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HOURS LATER, GEORGIA woke to the sound of the doorknob turning.
“Uncle Eric?” a small, tired voice called.
“Be right there, buddy.” Eric gently lifted her head and slipped a pillow where his shoulder had been. “I’ll be back.”
“I’ll be here,” she promised. She watched as he pulled on his boxers and headed for the door.
Rolling onto her back, she stared at the ceiling, smiling. This was the beginning of the rest of her life. And right now she’d never felt so worthy of living, of returning home. That feeling might vanish tomorrow only to resurface again next week. She knew that. But for right now, she savored it. And if she continued to wonder why she’d lived, she’d have Eric by her side, loving her, supporting her—and that made the future look like a rainbow.
An hour later, maybe more, Eric returned and climbed into bed.
“Nate’s asleep,” he whispered.
“Good.”
She let him wrap his arms around her. Resting her head on his chest, she closed her eyes. And finally, she fell asleep.
Epilogue
LIAM WALKED INTO the Moore Timber office in sneakers and clean clothes. It was the first time in months, maybe years, since he’d showed up without traces of the forest he’d been harvesting. But Georgia had given him an ultimatum: sit down with Eric and fix things, or else. He didn’t want to face her “or else.” He’d discovered over the past few weeks that his baby sister was a tiger—wild, sometimes skittish, and ridiculously fierce.
He found the door to Eric’s office open. “Is now a good time?”
Eric looked up, his eyebrows raised in surprise. He hid it quickly behind a smile. Liam shook his head. Leave it to Georgia to keep this forced visit from her boyfriend.
“Sure. Come in.” Eric stood and moved to the chairs in front of his desk. “Are you here for the results of the DOF investigation?”
Between learning his best friend had been sleeping with his sister (his hands formed fists again at the thought) and Georgia’s accident, Liam had pushed the investigation to the back of his mind. He knew he was innocent. He didn’t need the DOF or any other government organization to tell him that.
“No,” he said. “But I would like to know where that son of a bitch started.”
Eric gestured for him to sit, and he did, claiming the chair opposite his friend. “That’s the good news,” Eric said. “You were right. NOAA worked with the DOF to trace the fire back to a lightning strike on the other side of the hill. The wind blew sparks over to where you were harvesting, and from there, well, you know how the fire jumped all over the place.”
“Good.” Liam ran his hands through his hair, more relieved than he wanted to let on. “It still sucks that you needed a government organization to step in before you’d believe I followed the rules.”
Eric leaned forward in his chair, resting his forearms on his thighs, his hands clasped tight between his knees. He kept his eyes downcast for a while, before looking up at Liam.
“I’ve made a lot of wrong choices lately,” Eric admitted.
“Are you saying hooking up with my sister was a mistake? If you are, I swear I’m going to kick the shit out of you. Again.”
“No. Letting her go was my mistake,” he said. “And allowing you to walk away from Moore Timber. You can hate me all you want, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re an asset to this company. Without you, I couldn’t have built it up this far.”
Liam sighed. “I don’t hate you. Even if I wanted to, Georgia would kick my ass for holding a grudge. I got to admit that I hate the idea of her hooking up with anyone. But I guess you’re better than most.”
“Thanks, man.” Eric smiled. “Makes what I’m about to say easier.”
Liam’s eyes narrowed. “If she’s pregnant, I’ll fucking—”
“No. Not where I was going with that.” Eric raised his hands, palms out and open. “I wanted to talk to you about the business. I’m hoping you’ll agree to take a bigger role. I need more time for Georgia and Nate. I don’t want to work crazy hours, trying to keep all the bases covered. You’ve always done an excellent job running the crews. Now I’m
asking you to move inside and help me run the company.”
Liam frowned. “You want to park me behind a desk?”
“No. I want to offer you a piece of Moore Timber in exchange for taking a larger role. Some office work, yes. But you’ll still be out there running chainsaws.”
“Equity?” Liam blinked, trying to hide his surprise. Moore Timber had always been Eric’s baby, not his. Sure, Liam worked his ass off day after day, but Eric knew the business side. Liam didn’t. “You’re sure about this?”
