Chapter Twenty-Eight

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Dusty

East is in jail for a couple of days before he gets out. They found the girlfriend of the man he beat up. She’s done with him and leaving him but doesn’t want to press charges. The guy didn’t know that, and in return for not having charges pressed against himself, he refused to press them against East. It’s not a perfect scenario. All of us would love nothing more than to watch that guy burn for hitting a woman, but unfortunately, not everything in life goes according to plan.

The good news is, she left the state, going to live with family in North Carolina, so at least she’ll be away from the asshole.

I knock on Rhett’s door, willing to kick the thing down if I have to. He hasn’t answered any of my or Morgan’s phone calls, only replying to a text to let us know he’s okay. Morgan tried to see him, but Rhett wouldn’t answer the door. Now it’s my turn.

“Open the fucking door, Rhett. I’ll come back with Archer and have him do a wellness check if I have to!” I call, pounding on it again.

A moment later, it tugs open. “I just want to be left the fuck alone. Is that too much to ask?”

“You pulled out of the race for mayor. You quit your job. We’re worried about you.”

He steps aside so I can come in, laughing humorlessly. “I want to be like my father, and you worry about me. I decide I want to be nothing like him, and you’re still worried about me.”

“You can’t change who you are because of him.”

That night, Rhett had driven his father home—Gregory had been waiting outside for him—but since then, it seems that something in Rhett has finally clicked, and while that’s a good thing in a lot of ways, it’s worrying too.

“I’m thirty-six years old and don’t even know who the fuck I am. I’ve wasted all this time trying to be him. I refuse to do that anymore. I haven’t spoken to him, and I don’t plan to. I’m done.”

I don’t know how to answer that, can understand how hard it must be for him, but I also know how stubborn he is. And no one can figure this out for Rhett. He has to do it on his own. “I’m proud of you, brother. You deserve to live your life for you, no matter where that leads you. Just don’t close the rest of us out. East needs you…Morgan needs you—”

“Morgan doesn’t need me. Hell, East doesn’t either. Not really.”

“That’s not true. All three of you need each other, and one day you’ll see it.” Reaching out, I squeeze his shoulder. “Morgan hasn’t stopped talking about what you did. He’s so proud of you.”

“I know. He told me in a text.”

“You should answer him.”

Rhett cocks a brow. “I thought you were done being the go-between with the Swift brothers?”

A laugh falls from my lips. “Okay, fine. You got me there. Just know that they love you…I love you…and you love them too.”

Rhett nods but doesn’t reply.

“Morgan and I are leaving for California. We’ll be gone about three weeks. We’re flying out, dealing with everything he needs to take care of, then driving back with his vehicle.” Even though we’re staying in Birchbark, Morgan will be showing me places I’ve never seen. I’ll get to experience California, and then we’ll take our time exploring on the way back. I can’t wait to see with him parts of the United States I’ve never seen.

“Be safe. Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will,” I tell Rhett, giving him a sad smile. His whole world has been turned upside down, but again, I’m so proud of him for doing it. Who knows what will happen on the other side, when Rhett discovers who he is.

“I love you, brother,” I say a second time, pulling him into my arms for a hug.

Rhett nods but doesn’t return the words. I pull away. I’m at the door before he says, “Thank you…for being my friend, even when I didn’t deserve it.”

“You always deserved it, and I’ll always be your friend…even if you’re a terrible kisser.”

I wink, and Rhett lets out a deep, rumbly laugh. “Maybe it was just because I didn’t like kissing you,” he teases back.

“Sucks for you. I’m very good at it.” I toss a smile his direction and leave.

I head to the bar, which is officially Morgan’s now. It’s open for business until we leave, will close down while we’re gone, and once we get back, he’ll start remodeling. It’s not open at this hour, though, his rental car the only one in the lot. The door is unlocked, so I slip inside, finding my boyfriend sitting at the counter, looking over paperwork.

“Did he see you?” Morgan asks.

“Yeah, baby.”

There’s a mixture of relief and sadness in his gaze—relief that Rhett is okay, and hurt that he hasn’t spoken to Morgan or East.

Morgan twists around on the barstool, and I stand between his legs, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. “He’s sorting through some things, figuring out what he wants in his life now that he’s not chasing the dream of himself your dad built for him. We just need to give him some time.”

“We’ve wasted so much of it already… I know it won’t be easy. He still makes me crazy, and I have no doubt we’ll still butt heads, but I want to fix my relationship with him.”

“You will.” I lean in and claim his mouth in a quick kiss.

Morgan’s gaze holds mine, his hands traveling up and down my back. “I love you, Dusty James. You’ve believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself, even when I didn’t deserve it. You love my brothers like they’re your own. There aren’t enough words for what you are to me.” He takes off the silver-and-black oval-shaped ring he always wears on his index finger, takes my hand, and puts it on me. “And one day you’re going to be my husband.”

Blood rushes through my ears. “Oh, am I?” Abso-fucking-lutely, I will, but I also have to give him a hard time.

“You are. Even if I have to kidnap you.”

“Hey, we should play kidnapper and kidnappee sometime. That would be fun. Then you can claim me.”

“You’re already mine.” He leans in and kisses me again.

“I’ve always been yours…and there’s nothing I would love more than to be your husband.” I tilt my head. “Now let’s bend you over that chair so I can fuck you in your new bar. Then we’ll go see East and Pretty Girl at the shop. How does that sound?”

“Sounds like I’m finally home,” he says, and there’s nothing I like more than hearing him say that.