Page 77 of Sweet Escape
Ignoring my comment, he says, “Not looking so good from my vantage point.”
“Fuck you, Jax. You have no goddamn clue what it’s like.”
“You’re right, I don’t. It’s not like my brother ever talks about it. You holed up in that house in the mountains for years. Didn’t visit. Hardly ever called. What were we supposed to think?”
Frustration unlike anything I’ve felt in a long time surges through me. “What do you want me to say? That it was my fault. That I lost the love of my life, and I’ll never be okay again? That I could crumble at any minute, and if I ever lostanyoneagain, let alone my family or the mother of my child, I might not be able to come back from it next time?”
“You didn’t come back from it the first time, Wilder.” He grabs Buttercup’s reins and brings us both to a halt. I look at him—really look at him—for the first time in years, and what I see there is a shock to my system. There’s something haunted in those emerald eyes, and it hits me that maybe I don’t know my brother anymore.“You’re not the same man who left for Colorado all those years ago, and I’m not the same boy you left behind.”
I stare out at the ranch—my home—letting its calm wash over me. “Jax…”
“Jess is gone, but she’s still a part of your life. The best part—Emmy. And if you don’t open your eyes, you’re going to let your second chance slip right through your fingers. You’ll lose Olivia, too, in a different way, but it’ll hurt like hell all the same.”
“When did my baby brother get to be so wise?”
He shrugs, a torrent of emotion passing over his features, there and gone before I can grab hold of them. “Let’s get goin’. We don’t wanna let Griff stew in his feelings for too long.”
“You’ve been spending way too much time with Mama, Jaxy.”
“You could do with spending a littlemoretime with her.”
It’s a subtle dig, but he’s not wrong. “Yeah. You’re right.”
The fence is more damaged than we anticipated, and it takes a couple of hours to set up the replacement posts and make sure it’s sturdy. Based on the weathering on that stretch of fence, it’s likely that we’ll have to replace several more feet in the near future, but it’ll hold for now.
When we arrive back at the barn, I catch up to Griffin as he gets Copper settled in his stall for the night. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I was feeling a bit defensive.”
“It’s cool. I started it.”
“Yeah, but I didn't have to be such a dick about it. I know you mean well.”
“Aww. Are you two about to kiss?” Jax says.
“Jealous, Jaxy?” Griff mocks. “When’s the last time you got laid?”
Jax’s playful tone instantly evaporates. “None of your damn business, that’s when.”
While my brothers have a go at each other, Storm whinnies from one stall over, and I take the opportunity to check on her. “Hey, Pretty Girl. How you holding up, huh?”
I reach into my pocket and hold out a treat, which she graciously accepts. The hoof repair is still healing, but there haven’t been any signs of infection or further damage. Liv checks on her daily, but I think that’s more for her benefit than Storm’s. They have a special connection.
Storm nudges my hand playfully.
“Sorry, girl. I’m all out of treats.”
She snorts.
“Hey now. It’s not my fault. You can take it up with your bestie. She’s the one stealing all your peppermints.”
I stroke her forehead one last time and make sure everything is secure for the night before locking up. Griffin and Jax take off toward their houses, and I go home. I know the best part of my day is waiting for me there.
I used to dread going home to a quiet house. I’d lie awake for hours replaying that night over and over in my head until sleep would finally take me. These days, I find myself watching the clock, wondering what the girls are getting up to without me. When I finally walk in at the end of another long day, it’s no longer the memories I cling to, but their smiles.
Chapter 20
Craving you
?Craving You - Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris
