Page 202 of Josephine and Clay

The stubbornness is still there. The charm too. But exhaustion hangs off him heavier now, stripped bare without the constant motion he usually hides inside.

I move closer slowly and sit beside him on the edge of the mattress.

“You scared your family,” I say gently.

His jaw flexes. “I know.”

“Rose looked ready to cry.”

“That sucked.”

“Boone looked ready to commit felony assault.”

“That feels more familiar.”

I glance sideways at him. “You joke every time things get uncomfortable.”

“I can’t help it.”

“No, it’s avoidance.”

His breath catches around a quiet laugh. “You always do that.”

“Do what?”

“Cut straight through the bullshit.”

I shrug lightly. “I work with animals. Most of them have better coping mechanisms.”

Clay stares down at his hands. “I thought going back to the circuit would fix it.”

“Fix what?”

He’s quiet long enough that I think he might dodge the question entirely. Instead, he says, “That feeling.”

“What feeling?”

His shoulders rise and fall slowly. “Like everybody else got handed instructions for life except me.”

The honesty in his voice catches me off guard.

He keeps talking before I can respond.

“Boone knows exactly who he is. Dallas too. Even Nash figured it out eventually.” His gaze stays fixed on the floor. “They all fit somewhere. The ranch. Their families. Their lives.”

“And you think you don’t.”

“I know I don’t.”

The certainty hurts to hear.

“You belong with them,” I say softly.

Clay shakes his head once. “You didn’t see me growing up.”

“No, but I see you now.”

“That’s worse.”