go, and we all go inside.

Inside is even more nicely done up than outside. My mom does the usual decorations every year, and when I was a kid, she would change the color palette each Christmas. This year it seems to be silver and pink, nontraditional, and it looks a little bit like a baby shower with the pink ornaments on the tree and the silver tinsel everywhere. But I know better than to say anything about that.

Instead I take over doing introductions.

“Mom, Dad, these are my friends, Callan Reeves and Tate Morrison. Guys, these are my parents, Claudia and Graham Thornton.”

Callan is his usual quiet self, nodding and shaking hands, but Tate turns on the charm, of course.

“Your home is lovely, Mrs. Thornton,” he says warmly. “And the decorations outside were such a beautiful welcome after being on the road for so long.”

My mom eats it up, of course. “Oh, thank you, Tate. That’s exactly what we were hoping for. We’re so glad you could make it for the festival, even with the difficulties of getting here.”

“I’m sure the festival and your warm hospitality will more than make up for it,” Tate says, flashing her a genuine smile.

“I certainly hope so.” She turns to me. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay here with us, honey? After so long in the car with that woman—” She’s talking about Brynn by the way the charm and cheer turns icy cold in her voice for just a second, “—don’t you just want to sleep in your old room and relax?”

“No, Mom,” I say, just barely resisting the urge to roll my eyes and share a look with the guys. “I’m not going to make Callan and Tate go to the cabin by themselves after everything. You’ll see me plenty for the festival and everything.”

If she was anyone else, my mother would be pouting right now. Instead she just smiles tightly and goes into the kitchen to get refreshments and bring out a charcuterie board for everyone to share.

My brother Jonah comes out from the back of the house, and there’s another round of handshakes and introductions. He and my dad start talking about a business call Jonah took earlier today, and I settle in, trying to remember a time when I felt comfortable here.

When my mom comes back, she’s all smiles again. “How have things been going, Ares?” she asks me. “Your show ended recently, I remember?”

I nod, taking a cracker and spreading some cheese on it. “Yeah, it did. I’m not sure what’s next, but my agent is putting together some options for me. I should know more by the first of the year.”

“Excellent,” Dad says. He settles into the chair that’s been his for as long as I can remember. “It’s good to have options. That way if one thing doesn’t work out, you can pivot.”

If there’s anyone who knows about pivoting, it’s Graham Thornton. After the tax scandal, he had to work hard to rebuild the family name, and he definitely did it.

I just smile, letting him think he’s giving me advice. It’s easier that way. “That’s the plan, yeah. There’s pros and cons to being locked into another long running TV series, but we’ll see what Danielle has for me after the holidays.”

“Well, I’m glad she has enough sense to wait until after the holidays for this,” Mom cuts in. “We need you focused on the festival while you’re here. You know how important it is for us.”

“I know, Mom. You’ll have my full attention for everything.”

“This will be a big moment for our family. The hundredth year anniversary and the comeback of the Thorntons, bigger and better than we were before all the difficulties. If the Carters think they’re going to outpace us this year, they have another thing coming,” my dad says.