Bear:Then maybe we both need a distraction.
Me:Like what?
Bear:Like you telling me your favorite place on earth, so I can picture it right now.
Me:There is this little town on the Oregon coastline called Depoe Bay. It has the world's smallest harbor and is right on the water. You can stand there and watch the world go by and never feel calmer.
Bear:I've heard of it. It's the whale watching capital of the world, too, right? Never been though.
Me:Maybe we should go there sometime. Together.
Bear:Say the word.
Me:Word.
He doesn't reply right away. And that's okay. Because even in the silence, I feel it. A tether. A thread pulled tight between us.
Bear:I'd rather fight through all this mess with you than pretend it doesn't matter. Just say when, Sunshine.
Me:Soon.
Bear:I'll hold you to that.
Me:Promise?
Bear:Always. I'm here.
And for the first time all week, I believe someone.
Chapter 14
Asher
There's something about Jenna and Josh's place that always feels like home, even though it isn’t mine. Maybe it's the wide porch strung with lights or the way the grill smoke hangs in the air with the promise of the amazing food I know we are about to eat.
Or it could be the way Jenna always makes too much food and pretends she didn't plan it that way. But mostly, it's that when we gather here, nothing bad can touch us for a little while. The world shrinks down to this little patch of earth where only the good stuff sticks. Where laughter becomes a language we all remember, even when we forget how to breathe.
I pull onto the gravel drive, parking next to Finn's old truck and a row of others I recognize. I didn’t realize he was back from the rodeo yet, but leave it to him not to miss a free meal. Both my brothers are out front—Zach lounging on the porch rail like heowns the place, Finn limping slightly as he laughs at something Zach said.
"You're late," Zach calls out, grinning. "We were about to send Phantom to drag you in by your boots."
"Had to make sure the ranch didn't fall apart without me," I shoot back. Finn smirks, rubbing his knee, his own secret badge of honor.
"Don't let him fool you," Finn adds. "He just didn't want to face Mom's potato salad first."
Jenna's best friend, Sky, and her husband, Dash, are already out on the porch, drinks in hand, talking to Jenna and catching up as though they haven't seen each other in years instead of weeks. Skye's laugh carries across the yard, light and real. She's got that way about her, bringing the sunshine with her. Dash, her new husband, is quieter, but there's a steadiness in him I recognize. Jenna adores Skye like a sister, and seeing her this happy with Dash beside her eases something in my chest I didn't even know was tight. The kind of bond that makes you believe some people really do find their forever.
Inside, the house smells like pulled pork and cornbread. Josh waves me in from the kitchen. The man could run a fence line and still bake the best damn cornbread this side of Texas. Mom is in her apron, shooing Josh away from the rolls, acting as though he doesn't know how long bread takes to warm. She stops to hug me, flour on her cheek.
There's music coming from an old speaker in the corner, something classic and twangy, and it hums right through the walls.
"You made it," Josh says, handing me a beer.
"Wouldn't miss it," I say, clinking the bottle against his. "What's the occasion? Or is Jenna just bored again?"
"Bit of both," Dad answers from the doorway, clapping me into a quick hug that smells of cedar and pipe smoke. "Also, Jesse and Natalie are coming. He's got something to say."
I raise a brow but don't press. Natalie is Austin's little sister and the whole reason Austin came back to town to help run her aunt's diner. Jesse has been through hell and back, and Natalie's the kind of woman who holds people together. If he's got something to announce, it'll be worth hearing. Probably something big if Jenna broke out the good tablecloth.