Chapter 40 #2
my head start to spin. “You know, maybe you can run the yard with Robyn. The way you were looking at her a couple weeks ago,
it’s clear there’s nothing fake between the two of you. Maybe that’s been your plan all along.”
“Don’t do this,” Luke says, his face sad and resolute. “Don’t make shit up just to villainize me further. You know that’s not who I am.”
“I don’t know you at all!” I scream, my voice hoarse and dense in the quiet barn. “How long have you had feelings for me?”
Luke’s jaw clenches as his lips twitch. “A while.”
“How long?”
He closes his eyes and says in a breath, “Years.”
“And you didn’t think maybe you should just grow a pair of balls and tell me?”
“No, Addison, I didn’t because I know you and you would have never given me a fucking chance.”
“Now we’ll never know!”
He exhales harshly out his nose. “You are looking for reasons to push me away because you’re scared about what’s building
between us because it’s not the future you planned for yourself. But this is real. You know it’s real.”
“Our marriage is a mountain of lies. It’s fiction!”
“It was never fiction for me,” Luke says, and I feel my whole head spin.
“Well, it doesn’t matter because now not only do I have to divorce my best friend. I have to divorce the man I’m in love with
because he’s a fucking liar.”
I turn on my heel, ignoring the devastated look on Luke’s face over my declaration as I storm out of the barn and away from
the man who sounds like a complete stranger. That is not my best friend. That is not the person I let hold me in bed every
night. The man who I thought I fell in love with. Love? What a joke. I clearly have no clue what love even feels like if I
fell for all of this.
And my God, the Robyn stuff. What the actual fuck? My dad is going to sell anyways? To her? How? How did she get her hands
into him of all people? That girl better pray she never crosses paths with me again or I will end up in jail just like my
mother.
I stumble in the snow-packed lane as a deep, soul-crushing pain slices through me with that dark thought. My fear of turning out like my mother is exactly why I never wanted to fall in love or get married. I’m not built for this. I’m too raw, too troubled, too fucked-up. My genetics are horrific.
The sound of footsteps echoes behind me, so I pick up my pace, pushing my dark thoughts away. I dig into my coat pocket for
my car keys ready to get as far away from Luke as possible.
“What are you doing?” Luke asks, out of breath as a cloud of air puffs in front of his lips.
“I’m going to leave this fucking mountain.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s snowing.”
“I’ve got four-wheel drive, Luke. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re upset. You shouldn’t drive.”
“Why would I be upset? I’d have to care about you to be upset.”
“You just told me you love me, Addison.”
“I loved who I thought you were! Not this person in front of me who lies just like everyone else in my life.” I get to my
car and grab my door handle, jumping in shock when Luke reaches out to take my keys. “Give those back.”
“No.”
“Luke!”
“I’m not going to let you drive away like this,” he roars, his face red with anger. “We’re married and you’re going to stay
and work this out with me. You don’t leave. This is real now. No more fact or fiction question. You are my wife. I am your
husband. We signed those papers together. And I fucking love you, Addison. I love you so much that I will trap you up on this
mountain until you can admit you still love me.”
“Of course I love you,” I cry, my voice hoarse. “I love you, Luke, but you lied to me.”
The sounds of more footsteps approach and I swerve my head to see Luke’s brothers closing in, herding me like I’m one of Trista’s
livestock animals. They even have the nerve to stand in front of my car with their arms crossed like they won’t let me go.
“What are you guys going to do? Hold me hostage?”
“What’s going on?” Trista’s voice calls from Luke’s front deck as she steps outside with Dakota.
“These Fletcher brothers have trapped me up on this mountain!”
Trista and Dakota stare back at us in confusion.
“The jig is up,” I snarl at their perplexed expressions. “I know you guys all know that my marriage to Luke was bullshit.
You can all quit acting like you like me or like I’m one of the family. Just give me my keys so I can go home and get away
from you all. Please.” I fight back the tears at how utterly alone I feel in this moment. I don’t have Luke. I don’t have
the ladies. I don’t even have Luke’s mom. Probably the fucking rooster even hates me.
Dakota steps down the front steps walking straight toward me. “Addison, on my life, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Me neither,” Trista adds, following close behind.
I swerve my eyes to Luke, who nods to confirm. “They didn’t know. It’s only me, Calder, and Wyatt who know. And Max I guess.”
“And Everly,” Calder adds, looking wildly uncomfortable. “She was kind of in charge.”
“Oh, is that all?” I groan and shove a hand through my hair.
“What are you guys talking about?” Trista asks, turning to her husband.
Wyatt winces but it’s Calder who fills in the blanks. “Luke and Addison got married to help Addison inherit the lumberyard and we were sort of helping Luke figure out a way to get her to . . . fall in love with him.” Calder lifts his hands, looking sheepish.
“Why would you do that? She obviously already loves him,” Trista says and somehow those words cut deeper than they should.
“Wait, so you knew these two weren’t married for real and you just lied to me?” Dakota asks, stepping past me to stare at
Calder accusingly.
“Give her the keys,” Trista growls, turning her attention to Luke.
“No.” Luke steps back with a stubborn set to his jaw.
“Give them to her!” Dakota yells at Luke, who has the nerve to look at least moderately afraid.
Luke turns his eyes to me with a pleading look. “It’s not safe.”
Trista turns her fury to her husband. “Fine, then we’re going to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers this shit.”
“What?” Dakota and I both ask, frowning at Trista.
“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers . . . the 1950s musical about seven brothers who all live on a mountain and go to town and basically human traffic women
to be their brides?”
Everyone continues staring back in confusion, but I hear Wyatt murmur something under his breath.
“They abduct them and take them up to their mountain and an avalanche blocks the roadway preventing the townspeople from riding
up to save them. Anyways, Milly, the only ridiculous female up there by choice, gets mad at the brothers and kicks them all
out to the barn, so yeah . . . you boys are all sleeping in the barn.”
“Wait a minute,” Calder says, taking a step forward.
“You’re all sleeping in the barn,” Trista screeches, leaving no room for argument.
Wyatt grumbles under his breath as he and Calder both stare back at the girls before turning on their heels and sulking all the way back to the barn.
Luke steps toward me. “Addison, please. Can we just talk?”
“You talked plenty with your brothers,” I croak, my voice raw in my throat. “It’s too late for you to want to talk to me now.”
Luke exhales heavily and when he turns to walk down the hill toward the barn, my chin trembles as tears fill my eyes. Instantly,
Trista and Dakota wrap me up in their arms and walk me into the house . . . that doesn’t feel a bit like home anymore. It
feels like a stranger’s house.