The morning light broke through the blinds like a slow, unwelcome guest.
Jace hadn't really slept. He'd dozed off but woke up every hour to the silence that had taken Amy's place.
His phone buzzed on the coffee table.
He reached for it instinctively, heart stuttering like it always did lately.
Not Amy.
Rebecca.
He hesitated, staring at the screen. Then sighed and answered.
"Hey," his voice rasped like he hadn't spoken in days.
"You sound like shit," Becca replied, ever the blunt one.
"Feel worse."
She exhaled. "Did you talk to her?"
"Yeah," he said, rubbing a hand over his face. "Last night. I went over with tulips."
There was a pause. "That's her favorite."
"I know," he whispered. "She accepted them. Let me in. Forgave me even. But then…"
Rebecca waited.
"She asked for a break."
This time, silence hung heavy between them.
"She said she needed space," Jace went on, forcing himself not to crumble again. "To find herself. To figure out if we're… real. If we're right."
Another pause. Then, soft, calm. "And you're going to let her?."
He blinked even though it stung him to admit. "I don't have a choice."
"You do," Rebecca said. "But this.....respecting what she needs.....is the right thing to do. You're hurting, I know. But so is she. If she's asking for space, then the best thing you can do....the only thing...is give it to her."
Jace stood and walked to the window, staring out at the street below. "I know. I just…..I want to go back to normal....I want to fix it. Do something. Anything."
"I get that. But some things aren't about fixing. Some things are about waiting. Growing. Proving without pushing."
She paused.
"And you don't need to disappear while you wait. You just need to love her from a distance without trying to buy her back or press her into something she's not ready for."
"I thought the flowers would help."
"They probably did," Rebecca said gently. "But now it's about the long game. Not grand gestures. Something meaningful. Something that shows her who she was to you... who she is."
"I'm tired, Becs."
"I know."
His voice cracked. "I miss her so much."
Rebecca didn't speak for a while. She knew there were no right words in that moment. Just presence.
"You'll find the way, Jace," she finally said. "You always do. Just... don't let your guilt lead the charge. Let your love do that instead."
He closed his eyes, the words softening something inside him.
"I don't know when she'll be ready," he said, voice low.
"Then take your time brother. Start doing something else.... something that makes you happy. Let it be your way of waiting."
A soft silence settled again. This time, it didn't feel so heavy.
"Thanks, Becca," he said.
"Anytime. And hey… get some damn sleep."
He laughed quietly. "I'll try."
They hung up, and Jace stood at the window for a while longer.
He didn't know how long it would take.
But for the first time since Amy had walked away, he felt like maybe… just maybe… he had something to hold onto again.
.....
Rebecca Elizabeth Prescott now Mrs Hendrix stared at her phone screen for a long moment after the call ended.
Then, slowly, she placed it face-down on the kitchen island and exhaled.....one of those long, tired exhales that seemed to come from somewhere deeper than her lungs.
She stood there, hands braced on either side of the marble counter, her posture perfectly still even as her thoughts buzzed around like restless flies.
Behind her, the sound of a knife being placed on a chopping board. Then a voice.
"Was that Jace?"
Rebecca turned slightly. Nick stood at the other side of the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, half a cucumber sliced beside him.
She didn't answer right away. Just nodded, then pressed her fingers to her forehead. "Yeah."
Nick crossed the kitchen, wiped his hands on a dish towel, and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Is everything okay?"
"No," Rebecca said, honest and quiet. "But... it's not falling apart either. He's just hurting."
Nick didn't press further. He knew her brother meant the world to her. And he knew how protective she was....how, since Emma died, Jace was all the family she had left that still felt like home.
Rebecca leaned her head against Nick's shoulder and closed her eyes. "He finally talked to Amy"
"Oh?" Nick exclaimed.
"She forgave him. But asked for space. Wants a break. Wants to breathe."
Nick's hand moved gently along her back. "Sounds like she knows what she wants. That's a good thing."
Rebecca let out a bitter little laugh. "Maybe. But my brother is... not used to being powerless. He's unraveling quietly. And he doesn't even know what to do with that kind of pain."
Nick kissed her temple. "He'll learn."
"Yeah," she said, voice thickening. "Jace… he's always been this larger-than-life person to me. So talented. So intense. But Amy grounded him. She brought out this softer side in him I didn't think anyone could."
Nick smiled against her hair. "She must be special"
"Yeah," she whispered. "And he's devastated. And I don't blame him. But I also don't blame her."
Nick reached over to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "You can't fix it. But you're doing what you can...that's enough."
They stood like that for a moment, swaying slightly. The rhythm of comfort. Of companionship. Rebecca's eyes drifted to the framed photo on the far wall....her wedding day. She and Nick, laughing mid-spin on the dance floor, barefoot and messy and beside it was a group photo with her,Nick,her parents, Jace and Amy.
She loved Jace deeply. But she wanted him to have this too. Something real. Something that could last.
"I told him to wait," she said finally. "To let love speak in the silence. Not to chase or fix. Just to remind her."
Nick looked down at her. "And what do you need, Becca?"
She blinked up at him, surprised by the question. "What?"
"You're always so focused on everyone else. Jace. Your clients. Your parents. Me." He grinned. "You ever check in on you?"
She smiled tiredly. "Later. I'll do that later."
Nick tilted her chin gently toward him. "How about now?"
And with that, he leaned in and kissed her.....soft and slow.
Rebecca sighed against his lips and finally allowed herself to let go. Just for a little while.
"Now sit and let me finish up with breakfast" Nick said as he leads her to the breakfast bar.
She laughs softly.
"I love you Nick" She said as he heads back to the waiting cucumbers.
He turns...smiles. "I love you more"