When We Burn (The Blackwells of Montana #1)

Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

brIDGER

“ I love tacos,” Birdie announces as we join Holden and Millie in the kitchen.

The house they rent in town is small, but the weather has been nice enough today that they opened the door to the screened-in back patio, giving extra seating space for not only the Lexington family, but also for Millie, Birdie, and me.

“I think that just about everyone loves tacos,” Holden says, offering his hand to my daughter for a high five. “And they were extra good tonight because you helped me chop the tomatoes.”

Dani’s on the patio, sharing margaritas with all three of her sisters, and I’m in the kitchen, nursing a beer, since we were able to walk over here for dinner, chatting with my two best friends as we finish cleaning up from dinner.

Holden and Millie got married early this year, after dancing around each other for the better part of a decade. They’re two of my favorite people, and I’m glad that they finally ended up together.

“We’ve decided,” Millie begins, “that we need to have family dinners more often. Everyone’s so busy, and if we don’t make time for it, we just never see anyone.”

“Makes sense to me.” I turn when all four girls on the patio start to cackle, and smile at Dani through the screen door. “Looks like it’s a hit.”

“They’re just here for the margaritas,” Holden says, but Millie shakes her head.

“No, they miss their big brother,” she says and kisses his shoulder as she walks past him toward the patio. “I’m going out to chat. Come on, Birdie, come sit with the girls.”

“Okay.” Birdie jumps off her stool and follows Millie outside.

“Holden, it’s time you and I had a talk.” My voice is low because I want this to be a private conversation.

“I figured this was coming.” He blows out a breath and crosses his arms over his chest. “I see how you look at my sister. It’s as if she’s the best thing you’ve ever seen in your life.”

I send him a toothy grin. “She is. I’m in love with her, and I don’t plan on ever letting her go. Hell, if I have my way, she’ll be living with us before Christmas.”

Holden’s eyebrows climb into his hairline. “That’s fast, buddy.”

“Not fast enough. Hell, I’d marry her tomorrow if she’d say yes. And that’ll be another conversation we’ll have to have. ”

My friend sighs and drags his hand down his face, leaning back against the counter. “I’ve known you all of my life. Your family was always our safe place, Bridge. You’re one of my closest friends, and I know the kind of man you are. If I had a problem with you and my sister together, I would have said something all those weeks ago when you came to me at the ranch. Scratch that,” he says, reconsidering. “I would have beaten the hell out of you.”

“You could have tried.”

Holden rolls his eyes, and I smirk at him. “The point is, Dani’s an adult. She can date who she wants.”

“Yeah, but you’re the only father figure she’s ever had, man. You’re the one who raised her, protected her. Loved her. The respectful thing to do is to have a conversation with you and tell you that I love her, and she’s mine now.”

His eyes darken at that. “Yours?”

“Are you going to stand there and tell me that Millie isn’t yours?” I nod when his brows pull together in a frown. “Exactly. Your sister is mine. I’ll make sure she never wants for anything, and that includes a safe place. I’m her safe place. Have been since she was little.”

“I know. Bridger, what she and the others went through?—”

“I know most of it and what I wasn’t aware of, she’s filling in the holes as bad moments come up. Which, you’ll be happy to hear, aren’t all that often.”

His shoulders drop at that.

“She won’t go near the chickens at the ranch, and she has a panic attack whenever they’re mentioned. ”

He takes a swig of his beer and nods. “Yeah. And you know why?”

“I do. Fuck, Holden.” I push my hand through my hair and pace away from him, and then back again. “Fuck.”

“Listen, you’re as much a brother to me as it gets. All of you are my family,” Holden says as he sets his beer aside and crosses his arms over his chest again. “You know I’m not going to tell you to stay away from my girl. We already talked this out.”

I nod, and when he reaches out to shake my hand, I don’t hesitate to take it, and then pull him in for a hug.

“But like I told you before, you hurt her, and it’s over for you. Family or not.”

