(See the first chapter for disclaimer, notes, spoiler, etc.)

Chapter Twenty-Two: "The Night's Magic"

Benjy

He drummed his fingers against the desk as his eyes hardened. The report he was trying to generate was only 38% completed. He glanced down at his phone and muttered a curse beneath his breath. He knew he should've started this process an hour ago. Now, he was going to have to be here past five – on a Friday – until it was created and he could email a PDF copy to his boss. "Fuck," he whispered as he leaned back in the chair and shoved the keyboard away.

"Bad news?"

He jumped up when he heard the clipped question. Olivia stood on the other side of his cubicle wall, watching him with a slight frown. "No, no," he answered as he sat up. "Just…waiting for the weekly profit report. Technology, you know? It's great until it doesn't do what we want instantly."

"I suppose it's better than the alternative: writing out the report by hand."

He chuckled. Chuckled, even as he sat up and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. Olivia hadn't been down to Liberty's accounting office since he arrived months ago. "Well, that's a great point. I'll stop complaining." His eyes flickered to the computer screen. 44%. "Were you looking for Angela or Dave?" he asked. He was the only one usually in their department this late on a Friday.

After the briefest of moments, she nodded. "I suppose it can wait until next week though," she replied as she walked around the wall to stand in the opening to his cubicle. He sat up, feeling a tickle crawl down his spine as the air shifted. Olivia wanted to say something to him and he nodded internally, steeling himself. He supposed it was only a matter of time before she came to him about Evy. About why she still hadn't returned home. If she ever would. "Will you and Evy be at the house for dinner tonight?"

"Yes, we will," he replied, nodding as he watched the relief wrinkle across her tense expression. "Evy texted me earlier. She's there now with Caitlin, so I'll head over just as soon as this report is done."

She nodded and glanced down at the chair in the corner of his cubicle. Ostensibly, it was for visitors, but he never had any at his cubicle. As the low person on the department's totem pole, he went to other people's offices for meetings. So instead, the visitor's chair was stacked high with binders, file folders, and his backpack. "May I?" she asked, gesturing to it at the same moment he leaned forward to clear it.

"Of course, of course." With a Herculean level of effort, he gathered everything into his arms and shoved the stack precariously onto the corner of his desk.

With a small smile, she sat quietly for a moment before she said, "I'd like to ask you something. However, I'd like your discretion so that this stays between us."

His stomach dropped and an image of Evy's face instantly came to mind. "I won't – I can't – lie to Evy," he said softly as their eyes met. "I respect her too much to do that. If she ever asks me about this, I'm going to tell her the truth."

There was a long moment of silence and Benjy's stomach turned, wondering if their conversation was over before it started. "Well, I suppose I can appreciate that." Her eyes glazed over as she murmured, "Lying helps nothing in the end." Something he couldn't quite place – regret? sadness? pain? – moved through her expression before she cleared her throat. "Always be honest with my daughter. No matter what."

He nodded without thinking. "I promise."

Her hands were folded tightly together, but he noticed the way her fingers toyed with the large diamond on her left hand. "Does she hate me?" she finally asked in a whisper, her eyes downturned.

He leaned forward over his knees, shaking his head deeply. "No. No, she doesn't." As he looked back up at her, he saw the shine of tears in her eyes as she finally looked up. "Evy loves you more than anything. But, she's angry," he said softly. "She's still angry her father is dead. She's angry that her and her family's lives completely turned upside down this past year. And, she's angry about you…and AJ," he delicately concluded.

Olivia sniffed and nodded. "She has Gregory's temperament. Even as a child. Those moments when she became furious…" Her sentence trailed off to a deep sigh before it segued to a chuckle. "She started playing football when she was five," she began and he leaned in, listening intently. "My father would've been so proud by how quickly she took to the sport and by how seriously she took it. She would have a furious temper tantrum if the other children on her team didn't take it seriously too." He laughed, having no trouble picturing five-year-old Evy lecturing her pee wee team on their lack of play. "Gregory began to call her John McEnroe, which of course, just infuriated her more. She didn't know what he meant, but she knew he was poking fun at her."

