Page 92 of Jealous Lumberjack
And when the dust settles, I find Lily watching me with that feral, loving look that softens every hard edge I possess and those I’m not even aware of.
I’m still trembling.
The leash in my chest is frayed and raw, but for the first time in a long time, I don’t want to pull it tight.
I want to hold it…her… instead.
But there’sa fiercer battle ahead. One I’m terrified might be the death of me. Because all the words we’ve been circling like feral foes in the ring? They’re edging closer now, talons sharper than stilettos.
Lily doesn’t take my hand when she walks into the cabin. Doesn’t glance back at me or gift me one of those soft smiles that usually undo me. She just slips through the door, quiet and small, her boots dragging against the wood like they weigh ten pounds each.
I follow with lead in my veins and every step heavier than the last.
I find her in the living room, standing there twisting her fingers together, pale around the knuckles.
I don’t wait. Can’t. My voice comes out low, rough. “Didn’t finish our conversation. In the barn. Hell, it didn’t even start. But you were about to tell me you were leaving, weren’t you, petal? Leaving me? That’s what you’ve been gearing up for the last few days?”
Her head snaps up. The pain in her eyes guts me. “Do you need me to come over there and knock some sense into you, Bear?” she fires back, her voice breaking halfway through.
Wish you would, then at least I’d have your hands on me.
My jaw tightens. Force myself to brace for the worst. “Answer me, Lily.”
“Yes.” Her voice cracks but she doesn’t look away. “Yes, I was dreading telling you I needed to go back and finish things once and for all with Brandon.”
My chest caves.
“But,” she continues quickly, voice still shaking, “as you can see, he made that a hundred times easier for me.” She half-sobs, pressing a hand to her face. “No—that wasn’t easy. What they did to you, Bear. They could’ve hurt you… really badly?—”
I can’t hear another word. I cross the room in three strides, scoop her up and crush her against me. She’s shaking and I’m trembling with her, fury still bleeding through my bones.
“Nothing will ever take me from you,” I rasp into her hair, holding her so hard I feel her ribs press against mine. “Not the fucking cops, not that piece of shit, not this mountain splitting in two. Nothing. Hear me?”
Her arms lock around my neck, choking me sweet.
I pull back enough to see her face, puffy from tears and fear and streaked with dirt from the clearing. “So what were your intentions, petal? Tell me plain. No more hedging.”
She swallows, gaze steady. “To go back. Pack my things. Put my florist shop up for sale if Brandon wasn’t prepared to pay me what I was worth. Then come back.”
My throat burns. My voice cracks. “So you were coming back? To me?”
“Always.” Her lips tremble but her eyes blaze. “I was always coming back to you, Bear. My giant. My home. My safe place.”
A sound rips out of me, something between a growl and a fucking sob, and I crush my mouth to hers, drinking her words straight down my throat like oxygen.
“Should’ve believed in you,” I murmur against her lips. “Should’ve believed in us.”
“We have lots of time for that,” she whispers back, stroking my jaw, soft and sure. “As much time as you’ll give me.”
“Forever,” I vow, my voice breaking. “As much as you’ll take.”
We stand there tangled, breathing each other in, and for the first time since she landed in my snare, I feel something like peace push through the storm.
But her eyes flicker, shadows moving in their green depths.
She presses a hand to my chest, right where my heart kicks hardest. “Bear… Brandon said things. Things I hate that you heard. About me. About my past.”
The old rage in me threatens to rise again, but she shakes her head quickly, forcing me to listen.