Chapter Twenty-Five
Jo
H e stares at me in disbelief, but it’s so dark now that it’s shielding me from the intensity of it.
“I knew your grandfather was telling the truth. I knew you were innocent because he believed you were. He left the room, and my dad practically threw the file into the trash. I was horrified that he could be so cold-hearted.”
“Jo…” He mutters, but I keep going.
“I threatened to tell my mother about his affair with his secretary if he didn’t do what your grandfather asked. They had just recovered from his last affair, and he couldn’t afford to get caught in a lie again.”
Lochlan’s mouth hangs open, listening to me spew my truth.
It feels freeing to get this weight off my chest.
“He called your grandfather back in the room and stamped his approval to set you free. I could see how surprised he was, and when he looked at me, I think he realized what I had done… He was so thankful, he cried like a baby, and I did too.”
“You… My grandfather…” he mumbles, still processing what he’s hearing.
“I followed him into the hallway, and I told him that I wished I had someone in my life who loved me like he loved you.” I lay back on the blanket and stare into the dark sky, warding off the burning in my eyes.
“He must’ve seen the pain in my eyes because he told me if I ever needed a safe place to go, he had a black bear sanctuary that was always open to rescues.”
“You came here looking for him?”
“Yeah.”
He lies back on the blanket beside me, and we sit in silence for a long time, staring at the blanket of stars above us.
Long enough for the fireworks’ booms to echo up the mountain and fall quiet again once the show is over.
“All this time, I thought your father saved me. I thought it was him who I owed a debt to. But it’s you.”
“You don’t owe me anything. You were innocent, and you deserved to be free.”
“I don’t know how, but I’ll pay you back for your faith in me, I swear.”
I tilt my head to the side to look at him, and he’s already looking at me, so seriously.
His normally furrowed brow is even deeper.
I want to reach out and smooth it with my finger as if it will take away his hurt.
“Your grandfather told me that I could come here for solace, and I think I’ve found it,” I whisper now that he’s so close.
Our faces are still nearly a foot apart, but it feels like centimeters.
“What are you running from? What aren’t you telling me?”
“My family.”
“I know they’re bastards, but there has to be more to it. A woman like you doesn’t come to a place like this for no reason. ”
“I needed to be somewhere that my father couldn’t reach. This place is so far off the map that I knew he couldn’t sink his claws in and ruin it for me. And, I hoped that your grandfather would keep his promise. To keep me safe.”
“I’ll keep you safe, Jo.”
“I know, that’s why I put up with your grumpy attitude.”
He scoffs, but a small smile tilts his lips, and I cherish it because I never know when I’ll see the next one.
“Why didn’t you tell me all of this from the beginning? From the first time you drove through these gates.”
“I didn’t want you to give me a job because of your grandfather or because of my dad. I was prideful enough that I wanted to earn it the old-fashioned way, but I was desperate and took the job anyway after you found out I was a Montgomery.”
“I’m glad you took it.”
“Me too.” My eyes trace the scars on his face, still not knowing the story behind them.
But as we sit in silence, only accompanied by the sound of the world around us, croaking toads, vibrating beetles, and the occasional grunt that I’ve convinced myself is one of the bears, I can’t make myself ask.
I don’t want him to have to share any more sad stories with me, not tonight.
“I can’t believe he never told me my guardian angel was a teenage girl,” he ponders out loud, looking back up to the sky.
“It was my father who signed the papers.”
“Your father is a jackass. I won’t give that man credit for a thing,” he states seriously, making me smile.
He notices my amusement and his face softens instantly.
“It broke my heart when you told me he was dead, though,” I admit softly.
“I was so callous about it, too.” He sighs, rubbing a hand across his face in regret.
“He’s buried here on the property. If you’d ever like to visit him.”
“I’d love to.”
Saying goodbye properly might give me closure, even though I only ever met the man one time.
I spent years idolizing him in my head, hoping I’d see him again one day.
He talks me down the ladder and we take a different path I’ve never traveled, only guided by the moonlight and the occasional lightning bug.
“I still didn’t get to see a bear.”
“I’ll make it happen soon, don’t worry.” He smiles softly, and the sight of it makes my stomach flutter.
It does a flip when his knuckles brush the back of my hand as we walk side by side.
That small touch of his skin makes me ache to hold his hand again.
Not because he’s helping me unbuckle a seat belt or getting me out of an awkward situation, but because he’s a man who wants to hold my hand.
I shouldn’t have a crush on Lochlan.
He’s too old for me.
He’s given me every reason to dislike his presence and to be turned off by his grouchy demeanor, but I long to be near him every time he lets me.
“This is our family plot. My grandparents are buried together.”
“Wow, I didn’t realize people could be buried anywhere other than a cemetery.” My knees sink into the cool grass in front of the giant granite headstone, my index finger tracing the engraving.
Henry & Alice Dan e
“I bet your grandmother was wonderful, too.” I wipe a tear from my cheek, trying to hide how silly I’m being.
I hardly knew his grandfather and his grandmother, not at all, but it feels like a piece of me missed out on knowing them.
“ She was,” he speaks gently behind me, letting me have a moment.
I take my time, wiping loose pieces of grass and leaves that have fallen onto the smooth stone, shining it properly for two strangers.
It seems like the least I can do.
“Thank you for bringing me here.” When I stand and face him, the hard lines of his face are intense, watching me closely.
It would probably put most people off, but it only makes me wonder what it would be like to bury my head in his chest, or to have his arms wrapped around me with that same intensity.
“Come on, it’s late. I’ll get you back.”
I follow his lead even though I don’t want to go back to my lonely guesthouse yet.
The air is thick with the smoke he predicted would get caught in the mountains, and it makes the walk hazier than before.
The footpath is eerie with fog, and I walk closer to Lochlan’s side because of it.
An animal jumps in the brush alongside us, and I flinch, bumping into his arm.
“Sorry,” I mumble in embarrassment.
His hand brushes mine again, but I don’t move away.
Instead, I let my pinky graze his knuckles, waiting for him to pull back.
But he doesn’t.
The pressure building in my chest is nearing volcanic.
Every beat feels closer to my heart bursting as I wrap my littlest finger around his ever so gently.
I wait for a protest through the roaring in my ears, but it never comes.
He holds my pinky in his much larger one, walking me home under the moonlight.
Butterflies flutter through me, and I can’t control the corners of my lips from lifting.
It’s silly.
I shouldn’t be so giddy, but it’s the closest I’ve ever felt to being a character in one of my movies.
Until loud popping bursts through the silent night, echoing and bouncing off the trees all around us.
His hand envelops mine, pulling me to his chest and backing us into the cover of the woods.
Pop, pop, pop.
“Is that fireworks?” I ask breathlessly, the blood roaring in my ears is less romantic now.
Pop, pop.
“No.” His head is high, listening closely to which direction the noise is originating.
Pop, pop, pop.
“Dammit.”
“What?”
“I need to get you back to the house.” He’s still holding me tightly against him, but I can’t enjoy the moment because of what he’s telling me.
“And, then what?”
“Call 911. Tell them we’re being shot at.”