Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Rafe

Aunt Lori: Everyone told me to wait before texting you, but you’ve had enough time with Abby. I want some of you to myself. This is Aunt Lori. waving emoji heart emoji

Me: Er, okay.

Aunt Lori: You need to make things up with your sister and West. And soon. When are you going to do it? raised eyebrow emoji

Me: Excuse me?

Aunt Lori: Oh, come on. You know you’re going to be BFFs with West again eventually. But the clock’s ticking, and you’re not getting any younger. alarm clock emoji old man emoji

Me: Did you just call me old?

Aunt Lori: Don’t you remember the time you both tried to build a tree fort, only for a bobcat to decide they liked the spot and chased you away? hands on face scared emoji

Me: We were nine. That was a long time ago.

Aunt Lori: He misses you, you know. But don’t tell him I said that.

Me (typed but deleted): I wish we could at least be civil again, if not friends. But I’m not hopeful.

Me (actual reply instead): We’ll see what happens. Now, I have to get back to work. Enjoy your day.

Aunt Lori: Hmm. Bye. For now. But you’ll hear from me again soon. I need to learn about your favorites, so we can invite you to dinner and spoil you. blowing a kiss emoji

T hree days later, I tried to concentrate on the branding and website designs on my computer screen. And even though I had to pick something by the end of the day or risk a delay, I kept thinking about Abby’s behavior this morning.

Like yesterday, she’d been a little more distant—teasing me less, trying to keep the conversation to work and world events, and scurrying away the one time I’d tried to kiss her again.

After so many years of keeping people at arm’s length, it was hard to get a glimpse of closeness and then have it ripped away again.

But this is what you agreed to.

True. But I hadn’t expected to want to know everything about Abby so quickly, to enjoy teasing her, and maybe want to woo her for real.

With a sigh, I ran a hand over my hair and tried to concentrate on the designs again. But I’d barely scrolled a few inches before a familiar voice reached my ears.

The growly voice of my brother-in-law, Weston Wolfe.

“What did you do to my sister?”

Frowning, I glanced up. At West’s thunderous expression, I raised my brows, refusing to be intimidated. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

He strode in. “Abby’s withdrawn, more so than normal. What the hell did you do to her? I warned you what would happen if you hurt her.”

I rose slowly and couldn’t resist poking the bear a little. “I made her breakfast a couple of times. Maybe the food didn’t settle right?”

“Why you…”

He stalked around the desk. But even with my knee still healing, I was quicker than West’s big, stocky form.

I stopped at the other side of the desk and turned to face him. My knee throbbed, and I wouldn’t be able to run or fight. So I decided what the hell, and blurted, “I don’t know what’s wrong with her, West. And that’s the truth. She’s withdrawn from me too, and I’ve been trying to figure out why.”

He blinked, obviously not expecting honesty from me.

While I could bark for him to get out, or maybe ask Mark to convince West to leave, an idea sparked. We were each married to the other’s sister, and we needed to find a way to get along.

And while I could probably figure out Abby eventually, I was impatient and could use any help I could get.

I gestured toward the chair and couch on the far side of my office. “How about we sit and talk? We both care about Abby and want to make her happy. Why not work together on this?” He studied me and I added, “We don’t need to become best friends, but for fuck’s sake, we can have a few civil and honest conversations. Besides, you know I can keep secrets. Your brothers still don’t know that it was you who wrecked your dad’s motorbike when we were kids.”

West’s lips twitched. “I’d forgotten about that.” As if realizing I was still there, he frowned and grunted. “Fine.”

He sat on the sofa, and I took the chair. Next to me was a mini-fridge full of soda, iced tea, and water. I took out a water and raised my brows at West. He muttered, “Coke.”

I handed him a can and after we both sipped our drinks, I decided to get the ball rolling. I was desperate to get the teasing version of Abby back from a few days ago. “Sometimes she seems happy, and other times, it’s as if she’s a million miles away. And before you ask, we didn’t fight or anything.”

West sighed. “She’s been like this ever since I returned to Starry Hills last year. Something happened during her student teaching internship, something that devastated her. But I don’t know much beyond that. And yes, Emmy does, but she won’t share it.” He peered at me closely. “Do you know?”

“Some, but I won’t share her secrets, West. So don’t ask.”

For a few seconds, he stared at me. Then he nodded. “Good. She could use someone at her back.”

“What do you mean?”

He shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable. For a few minutes, I’d forgotten about our strained relationship and all the years I’d been away. At one time, West had been like a brother to me, and we’d shared nearly everything with one another.

