“But none of that was true before or after that damn festival.”
Jace’s brows furrowed.
“I keep waiting for it to come back. That certainty. The connection I felt, but every day since we’ve been home, it’s grown weaker.”
“And now?” Jace prodded.
“Now, there’s nothing.”
Jace rubbed his chin, considering that. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Grayson shoved his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. “Tell me about it.”
“Maybe you’re just freaking out?” Jace suggested. “Because it’s Lark. I mean, you and she are very different, so the two of you being together would require,” Jace waved his hand around, searching for the next word, “adjusting to each other.”
Grayson stopped pacing. “I know the difference between nerves and whatever the hell this is.”
Jace fell quiet, giving him time to sort out his thoughts, to find his words. Problem was, he’d already given this situation too much time—every single day since the festival—and it wasn’t helping.
Maybe it was a crazy thing to believe in, but the truth was, the Storms didn’t question the legend, didn’t doubt it was true.
But now, for the first time, Grayson found himself wondering.
“What if Dad was wrong?” he asked quietly.
Jace slowly shook his head. “No.”
“I’m serious, Jace.”
“Our parents are disgustingly in love,” he retorted.
“And so are a shit ton of other people in the world who fell in love the old-fashioned way. Over time. No legend required.”
“I get that, but we’re not just talking about Dad. You’ve seen the same thing happen to Levi, Theo, and Mila. Hell, Maverick was taken down by this thing when he was just seventeen, and that love didn’t just survive some rough patches, it weathered years apart.”
Grayson sank back down in the chair. “Tommy grabbed Lark. When I told him to let her go, she stumbled into my arms. Then, when I touched the marks he left her and asked if she was okay…”
Jace tilted his head. “Nothing?”
“Not a damn thing. No lightning. No thunder. No shaking earth or crumbling foundation.”
“That’s what you felt at the festival?”
Grayson sighed. “Jesus, yes. All of that and more.”
“There’s got be something you’re missing.”
Grayson chuckled bitterly. “Yeah? Like what?”
Even as he asked the question, his gaze drifted toward the window behind his brother. One of the best things about this farm was the view. From their height on the mountain, they could see out across the horizon for miles. Hell, on a clear day, they could see all the way to D.C.
Right now, Grayson didn’t need to look that far. Instead, his eyes took in the valley below them, trying to pinpoint just where the library was.
Where Wren was.
In that moment, Grayson knew two things with certainty.
One, whatever happened at the festival with Lark hadn’t been real.
