Chapter 10
[Taxi]
Let me show you who I am.
The moment I close the door behind me, second-guessing myself kicks in.
Here is a man practically begging to prove to me he is a good person.
Not in a way that a bad person tries to say he has good character, but the way a truly good person knows his character is safe and sound.
Still, I didn’t trust myself or this situation. Stone was still vague about Emerson. What was her secret? Why couldn’t he share it with me? Why didn’t he trust me enough?
Then again, we hardly knew one another, and I didn’t believe we ever would.
“I’m not staying anyway,” I whisper, as if that statement further justifies my conviction.
Stone is planted while I constantly uproot. Commissions call. Adventures lead.
Once upon a time, Sterling Falls was my home, but was it really?
I’d felt safe with Aunt Trudy and Uncle Carlton, but never truly secure.
In the recesses of my mind was the fear that someone would come forward and claim my sisters and me.
They’d take us away from Trudy and Carlton like we’d been taken away from our mother.
Of course, our mother made that choice for us.
And as for my father, I’d never known the man. He’d made the decision to never know me.
Then again, I recognize the urge to flee. Not so much a desire to run as a fear of staying in place.
I was only here for a visit.
At the sound of chatter from the lower level, I release the doorknob and walk down the hall, taking the stairs slowly as I still need to use the bathroom.
Stone Sylver has a nice house. One filled with soothing colors and personal touches.
Steel blues and sandy browns fill his living room, where a large fieldstone fireplace that looks original is the major focal point.
Old farmhouses like this one have character, and I’m pleased to see the Sylvers have not removed it, while adding modern updates.
A large dining room leads to a remodeled kitchen with an island that separates the workspace from a table that seats eight.
Seven siblings plus one.
From what I’ve learned today, each sibling has a partner.
Clay and Mavis. Judd and Genie. Knox and Halle.
Ford and Cadence. Sebastian and Enya. Vale and Cortland.
Not going to lie, I was starstruck to meet Cadence, one of country music’s sweethearts, even if I’m not a country music fan.
I also have an instant girl crush on Genie and understand why Judd has heart-emoji eyes every time he looks at her.
Only Stone is alone.
Whether I believe his story about Emerson Milton or not is yet to be determined. What I do remember is the way his eyes were lit and his smile easy with her. And how her hair was long and straight and beautifully blonde.
Curly-haired girls almost always want that smooth, sleek look, while women with stick straight hair want curls. Sometimes, women are never happy with themselves.
I didn’t see her face, but I’d bet Gloria, my van, on Emerson being a beauty.
This mountain is named for the Miltons. Milton Peak.
Milton County. And apparently, Emerson Milton is the town mayor.
Five girls in their family, if I remember correctly.
Suddenly, I recall little blondes with perfect bows in their hair.
I wasn’t in their circle when I lived here.
I got the impression they didn’t want anything to do with poor foster kids like me, living with my aunt while my mother rotted in jail.
I learned early to keep my distance, to watch, to survive, but never to belong.
Just another reason not to trust people so easily. I’ve built walls so high I don’t even notice them anymore. I’m not certain even I can climb over them.
And yet . . . there’s something about Stone Sylver. Something that makes me question the rules I’ve lived by. He’s different. Unpredictable in a way that makes my chest tighten.
Let me show you who I am.
And he’s scaling those walls, rattling my foundation.
When I eventually make my way back to the kitchen, I step closer to Aunt Trudy, who is standing on the opposite side of the kitchen island, across from where Mary Haven is cutting lemons.
I’d been long overdue to pay my aunt a visit, so when she asked me to come here, the timing worked because I had a few days between jobs.
“The bathroom upstairs was occupied. Is there another one?” I ask, like Trudy is familiar with the house.
“There should be one around the corner,” Mary points with the knife she’d been using toward the refrigerator and a hallway beside it.
At the same time, Stone rushes into the kitchen wearing only a towel.
