Chapter 48Luke

Chapter 48

Luke

F rom where I sit in Pa's chair in the attic, I hear them talking about her. Fucking hell, my brothers are loud. And they're all sitting around, reminiscing like a bunch of lovesick idiots. It's like they can't think of anything else. It's driving me crazy. I'm already halfway to losing my mind, and the last thing I need is to hear them pining after her, like we didn't kick her out for a damn good reason.

We did kick her out for a damn good reason.

But I can't stay up here forever. I can't hide from the fact that she's gone, and they're all miserable because of it. And I can't hide from the fact that I'm miserable because of it.

Damn good reason or not, it hurts.

I get up and head downstairs, ignoring the creaks in the old floorboards beneath my boots.

The second I walk into the room, everything goes quiet. They all look up at me like I'm about to say something important. Like I'm going to give them the solution to all their problems.

But I don't have one.

"All this talk about Goldie isn't gonna bring her back," I snap. "She's gone. Get over it."

As if it's that easy.

"It's not that simple, Luke," Ranger mutters.

"It is that simple," I growl. "She's not coming back, and you all need to accept that."

But I'm a goddamn hypocrite, because how can I expect them to accept something I can't accept myself?

Her absence is more painful than her betrayal. I see it in their faces, and my own when I look in the mirror.

Without another word, I push open the door and stomp outside. The cold mountain air hits me hard, but it does nothing to clear my head. I just keep walking, moving through the woods, trying to shake off the thoughts of her, the memories of her smile, the sound of her laugh.

But no matter how far I walk, I can't get away from it.

I don't know how long I've been out here, but when I finally turn back toward the cabin, I see something that stops me dead in my tracks.

Goldie.

Running toward me.

Her hair's wild, like she's run through a windstorm to get here, and her face is flushed from the cold. She's so damned beautiful.

"I came back," she announces, as if I can't see that with my own two damn eyes. "But at least I didn't make you fall down this time."

I stare at her, dumbfounded. She's really here. She came back.

I blurt it out: "Our Pa was killed by a hunter." I've never said it out loud. "Some guy from the city came up here looking for Sasquatch. And he thought he found him. But it wasn't Sasquatch. It was our father. He was out hunting in the woods, and this asshole thought he was a fucking legend. Shot him dead."

Goldie gasps. Her eyes pool with tears. Her hand flies to her mouth. "Luke, I didn't…" she whispers through her fingers.

"We're not half-Sasquatch. Our Pa wasn't a Sasquatch. But he might've been the man who saved you. That sounds like something he would've done. Goldie, after we lost Pa, I swore I would never let anyone into my heart again. Because losing him nearly killed me. I can't let in anyone else I might lose. It's hard enough knowing I could lose any of my brothers or my Ma."

She's silent for a moment, processing everything I just said. Then she steps closer again, until she's standing right in front of me, neck tilted way back, her eyes searching mine.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you, Luke. I'm so sorry I hurt you all. If I could do it all over…"

"I can't let in anyone else I might lose," I tell her. "At least. That's what I always told myself. But…but…I went and did it anyway. You made me fall in more ways than one."

She blinks up at me. "What?"

"You made me fall for you," I admit. "Just like you made the others fall for you. But I didn't…I couldn't…yeah, you made a helluva mistake, but so did I, Goldie. I've made so many mistakes. But I'm not going to make one now. Come back to the cabin with me. We can figure this out. Together."

"There is nothing in this world I'd rather do, Luke."

I reach out my hand and she puts hers in mine and side by side, we start toward home.