“He was being a dick,” Tex says. He stares into his coffee. “He was out of line. Had no right to talk to her like that.”
“He was right, though,” I say quietly. “About me being stupid.”
Tex looks up. “Billy?—”
“I was being a cowardly ass,” I interrupt. “Yesterday. I just stood there. I let him tear into her. I let him push Clara. I froze.”
I set my mug down on the counter.
“I was scared,” I continue. “I was scared of what it meant if I defended her. If I stood up for her in front of everyone. It felt like admitting I was still hers.”
“And you don’t want to be hers?” Tex asks.
“I don’t want to be hurt again,” I correct.
The noises from the barn stop.
The sudden silence is jarring. We strain our ears. We hear murmuring. Low voices. The rustle of fabric.
“Showtime,” Tex mutters.
He takes a long swig of his coffee. He braces himself, and we watch the barn door slide open.
Two figures step out into the morning light.
Seth walks out first. He looks rumpled. His shirt is untucked, his hair a disaster. He looks guilty, his eyes darting toward the house.
But there’s a looseness to his shoulders that wasn’t there yesterday. A satisfaction.
Then Sedona follows him.
My breath catches in my throat. She looks…
Ravaged.
That’s the only word for it.
Her hair is wild, curls tumbling over her shoulders in a tangled mess. Her cheeks are flushed a deep, rosy pink. Her lips are swollen, glossy, and bee-stung from kissing. Her shirt is slightly askew, exposing the curve of her neck.
She looks like she has been thoroughly kissed. Maybe more.
And she looks beautiful.
The sight of her hits me like a physical blow. It hurts to look at her. It hurts to know that my brother put that look on her face.
But underneath the hurt is a fierce, possessive pride.
She’s here. She’s alive. She’s glowing.
They walk toward the house. Seth has his hand on the small of her back, guiding her. It’s a possessive gesture. It screamsmine.
I feel a growl building in my chest, but I swallow it down.
Tex shifts next to me.
We wait for them on the porch.
Sedona sees us first. She stops, and her eyes widen. She looks between me and Tex. She looks terrified.
