Page 47 of Where We Burn


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“I can’t do that with her, Cal. I can’t just have a little of her.”

His brows knit together, and he leans in, forearms braced on the table. “Wait… You’re not…” I keep my mouth shut and stare him down while I let my silence answer for me. “Fuck me. No way. How?”

“Pretty sure I fell on day one.”

Callan blinks, letting that sink in before shaking his head. “Why the hell didn’t you say anything?”

“Because Travis got to her first.”

“Look, I know he’s your son, but that kid’s a piece of work. Too much of his grandfather in him.”

And there it is—the impossible situation I’ve found myself in as a father. How do you admit that regardless of what your child does, you’ll always love them because they’re your blood, your DNA, half of who you are… but you hate the person they’ve become so much that you can’t stand to look at them without wanting to knock their goddamn teeth down their throat?

“I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

Callan leans back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, as he watches me. “Do you want my advice?”

“No.”

He smirks. “Bullshit. You wouldn’t be telling me all this if you didn’t.”

“Fine, give it to me.”

“If you go after what you really want, you get a shot at happiness. But if you let fear of pissing off Travis hold you back, then you’re an idiot because that little shit’s gonna make your life hell no matter what you do, so you might as well get somethingout of it.”

The drive back to the farm feels longer than it should. My mind is circling and replaying Callan’s words, turning over every scenario and every possible consequence. I’ve already stepped over the line, the one I swore I wouldn’t cross. Yet here I am, not just toeing the edge anymore, but with one foot planted firmly on the other side, knowing full well there’s no turning back.

The second I pull up and spot Piper, the chaos in my head goes silent. Dead fucking silent. In its place is a need that tears through me like a beast, crushing my ribs with its grip and squeezing every last bit of restraint from my lungs.

Before I even realize it, I’m stalking in her direction, but I hang back in the shadow of the barn because I’m not ready for her to see me yet.I need a minute to get myself under control, to remember how to act like a man instead of this half-crazed thing she’s turned me into.

I can hear her laughter from across the snow-covered field while little bodies chase after her in their puffy coats. She keeps just ahead of them, dark curls flying wild in the wind.

God, she’s got this hold on me I’ll never break free from.

She calls time and collapses back in the snow, chest heaving as she tries to catch her breath, and I can’t help the rough laugh that escapes me when two little ones dogpile right on top of her. Their parents are watching from the sidelines, grinning at the scene she’s making.

I need to get closer because no matter how sweet she looks playing snow angel with other people’s kids, my brain won’t stop circling back to the bruise my son left on her. The evidence of his anger and failure to be the man she deserves still lingers on her skin, and the thought of touching her while that reminder remains ignites something savage inside me.

But if that bruise has started to fade, then maybe I can fool myself into believing she’s ready for what I want to give her. Maybe I can finally let myself do what every cell in my body has been desperate for since the second I laid eyes on her, and I can mark her in my own way, covering every inch of that soft skin with something she wants.

My brother hasn’t helped; he’s been feeding the fire and encouraging this thing between us instead of pulling me back. And now,watching her in the snow, I know with absolute certainty that she’s about to become my whole damn world.

I stride over, lifting Larry and Jade's little terrors off Piper one by one. Their parents are laughing at the way I have to wrangle the squirming kids, but I can only focus on how close I am to her now.

“Alright, you two monsters need to give this girl a breather.”

“No fair, Mr. Christmas,” Tommy whines, bottom lip jutting out in a way that usually works on everyone but me.

“Tell you what—” I nod toward where Savannah’s got her truck parked at the edge of the field.

She’s set up right next to the paddock, just like always. She says the horses are there when she needs a minute to breathe, a little quiet when the world gets too loud, and after everything she’s been through, she deserves all the peace she can find.

“Go find Savannah and tell her I said to give you the biggest cookie she’s got.”

The kids let out these ear-splitting squeals of joy before taking off with their parents toward sugar-induced chaos, and I don’t feel even a little bit bad about it. I step closer to Piper, reaching down with my hand extended, and the second her fingers slide against my palm, electricity shoots straight up my arm. She takes my hand and lets me haul her to her feet, bringing her close enough that she’s pressed against me while she shakes off the snow.

“Walk with me?” She nods, and I slide my hands into my pockets as we weave through the snow-covered trees. “How are you feeling?”