Page 64 of Begin Again

I blink at him. “DNA? Evidence?” My stomach tightens, as I fold my arms over my chest. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Orion leans against the counter, completely unfazed by my irritation. His presence is deliberate, his posture just relaxed enough to make it clear he’s not in a rush, but there’s a challenge in his eyes.

“I need to know if she’s Bennett’s mom,” he says, his voice low and deliberate.

I stare at him, my jaw tightening. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Think about it,” he says, tilting his head slightly. “If she is, this could be the key that we are missing. All these tangled relationships, secrets, grudges. If Bennett is her son, that changes the narrative—blows it wide open.”

I drag a hand through my hair, pacing the kitchen. “This is insane. How are you even able to do DNA testing?”

Orion holds the evidence bag up like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “She left it behind. I don’t need her permission. I’ll send it to a friend or see if Morgan can do it.”

His tone is clipped, but there’s a determination in his eyes that makes it clear he’s not asking for my opinion. He’s already made up his mind.

I stop pacing and square my shoulders. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”

Orion smirks, stepping just a little closer, sizing me up like he’s waiting for me to flinch. I don’t.

“Maybe,” he says, tucking the evidence bag into his jacket. “But I’m not the one holding a knife like it’s gonna help me win a fight.”

I glance at the knife block and exhale slowly through my nose. He’s trying to rattle me, but I don’t take the bait.

I exhale sharply, leaning against the counter. “Fine. Let’s say she is Bennett’s mom. What then? How does that help us?”

Orion glances toward the window, his expression shadowed. “Because if she’s his mother, it explains a lot. Her behavior after George’s death, the way she’s always kept herself just out of the spotlight. She makes sure she’s the gossip mill, but she’s never the one gossiped about. It also explains why she wants the town to think Cassie is the villain in this scenario.”

At the mention of Cassie, my eyes narrow. “What does Cassie have to do with this?”

Orion pushes off the counter, crossing his arms. “I spoke to her recently. She told me an interesting detail about your father.”

My stomach churns. “What about him?”

“She said she taught with him back in the day. Their classes were doing a unit on genealogy, this was back in ‘08, right before your parents died, and he submitted his DNA to one of those testing sites. Cassie said he was curious—wanted to compare the results to the family history he grew up hearing.”

I nod slowly, recalling how methodical my dad always was.

“When the results came back, all he wanted to talk to her about was finding out that he had a nephew somewhere. There was a biological match, as far as he knew, his brother didn’t have any kids. Since Cassie ran in the same circles as Aubrey and your uncle he went to her to see if she had any answers.”

Frowning, I ask, “And what did she say?”

“She reminded him of how Aubrey disappeared after George’s death,” Orion explains. “Holed up in her house for over a year, barely spoke to anyone. People chalked it up to grief, but what if there was more to it? What if she was hiding a pregnancy?”

I let his words sink in, my mind racing. It makes sense, but it’s hard to reconcile with the image I have of my aunt—the free-spirited, joyful woman who brings laughter wherever she goes.

“This is a stretch,” I say finally. “You’re speculating based on… What? Cassie’s word?”

“I’m following the threads,” Orion says firmly. “And the threads lead here.”

I shake my head, but I can’t deny the logic in his argument. The timelines, the secrecy—it all lines up in a way that’s hard to ignore.

Orion straightens, slipping the evidence bag into his jacket pocket. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”

He heads for the door, pausing as he reaches it. “Keep your aunt close, Theo. If I’m right, she’s more dangerous than any of us realize.”

I nod, still trying to wrap my head around everything he’s just told me. As the door clicks shut behind him, I sink into a chair at the kitchen table, my coffee long forgotten.

A few seconds pass before the door swings open again, and Orion pokes his head back in.