"And, she wasn't here for it." They chuckled together as he said, "That doesn't surprise me. At all."

With a smile tinged with regret, she sighed again and leaned forward. "Gregory wasn't supposed to die this year," she explained in the barest of whispers. "But, he did and- and I've done a poor job of keeping this family together. I- I've failed Evy."

"Mrs. Richards," he sighed as he reached out automatically, covering her hands with his, "you're grieving. You're grieving, Evy's grieving…you're all grieving." She glanced up, biting the corner of her lip as he whispered, "You haven't failed. Evy loves you and she won't be angry with you forever."

She reached up quickly to wipe her eyes as she pointed out, "You seem very sure of that."

"It's because I've seen how much sadder Evy's been the last few weeks." Their eyes met for a long moment before he suggested, "Evy might be mad at you, but she misses you just as much."

She inhaled sharply and looked away, murmuring something beneath her breath that he couldn't quite make out. But, it almost sounded as if she asked herself, What have I done? He saw a tremor go through her body before she turned back to him several moments later. Whereas before he could almost make out the sentiments in her expression, now she was a blank slate. Unreadable. "Thank you, Benjy," she said softly as she smoothed her skirt and stood.

He followed her with his eyes, surprised their conversation was suddenly over. "Mrs. Richards, are you-"

"Fine," she replied quickly. Too quickly. Her pallor was questionable as she repeated, a forced smile on her face, "I'm fine."

He stood quickly as she turned to leave the cubicle. "Did I-"

She turned, her hand on the cubicle wall as she smiled reassuringly. "You did nothing. You'll be at the house for dinner?"

He nodded, feeling as though something profound just occurred to her, but he wasn't sure what it was. "As soon as the report finishes," he said lamely.

She nodded and moved to leave before she glanced back over shoulder. "You're a very nice young man, Benjy. I'm glad Evy has you in her life." He beamed, feeling his cheeks blush. "But, just one thing."

"Anything."

"'Olivia'. Enough with 'Mrs. Richards'."

"Deal." She left without another word and he exhaled deeply as he sank back into his seat. He rolled back over to the desk and glanced at the screen. Damn. Only 67%.


Caitlin

With a happy sigh, she leaned back in the cushioned lounge as Rory snuggled against her chest. The wide umbrella cast just enough shade on this mild early evening that it barely felt like they were outdoors. "Sonoma has the views, but it doesn't have the beaches," she said aloud, gazing out at the ocean.

On the lounge chair next to her, Evy pushed herself up onto her elbows and marveled, "You just now realized that?"

She ignored her younger sister's snicker as she explained, "It's just…something I don't even realize I miss until I'm home."

"You still think of this as home?"

She glanced over. "Of course! I mean, home is where Charlie and the kids are. But, this will always be home too. This house…we all grew up here." With a smile, she continued, "Daddy taught us all to swim in that pool. Mom made sand castles with all of us on that beach."

The mention of their mother stoked barely a reaction in Evy. Her sister had been at the house every day since she and Rory arrived. She even stayed over last night instead of going back to Benjy's. But, other than some polite niceties, Evy had barely spoken to their mother. She kissed her dozing infant's head as she listened to Evy giggle as she rolled over onto her back. "Hours and hours of sand castles," she laughed. "So many towers and tunnels and-"

"A moat! Always a moat."

Their laughter danced on the air, scattering across the stone patio. "For someone who always claimed not to be artistic, she was certainly creative with her sand castle villages." Evy sat up, her arms high overhead as she stretched.

"It was because she didn't grow up making them." Their eyes met as she continued, "Nana and Poppop would take her to Brighton once every summer and that was the only time she got to play on the beach."

