25. Seth

Chapter Twenty-Five

SETH

They'd fallen asleep in Sweetwater, but it felt like they woke in Siberia. The town was covered in a thick, white blanket, and icicles dripped from every surface. A little weather didn't stop rural living, so most shops were open on a slight delay, giving Seth and Aiden a chance to stock up on groceries before braving the treacherous mountain.

Seth's hands were loose and confident on the wheel as they climbed in elevation, but his palms were sweating. The truck's engine labored against the incline, four-wheel drive churning through the ice and snow with an occasional gut-clenching lurch.

A steep, evergreen-lined bank rose up on one side of the road, but the other side was a sheer cliff with a drop so wide and deep that, back when he was a teenager, Aiden used to lean out the window and do a goofy yell just to hear it echo. Every now and then, they'd pass a landmark half-buried in snow: a jagged outcrop of rock, the twisted fence of an old farm, or a signpost barely visible beneath the drifts. The drive wasn't so bad for a properly equipped vehicle. The biggest threat was limbs breaking off the laden trees and striking them. Occasionally, a gust of wind rocked the truck and sent a shower of snow thudding on the roof like hailstones.

"Slow down around this curve," Aiden said in a low, tense voice. He was leaning forward in his seat and bracing one hand against the dash, practically itching to get his hands on the wheel. "It gets real slick in the shade."

The side-eye Seth gave him was a mix of amusement and exasperation. "I've been driving this road my whole life, Aiden. Relax."

"I know," Aiden protested, forcing himself to relax in his seat. He couldn't stop fidgeting, so he propped a boot against the dash, affecting an air of casual indifference. "It was just a little friendly advice."

"Uh-huh." Seth reached into the center console and grabbed the bag of smoked almonds Aiden had purchased at the Stop n' Shop on their way out of town. "Here. You're hangry, and it's getting on my nerves."

"At least I'll die with a full stomach," Aiden joked, saluting Seth with the snack bag. He rolled down the window to spit out his chewing gum, and the warm, defrosted air was immediately sucked from the truck. Aiden breathed deep, inhaling the sharp scent of pine and frozen water, and then leaned his head and shoulders fully out the window to stare down into the canyon. "It's not so bad from this view!" he shouted, but the wind picked up his voice and whipped away.

"What the hell are you doing?" Seth asked, grabbing the waistband of his jeans and tugging him back inside. Aiden collapsed into his seat, chuckling, while Seth rolled the window up from the master control on the driver's side door.

"Just lightening the mood," Aiden said, popping a few almonds in his mouth. He gave Seth's thigh a squeeze. "You're doing great."

"Gee, thanks," Seth said wryly, not wanting to admit how much Aiden's simple touch calmed his nerves.

They both let out an audible breath when they came out of the last series of switchbacks, and the first pristine stretch of the Double Jay's pastures came into view. The porch light on the house was still lit, glowing like a welcome beacon, and a faint curl of woodsmoke drifted from the chimney.

"Feels like coming home," Aiden murmured as if to himself.

"It is." Seth covered the hand on his thigh and gave it a quick squeeze. Last night, for the first time, they'd started making plans for clearing out Aiden's trailer. It wouldn't take long; all his possessions could fit in the back of Seth's truck.

Aiden sighed and shook out the last almond, chewing loudly. "Next time we're in town, remind me to gwab mo' of these," he said with his mouth full. "I need to keep my strength up. You worked me like a rented mule last night."

Seth laughed and circled around the truck to drop the gate and grab the first box of supplies. Aiden brightened, feeding off his response.

"Did I ever tell you the one about the cowboy who walked into the bar?" Aiden asked, trailing behind him as they trudged toward the house with their arms weighed down by boxes. "He sits down and yells for a beer, but he suddenly hears a voice?—"

Seth nodded, barely paying attention to the prattle as he scanned the familiar morning scene: the shaded barn with its peeling paint, the broken tractor, the clumps of needlegrass and prairie smoke poking up through the half-melted snow. Everything exactly the same as a thousand other mornings…except…

Seth stopped dead in his tracks, staring hard.

"Then another voice yells, 'Those are the nicest boots I ever saw!' The cowboy jumps off his stool and says, 'Now I know I'm not just hearing voices, dadgum! ' Then the bartender says?—"

"Son of a bitch!" Seth yelled.

"No, he says?—"

"I'm going to fucking kill him!"

Aiden stopped cold, nonplussed, and followed his gaze toward the familiar truck partially hidden by a copse of pines in a side turnout. Seth knew the exact moment he recognized it.

"Oh, shit," Aiden breathed. "That's the Jensen kid's truck."

Seth barely heard him. He set his box on the porch and took the steps two at a time, fists clenched white-knuckled at his sides. His gut was roiling so hard, it felt like his stomach was seconds away from crawling up his throat and spilling at his feet. The frigid weather had vanished, and heat prickled his neck, bathing his body in rage sweat.

Tessa told him that Riley had already left when he'd called to check on her, but that scrawny, cocky little bastard had stayed the night. Seth hadn't wanted to come down too hard on the kid and scare away the first guy Tessa had fallen for, so he'd taken it easy on him, but he regretted it now. She was more than his baby sister; he'd raised that girl. He was the only one left in their family to protect her, and he'd failed. It made his blood boil.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down," Aiden urged, dropping his boxes and grabbing a fistful of Seth's jacket to hold him back. He dug in his heels, but Seth ignored him, dragging him across the porch with long, purposeful strides.

