Page 34 of From Ice to Home (The Heart of a Ranger #1)
“I’m sure the Lord Himself kept him alive for us,” she says with laughter in her voice. It pulls me from my frustration, a sense of peace settling over me. Her tone changes when she says, “Listen, honey, the reason I called…is because Essie wants to talk to you.”
I blink, surprised.
“Really?” I ask, the disbelief clear in my voice.
My sister didn’t come out of her room all of last night, or even this morning before we left. I didn’t say goodbye to her, which didn’t sit too well with me, but I can’t force her to talk to me when she’s not ready.
“Well, I’m making her talk to you,” my mom says.
Well, obviously mom has a superpower I do not possess.
“You know how I feel about unresolved issues between my kids,” she adds quickly.
“If you’d just leave us alone to sort it out—“ I hear Essie’s voice in the background, muffled but unmistakable.
“Then I’d be waiting until you were all old and gray,” Mom says firmly. “Here, talk to your sister. I’ll talk to you soon, honey.”
There’s muffled sounds of the phone being handed to my sister, before her voice comes through quieter and sharper than usual.
“Hey.”
I swallow, my heart twisting a little at her tone.
“Hey little one,” I say, knowing I was the one who hurt her and determined to bridge the gap I caused. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye before we left.”
“Goodbye?” Essie says, clearly upset. “I’m more offended by the fact that you didn’t tell me you got married. And you did it without any of us being there. Hannah, that’s just not cool.”
The words might be coming from my fourteen year old sister, but the betrayal laced in them stings just the same.
“I know, I know,” I mutter, resting my forehead on the cool marble island in front of me.
For a second I allowed myself to forget about the list of apologies I have to dole out. A list that has the name of every single one of my siblings on it. We’ve all grown up extremely close, and for them to find out about my marriage a week after it happened…I should’ve handled it differently.
“I would’ve stayed and told you all about it,” I say softly, lifting my head. “But Lucas had to get back in time for practice. This wasn’t the plan, Essie, none of this. But I hope you understand that I had to come with him. He’s my husband now.”
Then, cutting through the silence like a sharp blade, she says, “You have a husband, Hannah.”
The incredulity in her voice catches me off guard, and before I can stop myself, I let out a small chuckle. “I know, right?”
She huffs, clearly unimpressed by my attempt to lighten the mood. “This isn’t funny.”
“I know it’s not,” I say quickly. “It’s just…surreal. Believe me, I’m still processing.”
She groans dramatically, and I can practically hear her rolling her eyes on the other end of the line.
“Don’t take this as me forgiving you for what you’ve done, but I need to ask this anyway. When are you planning to do the real wedding? Because the way you’ve been going, there might be a real chance I get cut out of that one too.”
“The real wedding?” I echo, completely caught off guard.
“Oh don’t even think for one second you’re not going to have a real wedding. One where we’re all invited and we get to go dress shopping with you.” Her tone softens slightly, but then she adds with firm conviction, “And you don’t have another sister, so I better be your maid of honor.”
I blink, her words settling over me.
A real wedding.
I haven’t even taken a minute to think about another ceremony with Lucas. One where we stand before all our family and friends, where everything feels…official.
“I—“ My voice falters, and I clear my throat. “I haven’t thought about that yet.”
“Well, you should,” she say pointedly. “Because you owe it to all of us. Mom and Dad deserve to see you walk down the aisle. And I deserve a front row seat.”
Despite myself, a small smile tugs at my lips. “I’d have to talk to Lucas about it first, but I love the idea, Es. You’re brilliant.”
“I know that already, duh.” There’s a small crack in her defense, and I know my sister is well on her way to forgiving me.
“Of course you do.”
“Just so you know,” she adds, her tone firm and bossy, “Mom’s over here nodding and smiling at the idea of another ceremony. She’s already talking about a backyard wedding when her flowers are in bloom. So chances are you’ll just have to arrange everything and invite Lucas.”
“You’re the worst,” I say with a smile, hoping she’ll give me a small laugh at least. “Tell mom to slow down. I haven’t even been here a whole day and already you have me back in Georgetown.”
“Well,” she says, her voice soft, cutting straight through me, “we just miss you.”
My chest tightens thinking how I haven’t been living at home for a long time. I broke away from my family as soon as I could, loving the independence.
“I haven’t been home in forever, Es, how is this different?”
She’s silent on the other end of the phone, and for a minute I wonder if she’ll even answer me.
“It just is, Han,” she murmurs.
I swallow, guilt clawing at my insides. Essie is my only sister, and I know she’s always looked up to me. But at some point, our lives are going to look different. Mine just started a bit sooner than hers.
“I love you, little one.”
“Yeah, I know,” she says. “I’m not entirely done being mad at you yet, but I love you too.”
I guess I’ll have to take what I can get.