“I damn well know it, too.”
He tore two sheets off a prescription pad and handed them to me. “It’s good you do because I’d hate to have to break something I’d then have to fix.”
I arched a brow.
“Laiken’s been through a lot. She’s strong, but that tough exterior guards a sensitive heart. I don’t want to see her hurt any more than she already has been.”
“I care about her. More than care, but I’m not giving you those words before I give them to Laiken. I’ll do whatever I can to make sure she’s happy and safe.”
Beckett clapped me on my uninjured shoulder. “All I could hope to hear. Now get home and follow my instructions.”
I chuckled and headed out of the exam room and down the hall. I waved and thanked the older receptionist, who blushed as I passed. Opening the door, I took in a long breath of freezing air. It helped clear away the worst of the cobwebs, but I knew I needed sleep.
The dogs barked from my truck, and I picked up my pace. Climbing behind the wheel, I headed for home. Okay, it wasn’t exactlyhome,but it was starting to feel that way. I plugged my phone into my charger and began playing voicemails.
There was one from my mom, checking in. Another from my dad. And, finally, one from a local realtor who said she had a piece of property for me to look at whenever I was ready.
I would take that win. It was time for some good news. Hopefully, it was the perfect place for a second home. I’d just have to find a way to spend a good amount of time here.
I slowed as I approached the gate to Ramsey’s property. An SUV I didn’t recognize was parked about twenty feet from it, and as I slowed, a figure stepped out from the driver’s side of the vehicle.
I pressed fully down on the brake as I took in the man with the same hazel eyes as mine. His were duller, though. A kind of deadening that came from crushing everyone who cared about you. I put my truck in park and slid out.
My brother went for a casual grin. “How was your little getaway?”
I stiffened. “What are you talking about?”
“I asked around about where you were staying. A few mentions of how I wanted to surprise my beloved brother, and people were so chatty. Some chick said you were up in the mountains.”
I worked my jaw back and forth, trying to get it to loosen. “How did you know I was in Wolf Gap?”
Eli’s grin deepened, going a bit feral around the edges. “You think I don’t know where my brother’s hiding out? I always know where you are, Bo.”
Nausea swept through me, and it only served to piss me off. “What are you doing here, Eli?”
His lips twitched. “No hug? No ‘great to see you, Eli?’”
“No.”
A little of his smile slipped. “That’s fair, I guess.” He shuffled his feet, kicking at a piece of gravel. “Shit, Bo. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have texted what I did. I was messed up. I didn’t mean it.”
How many times had I heard words like that before? Too many to count. But the remorse never stuck. Not enough to create real and lasting change anyway. “You’re right. You shouldn’t have.”
“I’m trying to apologize. To make amends.”
He threw out the word, knowing it would ignite my hope the way it had so many times before. That maybe Eli was back in the program and truly working the steps this time. But that familiar hope didn’t flare in me. Because I was done. I’d given all I could to this relationship, and it had bled me dry. “If you want to truly make amends, leave me alone. That’s all I want from you.”
Eli’s eyes flared, shock lighting across his expression. “You don’t mean that.”
“I mean it. I can’t do this with you anymore. I’m done.”
His jaw hardened and flexed. “That’s not fair. You have to give me a chance to make it up—”
“You can’t. This isn’t like when you wrecked my car or ran up a massive bill on my Amex. It’s not like when you trashed my house while I was filming or showed up high out of your mind when I got you a job on set. Carissa was a human being. I loved her. Maybe not like I should’ve, but I loved her. And you took her down that spiral of darkness with you. You just had to try to ruin her, too.”
Eli charged, shoving me so hard I stumbled back a few steps. “You didn’t fucking love her. You didn’t know the first thing about her.”
I clenched my jaw so hard I wouldn’t have been surprised if I chipped a tooth. “You’re right. I didn’t know her in the end. Because the girl I fell in love with, the one who was so full of light and had the biggest heart for others? She never would’ve fucked around on me. She never would’ve cheated with my own damn brother. But you? I know exactly who you are. None of this is a surprise, except for how far you’ve taken it.”