I grin at him. “I have a daughter, you know. I get it. I won’t ever intentionally hurt her. I just want to love her, man.”

“Are you guys ever going to come out here?” Dani calls to us. “Darby has something to tell all of us, and we need you guys.”

Holden and I grab our beers and join the others on the patio.

I pull Dani out of her seat, take it, and then tug her into my lap, and she happily loops her arms around my shoulders.

“How precious,” Charlie says, batting her eyelashes at us.

“What if I want to sit in your lap?” Birdie asks with a frown, and I do believe this is the first time that my daughter has shown any jealousy when it comes to Dani.

“Oh, you can sit—” Dani starts to get up, but I hold her firm against me and smile at my daughter. We need to set a precedent here.

“ Do you want to sit in my lap, peanut?”

“No. But what if I did?”

I crook my finger at her, and she walks to my side. I brush my hand over her soft hair. “Then you just say so. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Birdie runs back over to Alex, who was braiding her hair, and sits between her legs. Dani leans her head on my shoulder, and I plant my lips on her forehead, breathing her in.

“What’s up, Darby?” Holden asks as he wraps an arm around his wife.

The eldest Lexington sister takes a deep breath and then says, “I’m moving.”

There’s shocked silence. I feel Dani stiffen in my arms, and she sits upright, staring at her sister.

“Like, across town?” Dani asks.

“No.” Darby shakes her head. Holden’s eyes have narrowed, and Millie links her fingers with his. “Look, you know that I love it here, and I love all of you, but there’s got to be something better out there for me. I work my ass off and never get ahead. I never was good at making friends, and the men here are ridiculous. No offense, guys.”

I grin at her, and Holden doesn’t say anything at all.

“Holden and you girls have your lives figured out,” Darby continues, pushing her hand through her dark hair. Her blue eyes are shiny. “And I don’t. I didn’t go to college because…well, we all know why.”

Holden’s hand tightens on his beer.

“I’m ready to figure my shit out, too. I’m going to vet school in Colorado. I have to do some prereqs first, but I want to work with animals.”

“Oh, my God, that’s amazing,” Charlie says. “Darby, you’d be so good at that!”

“Vet school?” Alex asks with a frown. “With animals ? The one thing we all avoid?”

“I’m over avoiding shit because the dumpster fire who sired us ruined everything in the world. Animals are awesome. They’re better than people, and I’m going to help them. I’m through with being afraid. He’s dead and gone, and it’s time I live my life.”

“Good for you,” I say before I can hold the words in, and Darby’s eyes, so much like her siblings’, turn to me. “I know, I don’t have a say here?—”

“You’re our family,” Darby says, shaking her head.

“Thank you.” Dani rubs my arm as I smile softly at her sister. “I think it’s brave and badass of you to do this.”

“Agreed,” Holden says, and then clears his throat. “You know I’ll pay for school. That’s not a problem.”

“I’m counting on it,” Darby replies with a half laugh. “But even if you won’t?—”

“I will.”

“I’ll take out loans because I want to do this.”

“When do you have to leave?” Dani asks. I can hear the tears in her voice, and it makes me want to pull her to me.

“I’ll start in January,” Darby replies. “But I’ll probably move down there in November, find housing, get a job. All the things. But, of course, I’ll come home for Christmas. Did I mention I’ve already been accepted to the school?”

“Of course, you have,” Alex says. “You’re brilliant.”

Holden stands and pulls his sister into his arms, hugging her close. “I’m so proud of you, sweet girl.”

And just like that, Darby starts to cry in her brother’s arms, and all three sisters surround them in a group hug.

Birdie looks at me with wide eyes, and I wink at her, letting her know that everything’s okay, but my daughter still crosses to me and stands next to me.

“They’re happy,” I murmur to her.

“Oh, okay,” Birdie whispers as she leans on my shoulder.