He stumbles and stalls. “Oops,” he says, then quickly nods. “Ladies.” He rushes through the kitchen toward that hallway beside the fridge and disappears.
My gaze follows his retreat, wondering once again if I’ve made a mistake.
Mary and Trudy giggle like schoolgirls.
“Well.” Mary clears her throat, although her eyes are still laughing. “He’s grown up very nicely.”
Stone Sylver is one fine man. Those broad shoulders.
That thick patch of hair on his chest. The apparent strength in his arms. I didn’t miss the shape of his ass when I caught a peek in the reflection of the mirror.
I also didn’t miss the outline of another appendage.
One long and thick and poking in my direction through terrycloth.
“Mm-mm-mm,” Aunt Trudy hums, shaking her head. “And such a good man. Who would have thought?”
“What do you mean?” I ask before I can stop myself.
“Man’s had a hard life,” Aunt Trudy says, turning back toward the counter where Mary is back to slicing lemons. A large bottle of vodka rests just off the cutting board next to a pitcher filled with ice.
Oh my. So, it’s going to be that kind of lemonade.
“He sure has,” Mary agrees with Aunt Trudy, keeping her voice quiet while she pauses from slicing lemons. She glances at Trudy. “I’m just grateful he has patience. I don’t know if he’ll ever truly forgive Cortland, but I see him trying. Or at least giving him grace for his sister’s sake.”
“What are you two talking about?” I demand, whipping my gaze from one woman to the other. Town gossip is not my thing, but curiosity has risen like the hairs on an agitated cat.
“Stone was engaged once,” Trudy explains.
“And Cortland stole the girl,” Mary adds, her shoulders falling in disappointment. “Worst mistake he ever made. Both the girl and losing his best friend over her.”
“But you got Josh,” Trudy gently states, like a pleasant reminder.
“But I got Josh.” Mary smiles.
“Who is Josh?” I ask.
“My grandson. He’s almost twenty-four.” Mary’s smile grows even larger as she mentions the young man.
“And he looks just like his daddy,” Aunt Trudy confirms with another hum, giving a stamp of approval to the young Haven family member.
With my mind still reeling over Stone once being engaged, losing both the woman and his best friend to betrayal, he makes another appearance in a pair of loose, camel-colored hiking shorts and a light heather-gray T-shirt.
There’d been jabs and quips about Stone being reserved and stalwart during the baseball game, but I hadn’t really seen that side of him.
I only know a man with a sly smile who bumped into me in a hotel hallway.
I also know the man who leaned into faking he was my blind date and then did not feign interest in learning about my art commission.
He even stepped up for a single dance, walked me home so to speak, and kissed me goodnight like I was his next breath.
He’d been a bit of an illusion that night but knowing that he’s endured loss and come out steadier for it makes him seem even more grounded, more real.
I think back to the tight expression on his face when he watched Vale and Cort kissing by the driveway.
His emotion held back. The patience Mary Haven mentions firmly intact.
He wasn’t Superman so much as human.
A man who’s been hurt but survived. And suddenly, I see him a bit differently again.
We’ve all been hurt at some point. We all have heartbreak stories to tell and secrets to keep, and it wasn’t fair of me to judge him for his.
Emerson Milton. She’s a friend.
Still, I wasn’t staying. I didn’t know why I keep finding myself on a path facing Stone Sylver, but I’ll be making a U-turn soon.
But dammit, why does he have to look so good? The T-shirt looks worn and soft, and I bet it smells like him. Mountain air and freshly showered. A swirl of dizzy green and comforting blue.
I close my eyes like it will make Stone disappear, but behind my lids all I see is his face.
The confusion when I accused him of playing me.
The hurt. The adamant tone of his voice rings in my ears.
When he told me he hadn’t been with someone else and explained Emerson Milton.
Explained that he’d been telling her about an incredible woman he’d met the night before.
He’d been telling her about me.
But why hadn’t he told me about her?
