“Because that’s just how it happened, Violet!” Throwing my hands in the air, I say, “It wasn’t on purpose or malicious. It wasn’t done as a jab to you. I really fucking care about him, and he cares about me. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s as simple as that. I’m sorry you had to find out how you did, and I’m sorry if that hurt you, but I hope you can find it in your heart to accept this one day. You’re my sister, Vi, and the lastthing I want is friction between us, but I’m not walking away from Finn and Tucker. I won’t.”
“So, if I say you need to pick him or me?”
“I’m not choosing, Violet, and it would be screwed up for you to even ask. I respect what little history you have with Finn, but I wish for a second, you’d set your pride to the side and admit what you two shared wasn’t deep. It was surface level, at best. I saw it the minute I watched you two together when I got into town.”
“Who the hell do you think you are, telling me about my relationship? You barely saw Finn and I together, and now you think you’re educated enough to make assumptions?”
Shaking my head, I stand up. “I’m not doing this with you, Vi. We’d be here all day, spinning in circles if it were up to you. I came here to tell you how I feel, apologize for you finding out the way you did, and to ask that you please try to find a way to move past this. You’re my sister; I love you more than I can put into words, but don’t make me choose. Don’t make me pick, because you won’t like the answer.”
She scoffs, gawking at me as I turn to walk toward the door. “You can’t be serious, Ash.”
Hand on the knob, I don’t look back at her as I say, “I hope we can get past this, Vi. I really do.”
With my throat thick with emotion, I walk outside, closing the door behind me. At some point after I got here, it started pouring. Honestly, it feels fitting because as I pull onto the main road, windshield wipers on full blast, moisture spills over, falling hot down my cheeks, much like the rain droplets cascading from the gray sky.
Chapter 36
Finn
Fuck, it’s coming down hard.
Realizing I forgot to pick up chicken feed this week, I ran to town after I dropped Tucker off with my dad. I swear, dang near every weekend lately, he’s begging me to go to his grandpa’s for a sleepover. Knowing my dad, he’s probably spoiling him with ice cream and letting him stay up well past his bedtime. Gentry Moore was a stickler as a father when I was growing up. Rules were rules, you followed them. End of discussion. But now, as a grandpa? Well, he’s all kinds of fun and lenient. What his grandson wants, he gets.
I laugh to myself at the jarring differences between Dad Gentry and Grandpa Gentry. Shit, if I were Tucker, I’d probably be eager to go over there too.
Barely able to see the road in front of me, I turn on my blinker and hook a right, pulling onto the road that eventually leads to the entrance of the ranch. Spotting a familiar-looking car up ahead, I strain my eyes, trying to get a better look through the sheets of rain pounding down on my windshield.
Is that Ash?
I speed up, wanting to get a little closer. He left a couple of hours ago to go talk to his sister, but I haven’t heard from him. I’ve been anxious to hear how it goes. I hate seeing him so down lately, and not being able to do anything to make him feel better. Unlike him, I’m not nearly as understanding about the way Violet’s been shutting him out since the barbecue. I’ve contemplated more times than I can count in the last week going over there myself and giving her a piece of my mind. The only reason I haven’t yet is because I can’t stand the thought of making Ash feel any worse than he already does.
As I edge up toward the vehicle in front of me, it becomes clear that it is Ash. Flicking my gaze down to the speedometer, I note how slowly he’s driving. He’s going at least ten under the speed limit, and he’s swerving all over the lane. It could be the rain… Or it didn’t go well with Violet, and he’s upset. The latter has a sharp pain stabbing into my chest. It’s raining too hard to be sure, but it doesn’t look like he’s spotted me in his rearview mirror yet. It’s not long before we come up to the turn for the ranch, and he doesn’t use his signal before turning onto the gravel road.
By the time we pull up in front of the house, I’m on the edge of my seat, the need to get to Ash overwhelming. Something’s wrong, I can feel it. Slamming the truck in park, I jump out and rush around to where he’s getting out. His red-rimmed eyes flash up to mine, and the shock on his tear-soaked face is all the confirmation I need to know he didn’t realize I was behind him. As his gaze settles on me, his arms drop to his sides and his shoulders slump, his body seemingly frozen in place. My heart cracks open as I watch his chin quiver. Closing the distance in two long strides, I haul him into my chest, wrapping my arms around him as his circle my waist.
“I’m here,” I murmur before pressing a kiss to his now soaking wet hair. “I’m here, baby. I got you.”
Emotion stings the backs of my eyes when I feel his shoulders shudder with his sobs. He’s clinging onto me like he’s afraid he’ll lose me. Like he’ll crumble if I let go.As if I could ever let him go.Standing with my arms wrapped around Ash, the rain pours down on us, our clothes quickly getting soaked, but I don’t care. I’ll stand out here all night if it means getting to comfort him.
“Whatever happened, it’ll be okay,” I breathe out, resting my cheek on top of his head. “I’m not goin’ anywhere, Ash. You don’t have to do this alone, ’cause I’m here.”
A hiccup spills past his lips before he says, “I told her how I felt all these y-years.” Lifting his head off my chest, he meets my gaze, and my heart breaks a little more, seeing how dejected he looks. “I told her, but it was pointless. She doesn’t fucking care. She doesn’t care about any of it.”
“She said that?” My blood fucking boils.
Offering me a lazy half-shrug, he nods. “Not in so many words, but yeah.” Ash drops his gaze to my chest, chewing on his cheek for a moment before he adds, “Then she asked what I would do if she told me to pick between you two.”
It feels like I’ve been sucker punched in the gut.No.What if he picked her? Obviously, he’d choose her. She’s his sister. I can’t fucking compete with that. But like hell am I going down without a fight.
Throat tight, I ask the one question I don’t want to ask, but I’m too nervous not to. “What, uh… What did ya say?”
Ash snaps his gaze up to mine, brows knit with what looks like confusion. When his lips part, a hot puff of air fans across my chin. “I told her I wouldn’t choose,” he says, like it’s the only obvious answer. “And told her if she made me pick you or her, she wouldn’t like the answer.”
I should feel guilty about the way relief floods my system, but I don’t. I’m not a total idiot who’s out of touch with reality. I realize Violet has every right to be upset and deal with this however she has to, but I also think she’d be incredibly selfish to not get over it for her brother’s sake. It’s clear she thought what we had was more serious than it was, but still. There was never talk of marriage or a future of any kind, she never met my kid in that way, was never introduced to my family as my girlfriend. It would be wild to me if she truly couldn’t accept what Ash and I have after she’s had some time to sit with it and process it.
He’s her brother. His happiness should be important to her.
My lip curls into a grin I try to bite back, but it’s no use. “You said that, baby?”
