Page 103 of Break the Barrier

I look down at my hands, wringing them together andshaking my head. “I just can’t do it.” My words get choked up on the way out.

Annmarie sighs, and I can tell without seeing it happen that she and Juniper are communicating with their eyes right now.

“How come you didn’t come to us for help?” Juniper asks, and I look up at her face.

“Yeah, I’m actually pretty pissed you left me in the dark. I could fuck Eric up right now.” Annmarie shakes her head. “You could have transferred everything to me, it’s not like I can’t take care of the bar.”

I blanch. “It’s not that I don’t trust you.” Shit, she probably does think that. I rush to assure her that’s not the case. “After everything we’ve been through, after everything I put you guys through when you were younger with all of Eric’s bullshit, I didn’t want to burden you with more problems.”

“You letting us in, sharing your worries and concerns, will never be a burden,” Juniper says softly, making me want to cry all over again.

“Yeah, she’s right. I kind of want to kick your ass for not telling me, but we love you. You get to share the ugly shit with us, we’re related, we can’t get away even if we want to.”

Didn’t stop Astoria from trying,I think, sad that I can’t even talk to my sister anymore because we both apparently have issues with our past now.

I ache to talk to her, wondering what she would do and say. I know she would have my back—or she would have if we didn’t fuck it all up.

“So, you broke up with Logan, it’s Friday night, maybe he’ll show?” Juniper’s open-heart bleeds right then and there for the romantic gesture she’s hoping will happen.

It’s not a secret that he comes in every Friday for a dance, but…no, that won’t be happening tonight.

“He’s not coming. I hurt him too much.” I rub my brow, and tears clog my throat again. “I miss him,” I admit, a sob sneaking its way out. “He made me feel…okay. He made me feel like it wasn’t all my fault.”

Annmarie frowns. “What wasn’t your fault?”

“Everything,” I say with a shudder, holding a hand slightly over my mouth to keep in the sobs that want to just rack my body all over again. “He was…he was my best friend. And I lost him.”

At that, my words do falter, and I let the tears consume me for a good amount of time, letting my sisters console me and hold me in their arms.

A knock on the door interrupts us, and I wipe away my tears, trying to no avail to get myself together before whoever is on the other side of the door sees me.

When I’m okay enough, Juniper opens the door and gasps softly. I look up, and for a second, it’s Logan.

Tall, cowboy hat on, broad-shouldered…but no, this man was just slightly too big.

I look right at Mitch, Logan’s little—or not-so-little—brother, and give him a wary look. I clear my throat. “Can we help you?”

“I’m here for the security position.”

I frown for a moment before remembering. After Bones’s visit a few weeks ago, Logan had told me I should hire security.

I forgot all about that job posting until now.

“Oh, uh.” Annmarie, seeing my flustering, ushers me out the door.

“I’ll take care of this,” she tells me, and I give her a grateful, beyond grateful, look.

Sometimes, I guess, I just need to let other people help take care of me.

I nod and head back out to the bar, leaving my sisters to handle Logan’s brother. Mitch gives me a quick once-over and then nods politely at me.

I only met him briefly at Dani and CT’s wedding, but he’s Logan’s brother, so I smile at him and make my way out to the busy bar, hoping that hours of consistent and crazy work will help me get my mind off my broken heart.

38

logan

Swinging,I let the axe land hard down onto the piece of wood, splitting it straight down the middle. It was still fairly warm for the end of September, but we were due for snow next week, and I wanted to make sure my mom was taken care of.