"I get it," she murmured. "She wanted us to have what she didn't."

"Her and Daddy both." Rory sighed against her chest and she closed her own eyes, content, as she heard Evy sigh. "You ok?"

"I feel like you're leading up to something I don't want to hear, so I'm just preparing now."

"No, no. I don't want to fight. Truly." Things had been calm since she arrived. Almost like the way they used to be. Except for the Milky Way size hole that Daddy's absence left behind.

"But-"

"But, nothing," she replied. She opened her eyes slightly and looked over. "I mean it." Evy's hesitant smile gave her pause as a cool breeze blew across the patio. "Benjy coming over tonight?"

She nodded and glanced up, her brown eyes sparkling. "He likes it here. Being with our family. He- he doesn't really fit in with his dad and Meg's family."

Her eyes narrowed as she held Rory closer. They were all complicit in Ben's secret about who Benjy's real parents were. She sighed. Secrets never did any good though. "He's a nice boy," she said simply, watching the relief spread across her younger sister's face. "He clearly adores you," she continued as a blush colored her sister's cheeks. "He's respectful of Mom and – well, the fact that he likes our family is amazing."

"I mean, we are amazing," Evy retorted, making her laugh. "We're clearly more amazing than the Evans family." The baby stirred as their laughter disturbed her and, as she wiped tears from her eyes, Evy gasped, "God, don't tell Benjy I said that!"

With a beaming smile, she drew her knees up and propped up Rory as she said in a bright tone, "Of course not. I mean, you've met Charlie's family." Evy groaned and rolled her eyes as she crouched next to her lounge chair, gazing up at Rory. "Clearly we're the best." Of course, Rory had no idea what she was saying, but her expression melted into a sleepy smile as if she agreed too.

Her younger sister's head rested against her right shoulder as the baby's face lit up. "I'm so glad you're here, Cait," she heard Evy say as she reached out, her index finger extended. Rory immediately latched onto it and she smiled, watching her younger sister play with her daughter.

"It's all going to be ok, Evy," she replied in a whisper, kissing the top of her sister's head. "One day at a time."


Casey

He stood at the counter, tossing four pounds of Argentinian red shrimp in the marinade, when he heard the rumble of the automatic garage door. He glanced up a moment later when Olivia walked in from the garage. "Hey," he called out as he set the large bowl of shrimp aside and turned to wash his hands in the sink, "you stayed at the office later than you said."

She nodded, setting her large purse on the kitchen table among trays of salad, vegetables, and dinner rolls. "There was something in Accounting I needed to take care of first."

"All good?" he asked, drying his hands on the striped towel.

"Yes," she murmured, distracted as she glanced at the other trays spread around the counters as she wandered to the French doors. "Are we expecting guests for dinner?"

He chuckled as he stood next to her, looking out at the patio. "Between Diana and Caitlin, you'd think that. But no, just us. Just family." A warm feeling surrounded his heart as he felt the way those last two words just tumbled out of his mouth.

With a low chuckle, he watched her rub her right shoulder. "It's been nice this week," she sighed as she gently rolled the shoulder in small circles. "Having Caity and Rory visiting."

"It has," he agreed, reaching for the freezer door. He pulled out the small ice pack and passed it to Olivia, who murmured her thanks and immediately pressed it to her shoulder. "Things seem to be back to normal with Cait and Evy too, which is great."

He felt Olivia's gaze turn to him before she asked, "Back to normal?"

Shit. He cleared his throat and casually shrugged even as her focus sharpened. "It was nothing. You know how sisters are. I see it with Allie and Nicola all the time. They fight, they make up, they fight, they make up. And, it's all usually over some small disagreement." Never mind that his own sisters' fight had lasted months.

"What did they disagree about?" she asked.

He sighed and took the path of least resistance. "Evy's decision to not go back to Columbia was a sore spot. Plus, they're both worried about…you."

A strange sound rose in her throat as she turned back to the glass door. "I see," she said simply.

