Page 115 of Beat of Love
Trent nodded slowly. “The scorpion defends itself when cornered. But it also survives. Even in the harshest environments.”
“Yeah, well, it also kills what gets too close.”
Trent met his gaze. “Or protects what matters.”
Rafferty stilled.
“You were labeled Trick. Rascally. Dangerous. Then became the Scorpion. Hidden, armored, lethal when needed. But scorpions also carry their young on their backs. They don’t just destroy. They protect.”
Rafferty blinked. The tightness in his throat surprised him.
Trent leaned back, giving him space but not letting go. “The name you gave your Jeep …”
“Sarge.”
“What made that name resonate?”
Rafferty leaned back and looked up at the ceiling, counting the panels like they held answers. The silence stretched between them. Weighty. Pregnant. Enlightening. A smile ghosted over his lips. “It represents discipline. Backbone. Grit.”
“And?” Trent prompted.
He hesitated. The truth hovered, fragile. “It’s the kind of guy I want to be.”
“It’s the kind of man youare, Rafferty Lawson.”
He looked down then, the ceiling suddenly too bright. His throat worked against a swell of emotion he wasn’t ready to name. “I don’t feel like it,” he admitted, voice rough. “Most days, I still feel like Trick. Like … the wrong twin.”
Trent’s voice was steady. “That’s the part of you shaped by survival. But you are not the wrong twin. You are Rafferty — the man who came back. Who’s sitting here. Who’s choosing to heal. The survivor.” Dr. Sykes tilted his head. “What does Rafferty mean?”
Rafferty shrugged. He used to know, but the memory had slipped.
“Well, I looked it up. It meansprosperity. Abundance.”
Right. He remembered now.
“It’s time to prosper. Time to live an abundant life. And Raff … I’m not talking about money.”
Rafferty let the words sit. Let them soak in. He exhaled, long and low.
The knot in his throat loosened. Just a little.
34
Hard and unforgiving
Hands on his hips, his breathing labored from the hard run uphill, Rafferty stared at the house looming before him. All steel and stone and glass. And his implacable and relentlessly stubborn brother lived within those imposing walls. It suited Aidan. Hard and unforgiving.
You’re here to heal your relationship, not aggravate it.
He hadn’t set out to confront his brother, but the more he mulled over his session with Trent several days ago while his feet pounded into the ranch dirt beneath his feet, the angrier he got at Aidan’s continuous antagonism.
He wasn’t Trick anymore. He wasRafferty.
And he wanted that life of abundance.
With those words echoing in his mind, he stepped up to the imposing front door and rang the bell.
It took almost a minute before it pivoted open, revealing his brother. “What are you doing here?” the man boomed, keeping the door half-closed.
