Sylvia stood and crossed over to his couch. She sat beside him and wrapped her arms around him. “No. Of course not.” She rubbed her hand along his upper back. “But if you did, it wouldn’t make me love you any less.”

The door to the sitting room opened, and they jumped apart.

“Just got off the phone with the pastor. Things are coming together. The rosemary you ordered from the Haywoods arrived.”

Kaden lifted his head and found his younger brother standing in the doorway. He almost flinched. Nate looked so much like the father of his childhood. The same height, the same build, the same red cheeks.

“Shit,” Kaden murmured, and his mother shot him a scandalized look. “He looks a lot like Dad.”

Seeing him in that light, it wasn’t hard to believe that Nate cheated on Irene. Yet something in Kaden wanted to jump up and grab his younger brother into a hug. Nate looked at Kaden, then glanced at their mother.

“I didn’t realize you had company,” Nate said.

The words knocked the wind out of Kaden.

“You… you don’t recognize me?” Kaden got up and crossed the room, bringing them face-to-face. He had forgotten that Nate had a couple of inches on him.

Nate narrowed his eyes. “Should I?”

Even his own brother had forgotten about him. No, not forgotten—let his memories go.

“I’m your brother,” Kaden said.

Nate blinked, took a quick breath. “Kaden?” He looked at their mom, who hadn’t bothered to get up from the couch.

“He’s come home,” she said.

“You look a little like Dad, too, I guess?” He closed his eyes, pressed his palms to them, and shook his head. “Why didn’t I remember you?”

“You gave him up to the memory harvest,” Sylvia said.

“But you still remembered him?” Nate asked. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why have you never mentioned him?”

“After he left, it was too painful for you.” Sylvia sighed. “You made a choice.”

Nate rubbed at the space between his eyes. “A choice? I don’t… But I would’ve written it down… You could’ve…” He trailed off, shook his head. “It’s weird,” he said. “Hearing your name brought some of it back. Like there was still a part of you in here somewhere.”

He took a few steps forward and grabbed Kaden in a hug. Kaden let himself feel the fierceness of his brother’s hold, but he knew it wouldn’t last. Nate was just as much a snake as his mother.

“When did you leave?” Nate asked.

“The summer of ’97,” Kaden said.

Nate stumbled backward. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s not just you. It seems like all of Yarrow decided to forget me.” Kaden shook his head. “I need to get out of here for a little bit. This is a lot to process.”

“But you’ll be here for the service?” Sylvia asked.