Opening my eyes, I find Stone’s gaze on me, blatant and direct, and building the tension I’d felt upstairs, while trapped in a small bathroom where the freshly showered scent of him overwhelmed my senses. His heart was racing under my palm. His skin warm and tight.
Like his jaw right now as he stares at me.
Ah, there’s the stalwart, reserved man I’ve heard about.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Mary Haven glancing between Stone and me and feel Aunt Trudy’s narrowed gaze on the opposite side of my face.
“Seems the bathroom upstairs is finally vacant,” Aunt Trudy mutters in that knowing tone she has. Like she hadn’t missed how I was upstairs. And so was Stone. And she knows he and I shared a moment.
Never kissed anyone like I kissed you. And like you kissed me back.
Had he felt it? Did he feel like I was someone as unique to him as he’d been to me? And why would any of this matter?
I wasn’t staying, I scold myself internally, gritting my teeth, and clenching my fist, like I’m arguing with myself. Starting a new battle within me.
I couldn’t stay in Sterling Falls, could I?
I glance at Aunt Trudy, missing her with an ache I hadn’t known existed until I saw her again. It’s been almost a year since Simon came to her and I came to check on both of them. Guilt hits me hard. I should do better, be better, about visiting, about spending time with both of them.
For some unknown reason, I gaze back at Stone.
Do not make him a reason to come back as well. No chasing, Tallulah Alexander. We don’t do that.
With Stone still staring back at me, there’s no doubt the two women in the room witness the way we look at one another. Both of us reserved, while a hint of hunger lies behind his eyes. Or maybe that’s lost hope.
He wants me to trust him, and I want to, maybe, but I don’t know how.
And the longer he keeps me ensnared with his gaze, the more I want to rush across this kitchen and beg him to show me who he is, like he asked upstairs.
Because a man wanting to prove himself to me means he thinks I’m worth proving something to, as if saying, you’re safe with me. I’ve got your back. And your heart.
The thought rattles me. It’s too much too fast, and I’m ready for Mary Haven’s special lemonade to clear my head. Or better yet, erase any crazy ideas, like learning more about Stone Sylver.
Thankfully, Stone breaks first, though I don’t miss how his shoulders fall in defeat.
As for me, my belly sinks, and I roll my lips inward, chewing at them as he gives me the side of his face. Instantly, I note the strong line of his nose, the puff of his lips, and the hard edge of his jaw. Plus, that thick mustache.
He’s grown up very nicely, as Mary said.
Quickly, he looks back in my direction but addresses Mary and Trudy. His voice is that tender, rugged tone that tickles my skin.
“Ladies, thank you again for being here today. You’ve both been important to our family, and I apologize that it’s been so long since we’ve had you here for supper.”
Heavy silence fills the room, and my stomach drops another notch.
Something deeper exists in the quiet seconds that pass.
And I recall all the times Judd Sylver hung out at Trudy’s place, sheepishly accepting the meals she offered him.
The Sylvers had been no better off than us.
Then again, Sedona, Jolene, and I had the love of Trudy and Carlton. Judd had a mean daddy, which meant—
My attention snaps back toward Stone.
That evil man had also been the father of the man offering his full gratitude and sincere apologies to Mary and Trudy.
A new desire to rush him takes over. One which wants to offer him sympathy and understanding. To hug him and hold him and tell him how sorry I am that someone so vile as his daddy was his dad.
We all live diverse experiences. And our perspective was judge and jury on the experience of others. Have I misjudged Stone again?
Shit.
“Stone Sylver, don’t you dare make me cry,” Trudy warns, crossing the kitchen toward him.
Mary simply sets down her knife and reaches for a paper towel to dab at her eyes.
Fuck. The air feels clogged with something bigger than Stone and me and our interlude upstairs, and suddenly, I don’t know what to do with myself.
When it came to Stone Sylver, every new layer revealed twists me all up inside.
He’s certainly a kaleidoscope of color.