hours, what did you do with that authority? You tried to force your twisted beliefs on everyone and divide our town.”

“Not to mention all the chaos that was caused as a result of your choices in the first place,” Tucker added, placing his hand over his wife’s.

Aunt Nora flashed her son-in-law a shrewd glance. “I’m not the only one who thinks we should limit who lives here in Honeysuckle.”

“And the council will be dealing with those who are left,” Matt stated.

Our aunt huffed. “Now that your grandmother seems to be in remarkable shape considering she was supposed to be on her deathbed, the Goodwin spot on the council will be filled. That means you’ll have nothing.”

“Fine by me,” Matt said, slamming his glass down on the coffee table. “But you should ask yourself, who will be filling the Walker position?”

Aunt Nora’s mouth dropped, and she looked to her daughter and son-in-law for help.

My emotional cousin refused to look at her mother, so Tucker answered. “You can rest assured, it won’t be you.”

“Clementine?” her mother prodded. “You’ll carry on the Walker tradition, won’t you?”

Her daughter wiped a trembling hand across her wet cheeks. “I have a baby on the way, and he or she comes first. There’s never been a married couple who occupied two of the council positions at the same time and for good reason. I have to make the good of my family my first priority.”

“But I’m your family,” Aunt Nora pleaded. “Someday, my grandchild will inherit the council seat. If you don’t take it, who’s left?”

With a little petty revenge in my heart, I answered my aunt’s question. “There’s always my brother. And me.”

“You are not a real Walker,” she replied without thinking of whose house she sat in. Her cheeks reddened. “Blood does make a difference, no matter what nonsense you’ve taught, Vivian.”

“Your sister didn’t think so,” Nana said, clenching her fists to maintain control. “Charli has as much right as Clementine or Matt to the seat.”

“Argh!” Aunt Nora burst out of her chair and paced in front of us. “That contract should no longer exist because nothing has gone the way it should.”

We’d given my aunt the opportunity to come to terms with the consequences of her actions and offer any apologies for what she’d caused. She chose to cling to her vanity until the bitter end. I needed to bring the meeting to a close and hand down the verdict for her actions.

I stood and picked up the contract. Aunt Nora stilled, watching me with anguished hope. As I crossed in front of her, she held out her hand as if to take it from me. Keeping it well out of her reach, I brought it over to Clementine and laid it in her lap.

“This is yours.” I curled her fingers around the parchment and patted her hands.

My cousin looked up at me. “What should I do with it?”

I kissed her forehead. “The decision of what to do rests with you.”

Aunt Nora sighed in relief. “Good, we’re finally finished and can leave.” She snapped her fingers in annoyance. “Give it here, Clementine.”

My cousin glanced at her husband for guidance, but he pursed his lips. Clementine grasped the contract in one hand and, with the other, caressed her belly that protected the next generation.

“No,” she said in a whisper. Clearing her throat, she spoke with more courage. “No, you will not have control any longer.”

Aunt Nora stood stock-still in disbelief at her daughter’s disobedience. “I raised you to have more respect than that.”

“You raised me to be obedient. To despise others who were different. To think that we were better than anyone else,” her daughter retorted, gaining more and more confidence. “I’ve been lucky enough to figure out just why I’d been lonely all those years and to make better choices. I’ll make sure our child learns how to navigate through life with love instead of trying to control it with hate.”

Aunt Nora drew in shaky breaths. “So, you would cast me aside, your own flesh and blood? Choose them over me?” She faced her son-in-law and pleaded with him. “Tucker, surely you don’t want to lose yet another parent.”

Her last attempt to garner support failed in spectacular fashion. “At least my father did what he did out of love. And he owned up to his actions, whereas everything you do or say is for you and you alone.”

“I know how you threatened my husband, Mother,” Clementine added. “And so does Father. Although ironically, he’s willing to stand by you no matter what the outcome is today. Because he loves you.”

Aunt Nora found herself without any support. “Vivian, you’ve known me longer than anyone here. Surely you can talk some sense into these children.”

“It’s time, Leonora,” my grandmother replied. “You need to accept your daughter’s decision.”

My aunt dropped to her knees. She crawled across the floor to kneel in front of her daughter. “Clementine?”

My cousin’s tears flowed freely. “Mother, you’ve managed to destroy everything.”

The weight of accountability crushed my aunt, and she collapsed into sobs and wails. Clementine rubbed her mother’s back but did not speak. The rest of us watched in discomfort.

I searched my emotions and found the distrust and revulsion I carried for the broken woman gone. Only pity remained.

When Aunt Nora’s weeping settled into whimpers, Clementine pronounced her decision. “Because of everything you’ve done, you can’t remain here in Honeysuckle Hollow. I’ll speak to Father on your behalf, but I suspect it won’t take much to convince him to accompany you.”

Her mother’s head whipped up. “You’re banishing me? What about my grandchild?”

Clementine reached for Tucker’s hand to steady herself. “I won’t expose my child to the way you raised me. If you make great efforts to try and recognize your faults as well as actually work to change, then you’ll be allowed to see him or her. But only on my terms.”

My cousin’s compassionate decision warmed my heart. I’d connect her with Nick later so that he could instruct her how to

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