Page 29 of Belonging: KT & Lolo (Good Hope: The Next Generation #2)

Her hand was already on the door. She threw it open, the slam of wood and wind punctuating every word. “The only good news I will be telling my parents is that I realized what a disgusting weasel you are before it was too late. I see you now, Jared. And what I see, I would never want.”

“Calm down,” he said, reaching for her.

She slapped his hand away so hard it echoed in the small cabin. “Don’t touch me. If you stay in this town, if you so much as look at me again, I won’t just go to my father, I’ll go to the police. I will burn what’s left of your reputation to the ground.”

For the first time, Jared hesitated.

She stepped forward, voice steel. “Go. Now. Before you find out how serious I am.”

He held her gaze for a beat too long. Then, with a scoff and a muttered curse, he brushed past her and disappeared out the door.

Lolo stood there, breath ragged, hands trembling, watching the dust settle in his wake.

KT didn’t remember turning off the main road. Or choosing this stretch of gravel that wound through the woods like a forgotten vein. He only knew that his foot had been on the gas too long, his jaw clenched so hard it felt like it might crack.

He finally cut the engine and stepped out. The hush of the trees pressed in around him, but it didn’t bring the usual calm. Not today.

His bare feet touched the dirt, grounding him just enough to keep from exploding.

Jared.

The name alone tasted like bile in his mouth. KT pressed his palms against the hood of the Jeep, letting the heat of it seep into him. What kind of person walked into someone else’s cabin uninvited, unannounced, and dropped a nuclear bomb of lies like that?

What kind of person let that happen?

Lolo.

Even thinking her name sent a fresh wave of confusion crashing over him. He wanted to believe in her. He had believed in her. But the way she’d looked—stunned but not exactly shocked—when Jared had called himself her fiancé…

Had Braxton been right? Had he ignored every warning sign just because she smiled the way she did or touched his hand like it meant something?

He turned and punched the nearest tree.

Not hard enough to break anything. Just enough to feel the sting. The throb. Something real.

The worst part wasn’t even the betrayal. It was the doubt. The voice in his head whispering that he’d been a fool. Again.

KT sank to the ground, back against the tree, head in his hands.

He didn’t know what to believe anymore.

And he didn’t want to be alone with that.

Pulling out his phone, KT dialed the one person who could always be counted on to give it to him straight—his brother.

It rang once.

Then twice.

Then, “Hey, little brother. What’s up? Everything okay?”

KT exhaled slowly. “Not really. ”

A pause. “Talk to me.”

KT stared at the ground, his voice low. “You remember what you said about Lolo showing up here…taking time off work, renting the cabin next to mine?”

“Yeah,” Braxton said slowly.

“I should’ve listened.” KT ran a hand through his hair. “This morning, I woke up in her bed. Thought everything between us was solid. Then I go to pour myself a cup of coffee, and in walks her ex. Jared.”

“Wait—Jared?”

“Slicked-back hair, smug as hell. Told me they were engaged. That she was sent here by the company to get close to me. Said the whole thing was a setup.”

Braxton let out a low whistle. “What did she say?”

“She walked in a few seconds later. Looked shocked, tried to explain. I didn’t stay to hear it.” KT’s voice cracked at the edges. “I just…left.”

A silence stretched between them.

Then Braxton asked, “You think any of it is true?”

KT didn’t answer.

“I meant what I said before,” Braxton continued. “Some of it seemed like more than coincidence—her showing up here, moving in next door, taking all that time off. Yeah, it raised red flags.”

“Exactly,” KT muttered.

“But maybe I was just suspicious, fresh off my own breakup. Lolo seems great. And the truth is, she stuck around for you. She brought up the Stillwell project early on, but then let it go. How long’s it been since she even mentioned it?”

“It’s been a while.”

“That’s not how you close a deal.” Braxton’s voice lightened. “No offense—you’re a big deal—but nobody’s playing the long game for you, brother.”

KT let out a dry laugh .

“You’re also a good judge of character,” Braxton added. “Always have been.”

KT rubbed his eyes, the headache behind them pulsing. “I didn’t see Sonya clearly.”

“Sonya wasn’t a bad person,” Braxton said. “She just wasn’t the one. Not the right person for you.”

KT let that settle. “So you’re saying what?”

“I’m saying if you believe Lolo’s feelings were real— are real—then you’ve got to trust yourself to know that. No one else can make that call.”

KT stared at a tree, Braxton’s words anchoring something that had started to slip.

“Thanks,” he said quietly.

“No problem.” A pause. “Want me to head over and deck the guy?”

KT huffed a laugh. “Nah. I think Lolo probably already took care of that.”

They lingered on the line a few moments more before Braxton said, “Call if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

As the call ended, KT let the phone fall to the ground beside him.

He still didn’t have all the answers. But one thing was clear—what he believed about Lolo wasn’t up to Jared. Or Braxton. Or anyone else.

That was on him.