My head pulls back in surprise. “What are you scared of?”
“Everything is changing.”
“I get you there. I almost hate the thought of it.” Jesse and Dirk are leaving. I know it’s just temporary, but I’ve always had him. Dirk is the foundation beneath my healing. Jesse too. “I don’t know if I can do this without you guys.”
“You’ll always have us. It just might have to be over Facetime occasionally.” He grabs my shoulders and shakes me. “The next part of your story belongs to you and you alone. Do what feelsright. Trust yourself. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. Even me.” He runs his hand through his hair as he looks around the dark cabin. “We’ve had some wild times up here, haven’t we?”
I follow his gaze, swallowing hard. “We have.”
He nods his head toward the stairs. “We’ve both got some crazy good times waiting for us out there. Pack your shit, and let’s get back home.”
“I won’t have my keys till morning. Ray took them,” I tell him.
Dirk laughs. “Alright, we set out in the morning.”
We both lie back, each lost in our own thoughts of what the future might hold. “What did you think of her?”
He’s quiet for a moment. “Do you remember when you told me Jesse and I were soulmates?”
“Yeah, it was the night I stepped away. I knew there was something incredibly special between the two of you.”
“W – when …”
I turn to look at him when his voice cracks. He takes a deep breath before continuing.
“When you see her for the first time, slow your heart. Take it all in. Meeting your soulmate only happens once in this lifetime.”
“Dirk, Rachel was …”
He shakes his head. “I know you loved her, but this will be different. Take in every fucking moment. Every fucking one. I’ve let so many minutes slip by with Jesse. I’m not going to let that happen anymore. I’m going to wrap myself around her and hold on with everything I have. Rachel taught me that. She taught you that.”
It’s almost as if he’s pleading with me. I turn away from him, because it feels like he’s setting my soul free. I don’t know if that means with Jenny or someone else, but he’s telling me it’s okay to love again. It sounds terrifying.
“Look at me, Raffe.” When I do, he smiles. “You have such an opportunity here. This time around you know how to love without all the hurt. You grew with Rachel, and she loved every minute of nurturing your soul, but this will be different. I can’t explain it, but you’ll know what I’m talking about when you see her. Like I said, you’ll remember this conversation.”
“So, does that mean you like her?”
He laughs, running his hand over his eyes. “I don’t have to like her, but yeah, I think she might just be alright.”
I bite at my nail, waiting for him to tell me more. When he doesn’t, I meet his gaze. “You’re not going to tell me anything else about her?”
Dirk shakes his head. “That’s for you to discover. It’s the best part.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Billie Rose
My uncle Dan picks two of my children up by their ankles, holding them in air jail as I snatch the littlest one around the waist.
“Are you turkeys giving your mama trouble today?” he asks.
Aurelia giggles, not the slightest bit intimated by the big guy. “Yes,” she tells him not even lying about it.
I push my hair out of my eyes as he follows me into the cabin with his two captives, both giggling so hard I’m afraid they’re going to pass out.
He lays them gently on the couch before pointing at them. “If you both sit here quietly for thirty minutes, I’ll give you each two dollars.”
Tate looks to his big sister to answer. She crosses her arms over her chest. “Make it three and we have a deal,” she says, flashing him three fingers.
