by Faith Starr
“You’re a good sister.” As much as I loathed Kate, a part of me now rooted for her, hoping her fiancé had called to work things out. She had also brought Drew back into my life so I for one was Team Kate.
“Thanks. Although I haven’t been by her side too much, thanks to you.”
Her grumpiness made me smile.
“Hey, none of that. The fact you’re here with her speaks for itself. I’m sure her seeing the two of us together isn’t helping matters either.” I almost hated to admit it.
“Yeah. It must be hard for her to be alone with her thoughts, but she’s going to have to face them at some point. As cruel as this may sound, I can only tolerate her in measured doses. Does that make me a horrible person?”
“It makes you human. Like I just said, you’re a good sister. You comforted her after the asshole ditched her. You took her home, so she wouldn’t have to see anyone. And then you came with her on her honeymoon against your will. That says a lot about your character. You’re a dedicated and loyal person. And trust me, if I had to spend a week with Kate, I too would lose my mind.”
She giggled. It made me feel good to know I had lightened her mood.
“I appreciate you saying that. Kate loves to reiterate what a selfish person I am.”
“Fuck Kate.”
Now she downright laughed.
“You’re right. Fuck Kate.” She nodded in solidarity.
“Hey, do you want to see something?” The thought of where I wanted to take her came to me out of nowhere.
“Sure, I’d love to.”
“Great. Let me put this away first.”
I took care of my guitar by putting it in its case inside the cabin, then rushed back out to the porch, grabbing Drew’s hand, and leading her down the stairs.
“Where’re we going?”
I dragged her along at a rapid pace.
“You’ll see.” A burst of adrenaline hit me the closer we got to our destination.
We stopped in front of a cabin.
She grimaced. “This is what you wanted to show me?”
“No. There’s more. Come with me.” I led her up the stairs. She tugged on my hand to stop me.
“We can’t go up there. It’s someone’s cabin.” She scanned the area to make sure nobody was in sight.
“It’s fine. Whoever’s staying in it is probably at an activity. Besides, we’re not going inside. I just want to show you something on the porch.”
She shook her head in rebuttal, not giving in. I released her hand and went to my intended target. I squatted and pointed to a wood plank on the railing.
She eyed me inquisitively from the edge of the stairs. “What’re you looking at?” Her feet remained fixed in place.
“Come see for yourself.”
She checked out the path again to make sure no guests were strolling along it. She approached and kneeled next to me.
I pointed to a small heart engraved on the plank. It had the letters L and D and the word forever inscribed underneath them inside the heart.
She reached forward and traced the outline of the image with her finger. “My gosh, when did you do this?”
“The summer after we graduated. The last time I came here with my folks.”
“I can’t believe it’s still here.” She retraced the engraved letters and heart shape around them.
“Yeah, I couldn’t either. I found it a few years back. Susanna and Jack maintain the cabins on a steady basis, painting them and changing wood where necessary. I guess this piece never needed changing, and new paint didn’t effectively cover my engraving. Odd, huh?” Or a message from above, perhaps?
She rubbed her finger over the word “forever.”
“Yeah. Odd. What made you decide to show this to me?” Her eyes remained glued to the heart, her tone sincere, not at all accusatory.
“I guess I wanted you to know you weren’t the only one in pain after we broke up.” I had trouble keeping my emotions in check.
“Thanks for sharing that with me. It means a lot.”
“It’s true. I never intended to hurt you.” Here I tried to postpone the inevitable yet kept bringing up the damn topic.
She nodded in understanding but didn’t give a verbal response.
“Come. We better get out of here before someone accuses us of breaking and entering.”
I stood, extending my hand. She took hold of it.
She paused at the bottom of the stairs. “You did hurt me, though, Logan. More than you can ever imagine.”
The pain in my heart was overflowing. “I know, and I’m sorry.” I leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her lips. I didn’t know what else to do.
Kids screaming and gravel being shifted around broke the shared intensity of the moment. A family of four emerged, the kids running toward the cabin with their parents following behind.
“That was a close one. Let’s get out of here.” A wave of relief crashed through me.
The two of us nodded our hellos to the family when we passed by them. They clearly had no clue the two of us had been on their porch.
10
Drew
“I wonder if Kate finished her phone call yet.” Now that we were in front of my cabin, I became curious about the outcome of her conversation with Joe.
“Why don’t you go inside and see if she’s in there?”
“I think I will. You can come with me if you want.”
“I would hate to make her feel out of sorts with me in there.”
“That’s sweet of you, but you don’t have to wait outside. Come in.”
He followed me inside. Music played in the back bedroom.
“Hang tight out here for a minute. I’d offer you something to drink, but there’s nothing except tap water.”
He put his hand out to pacify me. “I’m good. I’ll wait here on the couch.”
Logan got comfy on the sofa while I went to find my sister. Her suitcase rested on the bed, and she stuffed clothing inside it. Her cheeks were red-stained from crying.
“Kate? What’s going on?”
“Joe wants to make things right.” She forced a smile and placed her hand over her heart.
I sat on the bed next to her suitcase. “What did he say?”
