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She looked toward Twig. He was the one guy who hadn’t spoken.
“Twig isn’t much of a talker,” Pa said.
“I talk,” Twig said, speaking up. “Only when it’s important.”
Simon returned with a whole load of beers.
He handed one to her. She shook her head.
“Why not?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to mention Nathan, only, she wasn’t taking care of him. He was back in town.
“I don’t drink.”
“I’ll go and grab you a soda.”
****
Simon grabbed a soda from the fridge, closed the door, and rested his head against it. The guys being here, Tabby, he knew this was going to hurt her. They weren’t supposed to drop by, not for a long time.
“Twig isn’t talking about how we found him,” Dean said, coming into the cabin.
“It’s not exactly a great story. We found him on a bridge, gun at his temple, ready to end his life.” He opened the soda and went to move past Dean.
“What’s going on, man?”
“Nothing.”
“Do you want us to leave?”
“Not now.”
“You told us to keep our distance. You didn’t say for how long. The guys, they worry.”
“Of course they worry, but you had to give me more time with her. You’ve seen the way she is. Fuck!”
“It’s going great out there.”
“Yeah, because for today only, we’re not going to fight but come tomorrow… These guys, I met them while I was away from her. She’s already hurting about everything else. This is a fuck-up.”
“Or maybe this is a chance for her to see what good you’ve done away from her.”
“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t say shit like that. I’m not a good man away from her. I could do this with her.”
“I don’t mean it like that. Fuck, look, I mean, you’ve found these guys. You gave them all a reason, a purpose and that’s not something you should be upset about or embarrassed by. You’ve helped them. At least she can see during the time apart you found something good.”
He took a deep breath. “I hope you’re right.”
“I’m not wrong.”
Heading back outside, Pa stood at the grill and the scent of meat was heavy in the air.
He offered Tabby a drink, and she took it with a smile, which twisted his gut. All he ever wanted to do was make her happy, but he knew that was a big complication.
“You okay?” he asked, pulling a chair toward her.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“So, Tabby, how have you been?” Felix asked. “We thought we were going to have to head to Fort Wills but the moment Simon heard about you being here, this was exactly where he was headed.”
“Great,” she said. “It’s good you all found each other.”
“We’re one big happy family.”
“Yeah, you are,” Tabby said.
“I’ve got some mushrooms ready. I’ve got a burger bun. You ready, Tabs?” Pa asked.
She nodded her head.
With it wrapped in some napkins, Pa handed Tabby her mushroom burger. She took a bite and he watched her eat.
“Why do you keep looking at me?” she asked, dabbing her lips with the napkin.
“I like watching you eat. It’s good for you.”
“Damn, you said you were fucking besotted, but none of us realized exactly how much,” Felix said. “You should have heard him, Tabby. Sorry, Tabs. I wonder what she’s doing? Does she miss me? She had the prettiest smile. She’s a fighter. She’s not afraid to get hurt for the people she loves. You’re like a goddess or something.”
“You’re going to make me blush.”
“It would,” Pa said. “If it wasn’t so true. We spent many nights camped out under the stars hearing tales of you both when you were kids. It got kind of tiring just how perfect you are.”
“I was going to kill myself,” Twig said, speaking up.
The group went completely silent.
Tabby’s burger was poised at her lips.
“When I first met Simon and Dean. They were the two I’d met. I met Knight a little later. I was going to kill myself. I was ready to end it.”
Another round of silence met Twig’s confession. He took a swig of his drink, licking his lips as he did.
Simon took Tabby’s hand within his own. He needed to be touching her, to be doing anything at that moment. He couldn’t stand the thought of not being around her.
“I don’t know what it was. I was married, you see. My wife, we’d been sweethearts, at least I thought we had. It turns out she was just using me for an easy ride. The moment a richer guy came along, she jumped from me to him. I had no house. No money. No wife. My entire life I’d been living a lie. I’d been fired that day as well because my wife had decided to shack up with my boss. I had nothing. No one. So I took the only thing I had, my gun. I’d only ever gone to firing ranges to use it. I don’t even know why I had it in the house. It wasn’t like it was any use to me.”
