Junior reached out to shake Hunt’s hand, and Hunt shook his head and hugged him. Then Emma was in his arms, too, sobbing and begging forgiveness, and Ray added his apology to the others, and then they all turned, opened their arms, and pulled Birdie into the mix.

Ava stood aside with tears in her eyes, so happy for Hunt, and yet horrified about that boy’s body being dumped in the swamp.

“Emma…I have a question,” Ava said.

Emma turned around. “Ask.”

“I don’t remember you dating anyone at that time, and no one was ever reported missing. Who was it?”

Emma closed her eyes, remembering his face and how much she’d loved him, then she looked at Ava and sighed.

“Mark Ryman.”

Ava frowned. “The Rymans who lived up in the hills west of Blessings?”

“Wait. What? The one they called Tall Man?” Hunt asked.

Emma nodded.

Hunt shook his head. “That’s not right.”

“What do you mean, that’s not right?” Emma cried. “I guess I know better than you who I was in love with.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Hunt said. “I knew Tall Man. He was a year older than me.”

“Yes, yes,” Emma said. “So what?”

“So, Tall Man was in Iraq. We were both in the army and on the same base for a couple of months before his unit shipped out to another base. He didn’t die in our kitchen…but he did die. About two years before I was shot down. He was a foot soldier. His truck drove over an IED. He was one of three who died that day. I saw his name posted. Dad didn’t kill him. Junior, you didn’t help hide a body. Ray, you cleaned up his blood, but he shed a lot more fighting a war before he died. Emma lost a baby. But you all lost what was left of your childhood because our father was a coward. Instead of assuming Tall Man was dead, he never checked to see if he was still alive, and made all of us pay so he could hide what he’d done. There is no secret to hide. And as far as we’re all concerned, Emma ever being pregnant was her business…and none of ours. Understood?”

They all nodded, including Emma.

Junior dropped to his knees and started rocking back and forth, shaking his head in disbelief.

“This secret nearly killed me, Hunt. Thank you for coming home. Oh my God…I am free.”

“And me,” Ray said.

“We should have defied Daddy and told you that day,” Emma said.

“But he said he’d go to prison, and Mama would lose the house, and we’d all be homeless, maybe even go to foster care,” Ray said. “He said we had to protect Birdie from winding up in foster care.”

At this point, Ava spoke up.