“He couldn’t apologize enough. He admitted he got cold feet. He said the reality of marriage hit him while standing at the altar and he became paralyzed with fear, since his parents’ divorce royally fucked him up. I thought he had worked through his shit. Apparently not.” She sighed heavily, continuing to pack.
“So…” I gestured for her to elaborate.
“So when he heard I left town, he became frantic at the huge mistake he’d made. He assured me I’m the only woman for him, and that there’ll never be anyone else.” She smiled through her tears.
A small part of me still held a grudge against Joe for the pain he inflicted on my sister, but his screw up had brought Logan into my life again. And for that, I was eternally grateful, as selfish as it sounded.
“He also told me he apologized to all the guests, telling them to hang tight because a wedding would take place. That’s when mom and dad informed him you and had I left. He said he tried calling us nonstop, but the calls kept going to voice mail. You shouldn’t have agreed to shut off your phone.”
What? I only did what she’d asked.
“So once again, he had to apologize to our friends and family.”
“I take offense to you blaming me for shutting off my phone. You were crying hysterically. I merely did what you suggested. And might I remind you, I’m the one who told you not to leave town, to speak to Joe first.”
She rolled her eyes. “What’s done is done.”
Of course when it came to Kate taking responsibility for herself, she blew it off. She always had. And what gall of Joe. “Don’t you think he should’ve faced the reality of his situation prior to walking down an aisle in front of a hundred and fifty people?”
She gaped at me. “Why aren’t y
ou being supportive?” She crossed her arms. “You should be happy for me.”
Happy for her? The guy ditched her at the altar and now begged for forgiveness? I was concerned for her. I’d seen the aftermath. I didn’t want to see a repeat.
“You know what I think? I think you’re jealous things are working out for me in spite of everything that happened.” She resumed packing as if she hadn’t voiced such horrible words to me.
My gaze fixed on her, I clenched my jaw tight. She had to be kidding me. I’d had it with her, all her years of verbal insults and abuse—this was the final straw. I rose, the tension in my muscles making it difficult to stand.
“What? For once in your life give me a break and stop turning shit on me. I’m getting tired of it. Scratch that. I am tired of it, sick of it if I’m being totally honest. If I didn’t support or care about your happiness, I wouldn’t have traveled across the country to be here with you. So cut the bullshit. As opposed to you, who is holding on to Joe’s every word, I guess I’m skeptical about his intentions. To me, actions speak louder than words. But you’re a grown woman who can think for herself. I’m certainly not going to try and stop you or try to change your mind.”
Her body softened. She packed the last of her clothing and zipped the suitcase closed. “I am a grown woman, and I want to be with Joe.”
She wrapped her hand around the handle of the suitcase and hoisted it off the bed, setting it on the floor between us.
“So you’re leaving without finishing out the week?”
“Why wouldn’t I? I have no reason to be here. This was supposed to be my honeymoon. Both Joe and I arranged our work schedules around it. I don’t want to waste what’s left of it with you, no offense. I want to spend it with Joe instead.”
No offense?
Why it bothered me so much, I didn’t understand, yet I shouldn’t have expected anything less from Kate.
“We’re in the middle of the mountains. How do you plan to get to the airport? And more importantly, how did you arrange a flight out on such short notice? There are only so many flights coming in and out of that small airport we flew into.”
She pulled the handle release, so she could wheel her suitcase.
“Joe took care of the arrangements online during our phone call. Brian agreed to drive me to the city. He’s picking me up in a few minutes. My flight doesn’t leave until tomorrow, but Susanna said she needs him here, so tonight I’ll stay at a hotel near the airport, and tomorrow morning I’ll leave for Vegas. Joe will meet up with me later in the day at the hotel he booked us into. We’ll get dressed, pick a fun place, and get hitched. Then we’ll spend the remainder of our stay touring and seeing the sights.” She beamed. “This mess has set me and Joe back quite a bit financially, but I’m hopeful in the end everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”
The enormity of the situation had me dumbfounded.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving. You dragged me here with you.”
She shrugged. “You’re free to leave too, but you’ll have change your ticket yourself. I paid for your trip out here. Between mine and Joe’s last-minute flights to Vegas, it’s costing us a fortune. Thank goodness our tickets were transferable, but it’s still costing us a shitload of cash. Let’s hear it for Joe’s Visa card.”
“I’m still stuck on the fact you brought me here, and now you’re leaving without considering my feelings. And you expect me to pay or make arrangements if I want to leave early. What the hell, Kate?”
She twisted her lips up on one side. “Get off your high horse, and be real. You want me to leave. Think about it. Now you’ll have Logan all to yourself without me pestering you. So give me a break when you say I don’t consider your feelings. Enjoy the rest of your vacation. It’s on me and Joe.”
She waltzed toward the door, dragging her suitcase behind her.
Talk about being full of shit, because even if Logan wasn’t at the ranch, she still would’ve left me high and dry. It had nothing to do with him and everything to do with her and her selfishness.
I had so much to say but found myself at a loss for words, all my emotions stuck at the base of my throat. I blocked the exit to her room.
