Page 67 of Billionaire Lumberjack's Bride

“Because I asked you to.”

“And what? You’re my husband, so I’m supposed to do whatever you say?”

Hell.

I probably deserve that.

I try to take a deep breath to calm my thundering heart, but staring down into the tear-soaked eyes of this woman makes it impossible. Somehow, in the last several days, in all the time we’ve spent together, she’s worked her way under my skin, scarred as it may be, and managed to reach a part of me I never wanted to admit was there.

The part that secretly needed companionship, that craved some sort of connection, the part that enjoyed waking up next to her in bed the other morning, the part that was fucking terrified I was going to lose her the night before.

“Please, Lyla. I don’t know how to do this.”

Her brows fly up. “How to do what? Be a fucking human being?”

I snort at her incredibly pointed remark. No one has ever been so bold with me. When I was still a child, living under Father’s roof, no one dared challenge the prince, and now, people in Millsburg are too afraid of the tattooed man from the mountain to ever say anything like that to my face.

“It’s been a long fucking time since I’ve had to interact with anyone, Lyla, since I’ve had to live with anyone, since I’ve had…”

Biting back the words that will only cause trouble, I wrack my brain for any other way to get out of this, for another way to make her stay.

But God knows, Lyla isn’t one to let this go.

She’s too worked up, finally unleashing all the pent-up emotion she’s been holding in since she got here, and there isn’t any way to return it now that it’s floating out here between us.

“Since you’ve had what, Silas?”

I can’t believe I’m going to admit this to her.

It would be easier to turn around, storm back to the truck, drive away, and never look back, letting Lyla walk back to town and find her way out of Millsburg and far away from me.

It would be better for her if I did.

Ronald’s plan would fall apart. I would lose the company. Uncle Marty would win…

But it would save Lyla from all the anguish and pain I’m going to cause her by not only keeping her here with me but by revealing this truth.

I stare down into her vibrant emerald gaze, wishing like hell that I could lie to her and knowing I won’t. “Since I’ve had any sort of feelings for someone other than disdain or anger.”

An agonizing few seconds tick by without her reacting, and I avert my gaze before Lyla releases a laugh that doesn’t hold any actual humor.

“Oh, you definitely have those for me. I see it every time you look at me.”

I shift my gaze back to meet hers. “That’s what you think? That I hate you?”

The tears flow freely now, leaving little red lines across her pale cheeks. “You have barely talked to me in four days other than to bark orders at me when I’m doing something wrong at the homestead. Every time you look at me, Iseeit.”

“You see what?”

“The anger in your eyes.”

I release her arm and shove my hands back through my hair, tugging at it until the sharp bite of pain matches the one in my chest. “Hell, Lyla, I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at myself.”

Her soft brow furrows. “Why?”

Too many fucking reasons to count.

I turn away from her to walk to the edge of the drop-off to stare out at the vast expanse of wilderness spread out below us on the mountainside, Millsburg barely visible in the distance, over thirty miles away, but still not far enough for my liking most days.

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