Page 41 of Beyond Redemption

“And if something does happen? What then?” Bodhi asked.

Thomas handed Olive the last plate, then dried his hands, tucking the towel into a nearby drawer handle. “Marcel was clear. If they’re disruptive, they go home… without Olive.”

Olive glanced at Bodhi, then back at Thomas. “That’s not going to be easy for them. Especially Trent.”

Bodhi leaned forward, forearms on the table. “You think they’ll really make them leave?”

“Yes,” Thomas said without hesitation. “And I worry what would happen next, because no one in my family is easily forced to do anything.”

Bodhi’s eyebrows rose, creating three thin lines across his forehead. “No offense, but your family sounds crazier than mine.”

Thomas chuckled. “My family would get the gold medal for crazy.”

In truth, the Maddoxes were not a family built for restraint. Passion ran hot, emotions surfaced loud and fast. But love and conflict are always drawn from the same well. Their loyalty was absolute; once you were theirs, protection was instinctive, ranks closing without hesitation the moment one of their own was threatened.

It was also the reason this family reunion carried so much risk.

“They’re not bad people,” Olive said, almost defensive. “They’re the best people I know, actually. They just love with everything they have, and sometimes—when you feel that much—it’s hard to tap the breaks.”

Thomas huffed softly, something that might have passed for a laugh if you didn’t know him. “That’s one way to put it.”

“It’s true, they love fiercely,” I mused. “There’s no conditional loyalty in that family. Once you’re in, you’re in. Forever.”

“Until now,” Thomas said, and no one but me would have recognized the grief folded neatly inside his words.

Bodhi tilted his head. “Loyalty doesn’t go away, even if you want it to. It’s baked in.”

“Agreed,” I said. “They’ll be hurt, angry, maybe even say some things they don’t mean. But in the end, even if it takes longer than we hope, they’ll come around.”

Thomas finally turned, leaning back against the counter, arms folding loosely. “I don’t know this time. Loyalty is sacred to them, which is why what we did feels unforgivable.”

Olive swallowed. Her gaze dropped to the sink, to the water still running, forgotten.

“I should’ve just—” she started, reaching to pull down on the lever.

“No,” Thomas said immediately. He closed his hand gently around Olive’s wrist. “This wasn’t your decision, and no matter which way you look at it, nothing about this is your fault.”

She looked up at him. “I know that… logically.”

“Logic is what we have to cling to,” I said. “Now more than ever.”

Bodhi watched the exchange closely. “So… it sounds like if this blows up, it’s going to go nuclear.”

Thomas stared at him, seeming to mull over the words he was about to say. “I’ll be surprised if blows aren’t exchanged and they’re here longer than an hour.”

“Trent will want to, but he won’t,” Olive insisted.

“I hope you’re right,” Thomas grumbled. “Because I’d have to let him pummel me.”

“Maybe they’ll just yell,” Bodhi said with a shrug.

Thomas shrugged. “They definitely will. They’re Maddoxes. It’s how we talk to each other.”

Bodhi smiled faintly at that, then looked at Olive. “I don’t care if they yell.”

She grinned at him.

“I care if it hurts you,” he said. “I don’t care if they’re loud or messy or pissed. I care that you’re not blaming yourself for it. This is about how much they love you, not about any choice you made.”