“What?” She stopped in front of me.
“My God, Kate! I’ve tried to be patient, but you’re so damn impulsive. You don’t think before you act.” I gestured in an effort to get my point across and release some of my pent-up agitation.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The entire wedding catastrophe. You didn’t want to hear anything anyone had to say, nor did you want to speak with anyone. Instead, you chose to run off to the mountains, out of touch from society. Now Joe calls, claiming he made a mistake, asking you to forgive him and marry him in Vegas. Don’t you think a conversation or two should take place beforehand? You’re agreeing to walk down the aisle with him so soon without talking about what took place? I’m sorry, but I find this beyond insane. I get people make mistakes and get nervous, but to walk out on your bride? Uh-uh.” I shook my head. “Maybe it’s just me and the way I rationalize things. All I’m saying is, I think you should take a step back and consider the situation from an outsider’s point of view.”
She put her hand out, palm up.
Come on, did she really not understand my point, or was she playing stupid?
“Any rational outsider would view this as a beautiful love story. The groom got cold feet only to realize he lost the love of his life, so he chased her down, and married her.” She smiled in her dreamy state, her expression darkening to one of anger when she saw the disbelief on my face. “Let me tell you what I think. I think you’re taking my situation to heart, wishing Logan Trimble had chased you down all those years ago, declaring his undying love for you. But he didn’t. He fucking bolted. So don’t try to make Joe sound like the bad guy here. If you should be mad at anyone, it should be the asshole, wherever he is right now.”
Try down the hall, big mouth!
“Fuck you, Kate!” I stormed through the cabin, past Logan, and out the front door. I took off running. I didn’t know where I headed, but my feet moved at a steady pace. Now all I needed was for my mind to shut the hell up and leave me alone.
“Drew! Drew!” Logan’s calls got louder the closer he got to me.
I ran faster.
And faster.
But not fast enough.
Maybe for once in her life, Kate was right. Maybe I did feel jealous of her and Joe’s relationship. Here the love of her life wanted her back, whereas mine had cheated on me, never to be heard from again until now, an unplanned meeting—maybe an attempt—to make things right.
My legs ached. My heart ached. My thoughts ran on overdrive. I didn’t know how much farther my feet could take me.
My lungs required oxygen. I panted heavily, trying to inhale as much air as I could.
Stopping, I rested my hands on my thighs. I bent over and tried to catch my breath.
Logan caught up to me and mimicked my pose.
“What the hell, Drew? Why did you take off so fast?”
“I needed fresh air.” In this case, I really did, in more ways than one.
“Air you could’ve gotten on the porch. Why did you feel the urge to run?”
“Please don’t psychoanalyze me right now.” I put my hand out to stop him in his tracks. “I’m sure you heard what Kate said. None of it has to be repeated. Nor should it.”
How mortifying that he had been there to witness her outburst about him. I exhaled, trying to release the tension in my body. Sadly, it did nothing to calm me down. Neither had my sprint across the rocky path from my cabin.
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” I stood upright, still trying to get a steady breathing pattern going again.
He did the same, taking slow, deep breaths, his height a few good inches taller than mine.
“Sure. Ask away.”
He licked his lips, causing me to lose my concentration, especially whe
n his tongue glided across his bottom lip. It caused my female parts to wake up and take notice.
Jerk. I exhaled again because his hotness pissed me off. Why couldn’t he look like shit right now?
Focus. Get back on track.
Right. I put my hands on my hips. I hated being confrontational, but I had to know the truth.
“Back at the cabin where you showed me the engraving, you said you wanted me to know I wasn’t the only one who’d gotten hurt after our breakup. If you truly felt so much pain, why didn’t you ever reach out to me?”
He started breathing harder again. “I did. You rejected all my calls and refused to see me whenever I came to your house. What did you expect me to do?”
Shit. He spoke the truth. I had shut him out. It amazed me how we only remembered what we chose to.
The lightbulb in my head became brighter, now a high-wattage, powerful-as-shit one. I had expected Logan to chase me down.
Tears flowed in a continuous stream down my cheeks. I couldn’t hold them back any longer. All these years I’d held on to a pipe dream. How desperate could I have been, when it was clear Logan had moved on, admitting to having sex with groupies? Why hadn’t I moved on? Had he scarred me for life?
And therein lay my answer. He not only scarred me for life, he’d also scarred me for all other men. Logan had stolen my heart and never bothered to give it back. I now realized why I hadn’t been able to move forward, I had nothing left to give. Logan had already sucked all the love out of me.
This newfound awareness hit me hard. I sat on the rocky path with my knees bent in front of me and wrapped my arms around them, resting my forehead on top. The darkness when I closed my eyes was such a metaphor for my shit mood.
“Hey, please talk to me. I hate seeing you like this.”
For a minute I’d forgotten he was there. He’d sat next to me, mere inches separating our bodies from touching. He tried to caress my back, but I retreated.
“What’re we doing?” I lifted my head and wiped the tears from my eyes.
He shrugged. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, I like it.”