"I'm going to kill him," Seth repeated with hollow finality.

Aiden gave up trying to hold him back and scrambled to get in front of him, throwing his arms out wide to block his path. His eyes were wide. "I know how you feel, baby. I know! But think about this. Tessa's not a little girl anymore, and she'll never forgive you if you hurt him."

"Move, Aiden." Seth's breath came in harsh, aborted bursts. Rage was like a clawing animal inside him.

"No." Aiden's tone was firm. He lowered his head, eyes boring into Seth's, dead serious. "I can't let you do something you'll regret. Talk to her, at least!"

For a moment, Seth hesitated. The rational part of his mind knew Aiden was right, but that part had shrunk down to nothing beneath the power of his anger. The thought of Riley in his house, on top of his sister, brought out a primal instinct to tear him limb from limb.

He shoved Aiden aside and slammed the kitchen door with so much force it rattled the windows.

"Tessa!" he roared furiously.

An ominous silence followed, then a loud thump and the sound of scrambling footsteps. Tessa appeared at the top of the stairs, wide-eyed and panicked. Her hair was a wild tangle around her pale face. Riley stumbled into view behind her, hopping frantically to tug on his last boot. They were both fully clothed, but it was clear they'd dressed in a hurry.

Aiden clapped a hand over his face with a groan. "Jesus, kid."

"It's not what you think, sir," Riley babbled, trying to step in front of Tessa while she blocked him. "We just fell asleep, I swear!"

Seth's eyes narrowed on the misaligned buttons of his shirt. He planted one foot threateningly on the bottom step. "Without your clothes?” he asked, low and vicious. "In the middle of the night? Under my roof?"

"It's not your roof!" Tessa yelled. She grabbed Riley by the arm, attempting to tug him out of Seth's warpath.

"It sure as hell isn't anybody else's!" Seth exploded.

"It's okay," Riley said, gently extracting himself from Tessa's grasp. He smoothed a comforting hand over her tumbled hair before facing Seth head-on. "I'm not going to fight you."

Seth growled with incoherent rage and started up the stairs. "You don't have to fight," he promised. "You've just got to bleed."

"Seth, no!" Aiden grabbed him around the waist and twisted, throwing him like he was bulldogging a steer at the local rodeo. Seth cursed, catching himself on an elbow and falling sideways to avoid crushing Aiden beneath his weight.

"Goddammit, Aiden!"

Aiden scrambled on top of him, sitting astride his waist, shoving Seth's head down and pinning it against the stairs with a forearm across the back of his neck. "Knock it off," he panted. "Your sister deserves better than this."

Seth quit struggling when he considered it might send Aiden falling down the stairs. He lay still, breath coming in harsh gasps. "You're right," he growled. "She deserves someone who respects her."

"I do!" Riley protested. "I love her! I want her to move in with me since she's probably not going back to school…"

Seth snarled incoherently.

"Not helping, kid," Aiden said with a helpless laugh, slipping an arm around Seth's shoulders and holding on when he bucked convulsively beneath him. He cursed. "Knock it off, Seth!"

"Stop being such a damn hypocrite!" Tessa protested. She was still hugging Riley's arm like a human shield, but her original panic was slowly fading, replaced by fury. Her pale cheeks washed with angry color when she demanded, "How is this any different than Aiden spending the night?"

"We're adults!" Seth snapped.

"So are we!" she retorted hotly.

Seth growled, but Aiden gave him a warning squeeze. He wasn't letting Seth up without a fight, and Seth wasn't willing to go all out and risk hurting him.

His failure weighed heavier on him than Aiden’s body. He'd stood at his father's grave and promised to do right by Tessa and the Double Jay, and he'd failed on both counts.

"Get off me, Aiden," he said quietly.

Aiden hesitated before slowly releasing him. He stood, gripping the banister, and reached down to offer Seth a helping hand. Seth ignored him, climbing to his feet and brushing off his clothes.

Then he looked at his sister—really looked at her—for the first time. She wasn't a freckle-faced little girl with muddy shoes and uncombed hair anymore. She'd grown into a voluptuous, beautiful woman. She was already older than he'd been when he fell in love with Aiden, and she was more intelligent than he'd ever been. What right did he have to tell her what to do?

He took a deep breath, but his voice still came out unsteady when he said, "We need to talk, Tess. Privately."

She nodded and hesitantly loosened her death grip on Riley's arm. "Okay. Let's talk."

Aiden pointed a finger at Riley, halting him in his tracks when he tried to follow. "You stay here, kiddo. We can have our own special chat."

Riley's throat bobbed when he swallowed, but he nodded meekly.

Seth reached out impulsively and brushed Aiden's fingers with a touch of gratitude. Aiden glanced toward him, eyes flickering, and Seth felt a burst of warmth in his chest.

He couldn't be a complete failure if he had the love of a man like Aiden.

"Go on," Aiden said with a faint, encouraging smile. "I'll be waiting for you when you're done."