But those days were long gone. And for the first time, I thought about Aunt Lori’s text message about us being friends again, and kind of wished it could happen.

I leaned forward and propped my elbows on my thighs, the water bottle dangling from my fingers. “I know this isn’t easy for either of us, West. But I promise you, I’m trying to make your sister happy. I’m trying to repair things with Emmy, and I’m trying to mend fences with everyone I abandoned when I left Starry Hills. Can’t we start over?”

He gulped the rest of his soda before staring at the empty can. As I tried to think of what else I could say—something that I hadn’t said a dozen times already since my return—West spoke up. “Abby is the youngest. She was only seven when our dad died, and sixteen when our mother passed. I left her not long after Dad died, Nolan a few years later. And within months of our mom’s death, Zane joined the Navy SEALs.”

He paused, and I could tell West had more to say. I didn’t want to break the spell, so I kept quiet.

Eventually, he cleared his throat and continued, “I was too consumed with my grief, and then later my disastrous first marriage, to think much about my little sister back then. But she had the hardest time out of us all, with the least amount of support to deal with her own grief.” He slightly crushed the can and continued, “Despite all that, she remained strong and happy, at least on the outside, and always had her group of friends at her back.” He met my gaze and added, “But whatever happened to her in San Jose was the final straw. It broke her. And I wish I could help her heal, even just a little. But in some ways, I’m still a stranger to her. And while my kids and her friends are good at cheering her up, she needs more than that—she needs someone to always be there for her, to love her and never let her down, to be a better man than me and two of my brothers ever were for her. So can you be that man, Rafe? Because if not, then you need to divorce my sister and let her find the person who will treasure and love her as she deserves.”

I tried to process everything West had told me. I knew, in a general sense, about three of her brothers leaving at some point, as well as her parents’ deaths. And yet, I hadn’t really put together how much loss that was. Especially for one person, and starting so damn young.

And then add her finally trusting her heart with that asshole Travis, and I could see how she might lose hope of anyone putting her first, let alone loving her and staying around.

Oh, Abigail.

West’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “I think you’re starting to understand just how much my sister has gone through. I played a small part in it, and I regret it so fucking much. But you still haven’t answered my question—are you going to treat her as she deserves? Or will you let her go so she can find someone who will always stand by her?”

The thought of letting some other man hold Abby close, love her, make her laugh one moment and moan the next, made me crush the water bottle in my hands. The top flew off and water splashed all over me. “Fuck.”

I quickly grabbed a towel from a cupboard along the wall and dried off. Tossing it aside, I turned toward West and stated, “I will be that man for her, West. I can’t make her trust me, but I’m going to try my damnedest to win her over and be there for her.”

Love her, too. Because it wouldn’t take much more for me to fall for her.

Her humor, her wit, her ability to survive so much loss and still work toward her childhood goal of being a teacher—there was so much to admire about her.

And that was before I even remembered her kisses or how soft and warm she felt in my arms.

West stood and put out a hand to shake. I took it, and as he shook, he said, “Then I think we need more than a truce—let’s start over. If you need my help with Abby, let me know.” His grip tightened on my hand and he pulled me close. “But my threat still stands—hurt her, and I’m going to kick your ass into next week, brother-in-law or not.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to hurt her, at least not on purpose.” West growled, and I added quickly, “Your threat is noted. Now, if you’d let me go, I have a few questions about Abby. I want to surprise her and could use your help.”

West released me and sat back on the couch. “I’ll try my best. Although you should visit your sister and ask her, too.”

I plopped into the chair. “Will you growl the entire time, like during my previous visits? It’s hard to have an honest conversation with a guard dog.”

West narrowed his eyes, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, it’s true.” I sobered. “Although I’m glad Emmy has you, West. I’ve never seen her as happy as she is with you and your kids.”

His face softened. “I am definitely a lucky man.” West cleared his throat. “Now, what did you have in mind?”

As we discussed my plans, a little of our childhood camaraderie returned. Oh, we weren’t suddenly best friends or anything. But there was a chance, albeit a small one, that we could be friends in truth one day.

But for now, I focused on Abby. Because as much as I would like to get along with West for my sister’s sake, the clock was ticking. The longer Abby kept her distance from me, the harder it would be to break through.

Especially once her ex reared his ugly head—which my gut said would happen at some point—she might shut down completely if I hadn’t earned her trust a little by then.

However, when West finally left and I had a plan in place, I started to feel a little optimistic.