Page 124 of Legacy

“You saved me. Twice. I never want to be a damsel again.”

“Baby, you saved yourself. More than once. All I did was come and clean up the pieces. You’re so damn strong and I love you. But I never want you to be in a position where I have to do that again.”

“Deal. I promise, I’ll be safe and I’ll be good and we’re going to take this town by storm. And fuck what anyone else thinks.”

“Exactly. My dad’s gone.” I ran my hand over my chest, confused. “He’s gone forever. It’s just us left. Finnian’s girls and Briar’s daughter are going to grow up in a world where they don’t have to deal with the poison that is my dad.”

“So if anything good could come out of the horrendousness of that memory, it’s that. You can make your own legacy now. You don’t need to worry about whatever that man would do or think.”

“Brewing beer, taking care of this family, and loving you? It’s a pretty damn good legacy. Nothing like I thought it would be.”

“Life throws curveballs that change it all. But I’m so proud of you, Callum Ashford. And I cannot wait to see what happens next.”

I leaned down and took her lips.

“As long as I allow myself to be with you? That’s all that matters.”

And I held her close, damning what the doctor said, and finally just let myself be.

I was never supposed to love Felicity Carter. Never supposed to crave her.

But she was mine and I was never letting her go. And I knew the town would just have to get over whatever they felt about it. And I had a feeling this was only the beginning.

Chapter 21

Bodhi

The hoppy brew slid down my tongue, and I swallowed, doing my best to hide in the shadows. It was where I needed to be, because if I stepped foot into that light once again, I’d catch the attention of others. I was done doing that. I didn’t need the light of whatever harpy needed to stare at me.

I liked my brother’s brewery. Hell, it was one of my favorite places to be. It was slightly out of the way, though sometimes a little too peopley for me. I much preferred my cabin in the woods. It took a four-wheel drive drunk to traverse the mountain roads, so I rarely had to deal with strangers. But the brewery wasn’t that bad. After all, they needed to be near some form of civilization to actually get customers in for events like this.

Callum made damn fine beer, and with the way that he was practically beaming over at Felicity, he looked like a completely different man.

I ran my hand over my chest and took another sip of my beer. I knew that look. I knew it happened when you found that one person that was everything for you, and you knew that no matter what occurred or came at you, you would weather through it because you would have each other. And you’d face the future, waiting for whatever happened next.

But what happened when that person wasn’t there anymore? What happened when the weathering took its toll, and took them along with it?

I downed the rest of the beer, put the bottle on one of the side tables, and reached for another one. I could have two, along with some water, and be fine to drive. But I wasn’t sure I could handle this many people for long.

It might have been an event to celebrate Felicity and Callum making a go of it and finally being healthy after all the shit that had come at them recently, and while I knew nearly every single person in this building, it was still too much.

And how much of a wimp and a dick did that make me?

Disgusted with myself, I popped the top on the other beer bottle and took a big gulp.

I was a pussy, and everyone knew it.

Although what was that saying? Why was weakness called being a pussy. Because a pussy could take a pounding, and a dick was way too sensitive?

My lips twitched at the memory of the first time I had heard those words. The way she had practically growled them at me, leaving both of us in tears, laughing far too hard.

It bothered me that I couldn’t get her off my mind. And it bothered me that she wasn’t constantly there. But sometimes I had to close my eyes and drift off, letting those memories come back so I could still see her face. Still see their faces. Smiling up at me. Even when Callum had said it was just gas.

I knew when my kids smiled at me. A dad always knew.

I took another swig, wishing it was something a little harder. Why couldn’t Callum distill something other than just beer. Then again, I’d probably end up like the old man, pickled and bitter and the murderer everybody thought I was.

I cursed under my breath, set the bottle down, and reached for my water. If I was going down that path, I needed more water. No good could come from the M-word.