Millie and I share a look. She wipes a tear from her cheek, and then we nod and stand from our seats. I pick up Birdie and carry her inside.

“They need a minute,” I tell my daughter as I set her on the stool at the island.

“I hate that they didn’t have parents to lean on,” Millie says, wiping her eyes, “but I love that they have each other.”

“Darby’s going to be awesome.” I glance outside and see Holden wiping the tears from Darby’s cheeks. “It’s going to be scary, but she’ll kick ass. ”

“I can’t imagine starting college in my mid-thirties,” Millie says, shaking her head. “That’s incredible.”

“It’s not like we’re old, you know.”

“You are old,” Birdie says as if she’s breaking bad news to me, patting me on the shoulder, and Millie busts up laughing. “Sorry, Dad.”

“Why are we sorry?” Dani asks as she walks through the door, wiping the last of her tears away.

“Dad’s old,” Birdie replies.

“Oh, I knew that.”

I narrow my eyes on her. “Get over here.”

With a sassy grin on her delectable lips, she saunters over to me. “Yes?”

Leaning in, I press my lips to her ear and whisper, “That’s one less orgasm for you tonight.”

“I have a secret for you,” she says. “It was worth it.”

We’re absolutely, squarely into fall. Now that we’re into the middle of October, all the trees are in the process of shedding their leaves. My parents will be here tonight for the next week so Mom can do all her favorite fall activities, and the weather will continue to get colder.

Brooks is finally finished fixing Dani’s car, so I’m walking over to my brother’s automotive garage to pick it up for her. I had the day off after a particularly grueling six straight days of work.

The arsonist struck again this week .

The motherfucker.

A bell dings when I push the door open and walk inside of my brother’s business. It smells like motor oil and tires, and I grin at Brooks when his head pops up out of an engine.

“Hey,” he calls out, wiping his hands on a rag.

“Bad time?”

“Nah, it’s fine. You here for Dani’s car?”

I nod and lean on the counter. Brooks is the oldest of us. He’s in his late thirties and is built like a brick shithouse.

Whatever the hell that means.

We’re all big guys. It’s in the genes. But Brooks puts in extra hours in the gym, and it shows.

“How much do I owe you?” I ask him.

“Nothing.” He shakes his head and takes a drink of water. “It was a cheap part, but it was a bitch tearing the engine apart to replace it.”

“I’ll pay you for your time, you know.”

“Dude, you’re my brother. I’m not taking your money. How is Dani, anyway?”

“I haven’t seen her much over the last week or so, but she’s good. She had a run-in with a parent last week. The mom of some kid came into her class and accused Dani of trying to force-feed the kid sugar. Apparently, the kid had never had sugar before and asked Dani for a snack from her snack closet, and she gave it to him. He discovered the beautiful world of sugar, and the mom was not happy.”

“Did Dani get into trouble for that? ”

“No, because the mom didn’t put it in her son’s paperwork that he’s not allowed to have sweet treats. She just trusted him to know better.”

“How did Dani do standing up for herself?” Brooks’s eyes soften.

“She told the mom that if she had a problem with the snacks in her closet, maybe she should contribute to the stash so her son had things to eat during the day.”

“Good going, Dani.”

“Right? I was proud of her. Are you going to see Mom and Dad tonight?”

“Nah, I’ll have a late night here tonight, but I’ll catch up with them tomorrow. You?”

“I’ll see what Dani wants to do.”

Brooks grins at me. “She’s just running the show now, huh?”

“It’s considerate to take her wants and needs into consideration, you jerk face.”

Brooks laughs and then passes me Dani’s keys. “It’s parked out front. I’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks, man.”

Dani will be finished with school in just a little while, and given I haven’t seen her much lately, I’m hoping that she votes to stay home. I thought I’d get some good takeout for my girls, watch a movie, and then after Birdie goes to bed, I’m going to fuck my woman senseless for most of the night.

It’s a solid plan.