Page 95 of Montana Falls
That he had been through just as much fucked up stuff as I had.
“I’m never going to replace my daddy.” The words were slow. “But I… I am glad to have you. It is not a thing of shame to me that you are my daddy, too. I’m proud to beyourdaughter – to be the girl you helped raise, even when you didn’t have to. And I remember everything you did for me, especially after mama died. I know how you looked out for me and made me heal just enough that the world wasn’t all dark and scary every day. So I’m sorry for this – for making you feel pain. But I promise I won’t do it again. I promise I won’t ever do anything to cause you more hurt than you’ve already had.”
Beau’s gaze held mine, and for a long, agonizing moment, neither of us spoke. The hospital room was quiet, the sound of Logan’s steady breathing the only thing grounding me in the present. Finally, Beau exhaled, his shoulders sagging just slightly. His thumb brushed over my knuckles and my collectionof rings, a small, almost tender gesture that I clung to like a lifeline.
“I should be angry with you,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “I should be furious. But I’m just… I’m just glad you’re alive. All I care about is that you’re alive.”
I let out a sob, unable to hold it in any longer, and before I knew it, Beau pulled me into his arms. He held me tightly, his grip fierce, like he was afraid that if he let go, I’d disappear again. I buried my face against his chest, the familiar smell of whiskey and danger filling my senses as I cried into him. All the fear, the guilt, the exhaustion—it came crashing down all at once, and I let it.
Beau held me through it, his arms strong, unyielding. And for the first time in a very long time, I felt safe completely. Without a single niggling fear at the back of my mind that it was only temporary. Not because the fight was over – there were still dozens of things to be fixed, and healed, and done. But because the monsters in my life were dead. My family had been avenged.
And I had my daddy back. In a way. I had him with me and I would have him with for many more decades, and even though it would never stop the pain from those I’d lost, it did help.
It helped to know I was not alone. I was never going to be alone again, and I was safe.
When I finally pulled back, my eyes red and swollen from crying, Beau brushed a tear from my cheek. His face was still hard, still etched with pain, but there was something gentler in his eyes now that promised me he would be okay.
“You ever pull something like this again,” he muttered, his voice rough, “and I’ll kill you myself.”
A shaky laugh escaped me, and I wiped at my eyes, trying to compose myself. “I won’t,” I promised, the words barely audible.
His gaze lingered on me for a moment longer before he finally stood, his hand still resting on my shoulder. “Good,” hesaid simply. “Now I’m going to get a drink and let all those loser boyfriends of yours in here – I think Kody bought you food, and you’re looking a little skinny since I saw you last.”
The room settled into silence again, but it wasn’t the heavy, oppressive silence from before. This time, it was softer, more bearable. Logan shifted in his sleep beside me, his hand twitching slightly on the hospital bed.
Beau glanced at him, his expression unreadable. “Logan’s a good kid,” he said quietly. “He did right by you in all this. So did the others.”
I nodded, my throat tight with emotion again. “He did. They all did.”
“Your dad made good choices when he picked them. Even if he didn’t know exactly what he was choosing them for. And I know he would be… he would be happy you had them.I’mhappy you have them.” Beau stayed a moment longer, then squeezed my shoulder gently before stepping back. “I’ll be outside if you need me,” he said, his voice low, almost a whisper. “Well, I’m going to find Rika and beat her first, but then I’ll be outside.” He paused a second, cheeks turning unnaturally red. “Do you know what flowers Ruby likes?”
My head cocked. “She mentioned liking sunflowers before because they remind her of her home – the ranch thing with horses and all that southern charm.”
“Sunflowers? Okay. Sure. Sunflowers – thanks.”
“How come? Did you make her mad again?”
“No.” He coughed, clearing his throat. “I just… I… do you like her?”
My head cocked. “Yes. She is kind and funny, and she feels like a friend to me. I am glad to have met her and think I will enjoy having her in our family.”
“A friend? Shit. Yeah. She’s not far from your age, is she?” He wiped a hand over his face.
I didn’t have the mental energy to play games or pretend to think anything other than the truth, so I kept my words blunt.
“If you want to date Ruby, I would be happy for you. She is kind, like I said, and I see how she makes you happy sometimes when you think nobody looks at you. And no, she is not too young. Neither is she my age; she is almost seven years older.” I snorted. “There is like eight years between you and her and sure, if she was freshly eighteen, I would think that gap is too large for me not to be heavily side eyeing you. But she is a grown woman with a fully developed brain, and you are a grown man. If you want to be with her and be happy, then you do it.”
“I don’t want to date her.” He lied to my face, and I just glared at him. “Okay, fine. Maybe, sometimes, very occasionally… I like her that way. Just a bit.”
“You dove on her when that cabin blew up.” I said. “Like how Kody did for me, and my other men do, too.”
“I did.” He admitted.
“You killed for her. Bled for her. Push past your trauma for her… you can call it what you want,tío, but I see it for what it is, and I am happy about it.”
“Okay.” He didn’t lie again, and I appreciated it. “Alright then.”
I nodded again, watching as he walked to the door with the tiniest smirks on my face. But before he left, he paused, his hand resting on the handle.