"It was tough for Cait. She wanted to be here and she was on bed rest at her home." She said nothing in reply, but he could see the way her face shifted. "It's really nothing to worry about now," he said softly as her thoughtful expression gave way to sadness. "Things are back to normal."

"Normal," she muttered, turning away from the window to sit in one of the chairs surrounding the table. "That's the biggest lie of all."

He frowned and sat in the chair next to hers. Her brow was furrowed as she stared forlornly at the trays of food. "Did something happen? At the office?" he asked as he leaned in.

With a wince, she shifted in the chair and adjusted the ice pack. "No. It was a perfectly normal day." She rolled her eyes and suddenly tossed the ice pack aside.

"Olivia, what hap-"

"Have you heard from the lawyer?" she interrupted, turning to him abruptly. He cocked his head at the sudden change of topic. "Casey?"

"Actually, I have," he said slowly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Earlier this morning." She sat up and nodded, encouraging him to continue speaking. He felt the smile come to his face as he said, "All the paperwork will be approved by the courts at the end of July." For the first time in what felt like ages, he saw Olivia smile. A genuine beaming smile, like the one he saw on New Year's Eve. When she stood in Gregory's arms as the clock struck midnight, sparkling confetti fluttering around them.

She sat forward and reached for his hand, squeezing gently. "We'll have to get you new business cards made," she said. But, she wasn't wrong. He suddenly imagined the way Casey Richards would look embossed on thick card stock beneath the Liberty Corporation logo. It looked good. Really good.

He chuckled and explained, "It'll probably be easier to get that done than get my driver's license, passport, and everything else that says Casey Mitchum changed." As she sat back, he cleared his throat and pointed out, "Olivia, I should tell Caitlin, Sean, and Evy."

"You haven't yet?" she asked, surprised.

"The timing…was never right. There was always something more important for us to talk about."

"More important than taking Gregory's name?"

With a sheepish smile, he shrugged. "Well, when you put it like that…"

She stood slowly and said, "Tell the girls tonight at dinner. Then, the three of you can call Sean and tell him together."

"Di and the kids will be thrilled. It's been ridiculous keeping them from saying anything." She squeezed his shoulder as she passed and he turned in his seat. "You'll be there, right? At dinner?"

Olivia glanced over her shoulder, still smiling. "Of course." She started up the back staircase when she turned abruptly. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if everything was finalized by July 24th?"

Gregory's birthday. "It would be perfect," he replied as he swallowed past a lump in his throat. "Just perfect."


Olivia

I drew the shawl around me as a cool breeze blew in off the ocean as we lingered over dinner. It was unseasonable for June, but a nice change from the stifling heat we usually had this time of year. The candles flickered within the hurricane glass, but didn't blow out. A trace of the night's magic, as my mother would've said. Casey's three children chattered on my right as Caitlin sat on my left, carrying on a conversation with Diana who sat on the other side of the table. Evy, Benjy, and Casey were in deep discussion as Morris and Bette colluded about God only knew what. Between Caitlin and I, Rory slumbered contentedly in her push char, wrapped snugly in a blanket my mother crocheted at Christmas 1975 when I was pregnant for the first time.

It's a circle, Liv. An ending and a beginning.

I closed my eyes, listening to the chorus of voices surrounding me. I didn't want a beginning. Not a new beginning. I wanted the beginning that began when I tripped into Gregory's arms at a bonfire on the beach when I wasn't even 20. I wanted the beginning that's lasted all these years since that moment.

I wasn't ready for it to end.

I didn't want whatever this was. I didn't want this to feel normal.

I opened my eyes and turned to Rory, who slept soundly. Her lips pursed in her sleep and she suddenly reminded me so much of Caity when she was this age. Gregory and I didn't know at all what to do with her. We had spent nine months preparing for her arrival and then we merely stared at each other as we stood in the nursery, listening to her scream. But, we eventually figured out Caity's screams. Tired screams, hungry screams, sleepy screams, wet nappy screams. We were young and clueless as to how to care for our child. We were together though. We learned how to be parents together.

This new beginning is nothing but lies. I'm lying to my children, to Morris, to Bette. It's because I've seen how much sadder Evy's been the last few weeks. Benjy's words were a knife to my heart. I'm causing my daughter sadness and pain. But this was for Gregory. Everything was for Gregory. I'm lying to AJ, though he didn't deserve my honesty. I reached out, adjusting the blanket around the sleeping child as I whispered, "The only one I'm not lying to is Gregory."

Shrieking laughter. No one was paying attention to me or Rory.

I rested my palm on my sleeping granddaughter, watching the way her lashes curled as her chest rose and fell rapidly. It was the cruelest of ironies that after all the painful lies I spun for Gregory, he was the only one right now who had all my honesty. He should've always had it. Since the day I fell into his arms at the bonfire, he should have had my honesty. I swallowed a sob as my eyes were riveted to Rory, wishing with everything in me that things could be different. That Gregory would be here. That his hand would be on my shoulder as he stood behind me as we watched our youngest grandchild. That I could feel his chest press against my back, his breath tickling my ear as he whispered, Do you remember when Caity was this small?

"Olivia?"

Blinking, I looked up and found Casey's anxious expression watching me from the other end of the table. I nodded, feeling my throat tighten as he tapped his fork against the neck of his beer bottle. I kept my hand on Rory's stomach as Casey announced to the table about the question he asked me, as if he needed my permission, and the name change. But, I listened, feeling the small smile curl my lips as Caity and Evy shrieked in excited delight. Gregory would have been over the moon at Casey and his family taking the Richards name. We had never spoken about it, but surely this would've happened even if Gregory hadn't died. He and Casey were growing closer every day. "It would've happened, Rory," I whispered. "It would've."

"OLIVIA! You kept this a secret all this time?" Bette's exclamation rolled across the patio and I looked up slowly, a blasé shrug making my shoulders rise. She shouldn't have been surprised. She knew my penchant for secrets. I met Morris' eyes across the table because, as always, he was silently watching. Checking on me. Making sure. Like Gregory would've done if he was here. With a slight nod to assure him, I glanced to my left and watched as Caitlin, Evy, Casey, Diana, and the children crowded around Casey's phone, no doubt as they FaceTimed Sean in Seattle. Benjy stood in front of them, taking a photo of the group with Evy's phone.

When I looked back at Rory, I found her dark blue eyes gazing intently at me. With a smile, I reached into the basket and lifted her into my arms. She nestled into the crook of my left arm, still watching me with the intense gaze she inherited from her grandfather. "I can tell you my secrets, can't I, darling?" I asked in a hushed whisper. Rory's mouth parted as she sighed and I took that as an affirmation, drawing her closer. "But, no one else understands. They either think I'm delusional, confused, or that I've lost all sense of reason," I continued, thinking of the objections Evy, the other children and Bette, and Morris have raised. "But, I know what I remember." My lips brushed against her forehead as I whispered, "AJ Deschanel killed your grandfather. I need him to admit that to me, so when I kill him, I'll be justified."

The infant just continued to gaze up at me. But, her silent acceptance of my confession was something I desperately needed. She was the only living person I'd spoken this to, the only one who knew the truth. It wasn't permission I needed. But, I needed to say it aloud and know, with every ounce of my soul, that I was doing the right thing. That this was for Gregory. I lowered my face to her head and inhaled, taking in the clean and innocent newborn smell.

Do all babies smell like this or just Caity? Our firstborn was about two weeks old when Gregory asked me that. He had come home from the office and was sitting on the sofa, snuggling with her. My answer had been a lie, but it was for a good reason. Just her, darling. She's special. Gregory had looked up and beamed before he turned back to our daughter.

Everything was for Gregory.