Page 24 of Wild For You

“Promise,” he vowed, sealing it with a kiss atop my head, the simplicity of the gesture carrying the weight of a thousand unspoken words.

And just like that - Michael Youngblood stepped out of the darkness.

16

Nico

“Nice speech, brother.” Michael's voice carried a hard edge, his blue eyes glinting with unspoken challenge. “But words are just words. They don't change what happened.”

“Michael, this isn't the time,” I warned, positioning myself protectively before Josie.

“Isn't it?” Michael stepped closer, his gaze locked on Josie. “You think you can just erase the past? Pretend it didn't happen?”

“Stop it!” Josie’s voice cut through the tension. She stepped around me, facing Michael with a resolve that quivered like a leaf in the wind. “I won't let you do this. Not again.”

“Josie—” Michael began, but she didn't let him finish.

“Enough secrets, enough lies!” With every word, her courage swelled, pushing back the shadows of doubt. “Tell him, Michael. Tell Nico why you came back.”

Michael and I faced each other, a silent battle of wills raging between us. Finally, Michael's shoulders slumped, his eyes dimming with a sorrow that seemed to reach back through years of regret.

“I came back for redemption,” he admitted. “Not to cause more pain. To prove that I could be someone...someone worth forgiving.”

“Forgiveness isn't given freely; it's earned,” I said, my earlier anger giving way to an exhausted resignation.

“Then I'll earn it. Starting by leaving you two be.” Michael’s voice was hoarse, as if the words were being pulled from him against their will.

“Michael, wait.” Josie's compassionate nature surged forth. “If you’re sincere, then start by respecting our space and trying to rebuild your own life.”

“Josie,” I murmured, my arm slipping around her waist, a silent expression of gratitude for her strength, even as my own heart warred with the desire to protect her and the need to trust her judgment.

“Rebuild,” Michael echoed, as if tasting the word, finding its flavor bitter yet hopeful. He nodded once, sharply, before turning on his heel and disappearing into the dusk.

Josie leaned back against me.

“Roots run deep,” she whispered, repeating our earlier promise, even as the first star appeared, a lone sentinel in the darkening sky.

Josie's fingers traced the contours of my clenched hand.

“Will he really stay away?”

17

Josie

“Did you hear about Josie and that YoungBlood man?” The words slithered out from the half-open door of Molly's Diner.

“Michael says there's more to that story,” another voice chimed in, wrapped in the buttery aroma of baked goods.

My steps faltered. I lifted my camera, pretending to be engrossed in capturing a photo of a pair of sparrows nestled in the eaves of the general store.

“Michael's got a knack for sniffing out secrets,” came a third whisper, laced with the tang of skepticism.

I snapped the photo, the click of the shutter a punctuation mark in the growing narrative of my life. My fingers trembled slightly as I lowered the camera, the lens now a barrier between me and the world. I felt exposed, like a deer caught in the sights of a hunter.

“Josie! Lovely day, isn't it?” Mrs. Harper, the librarian, called out from her perch on the library steps, voice a soothing balm to the sting of rumors.

“Beautiful, Mrs. Harper,” I replied, mustering a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes.

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