Page 4 of Spring Forward

“I have a feeling there will be a lot of wedding talk until the day comes for them to tie the knot,” I admit to Huxley who full-on pouts at my words. “Don’t let Fletch hear you complain about it. He’ll kick your ass.”

“He can’t kick my ass,” he mumbles.

“I’d believe you if you weren’t whispering like a little kid trying not to get in trouble,” I tease him.

He looks around as if Fletcher is going to pop up out of nowhere before repeating himself, louder, “He can’t kick my ass.”

I hold my hands up as I smirk. “If you say so.”

He puffs up his chest like he’s won something. He hasn’t and we both know it.

His next question has me almost swallowing my tongue, “When will you be getting married? You’re next, right? I mean, this whole falling in love, love of one’s life thing, won’t try and come for me next. I’m the baby of the family,” he whines.

Barking out a laugh, all I can do is shake my head at my little brother. The face he’s making at the thought of committing to one woman is comical. I wouldn’t quite call him a manwhore, but he’s not far off. He’s had a lot of fun with women, but commitment isn’t part of his vocabulary.

“I’m not holding my breath to find something like Fletcher and Eden have,” I tell my little brother honestly. He gives me a look of disbelief and I shrug one shoulder like I’m not fucking wishing for the same damn thing most days. “You and I both know they have something special. Time, distance, and a lot of heartbreak didn’t stop them from loving each other and coming back together when the time was right for them. They’ll be together forever now.”

“You can have it too,” he tries to sound encouraging, but I swear he’s gagging a little bit at the same time.

“It’s cool, Hux,” I chuckle, “we don’t have to talk about our feelings.”

Hux smiles, but it drops quickly, and something shifts in my brother. The look he gives me is so serious and so out of placewhen it comes to the baby of the family. “You know,” he takes a deep breath, “I’m here if you ever want to talk about your feelings.”

My eyebrows go up in surprise, but I know he’s sincere. Still, I can’t help but ask, “Why?”

“I don’t know, man,” he sounds unsure as he rubs the back of his neck. “You came back, you know, different,” he starts and I still. “I just want you to know I’m always willing to listen, even though I can’t relate to what you went through overseas. You’ve healed a lot since you got back, but you’re not the same guy who left Wintervale.”

“Of course I’m not the same guy,” I snap but Huxley doesn’t flinch. I take a deep breath and try to get my heart to stop racing. Talking about what happened over there isn’t going to help me and it sure as fuck isn’t going to help my brother. I try and soften my voice, but I’m not sure if I succeed, “I was just a kid when I left here and, yes, I saw some shit. I thought I knew what I was signing up for, but going through it takes something from you.”

He nods slowly, his eyes, the dark brown eyes all the Burns kids got from our father, are filled with concern. “I can’t even imagine.” He studies me for a moment before pressing on. “You never talk about it.”

“Because no one else needs that shit in their head,” I rasp and turn toward Thunder, hoping my brother will drop it.

“Neither do you,” he murmurs. “But if you’ll let us, we can help you carry the burden.”

I swallow hard trying to dislodge the lump in my throat. I’ve shoved so much of that shit into the dark recesses of my mind. It’s better that way.

Fuck, I know how lucky I am because of the support I have. Not everyone is so fortunate when they leave the service. That doesn’t mean I’ll be sharing my demons with my little brother. They’re mine and mine alone.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I try and assuage my brother, but from the look he’s giving me he’s not buying my bullshit. He shouldn’t. With one more pat on Thunder, I step away and take a look around the horse barn. “I’m going to head to the house and make sure everything is ready for tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Hux sounds confused as hell.

I groan and run a hand over my face while shaking my head. That’s more like my brother—clueless. “Remember, Delaney Reeves and her brother are getting in tomorrow. She’s the equine therapy consultant I hired to help me get the program off the ground.”

His mouth forms a perfect ‘o’ while he nods slowly. He’s heard me talking about this who knows how many times, but he still looks surprised as hell. I flip him off as I head to the house.

The least I can do is make sure Delaney’s stay here is comfortable. I want this endeavor to be a success. Not only do I need it to feel like I’ve finally found my place at Limitless, but I think the horses need this as well. They’ll thrive with different stimulation and social interactions.

And maybe I will too.

CHAPTER 3

DELANEY

Something sits up and takes notice the moment we drive by the sign welcoming us to Wintervale. I’ve visited a number of new places over the years, but this feels different. I can’t put my finger on it, but my gut is begging me to pay attention.

“Check it out, Auggie,” my voice is bright, “we’ve arrived in Wintervale.”

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