Wolf shrugged. “You know what I mean.”
Sawyer gave him a long look. “I guess.”
Wolf swung his axe down hard, splitting the log in two that he’d just set up. He was trying to get a good stock of firewood going for the cold weather that was up ahead. He wanted to make sure that Violet stayed warm.
Of course, he didn’t know if she had any clue how to start a fire. But given how game she was dealing with rodents and spiders, he imagined that she could get a woodstove going.
“You aren’t worried she isn’t coming back?” Sawyer asked.
Damn his brother, honestly.
He gritted his teeth. But she’d told him not to worry last night.
I’m not leaving you.
“She said she was coming back.”
Violet would keep her word. That much he knew.
He ignored the disquiet in himself. The fact that he had been worried about it. The fact that he’d taken her proclamation about going back to Copper Ridge on board and done his best not to react while inside he’d been questioning whether or not it meant his time with her was over. And the beast inside him had roared. But he’d managed to keep it easy. To keep a smile on his face. But then when they’d gotten into their room...she’d said she wasn’t leaving him.
So he believed her.
It was clear that Sawyer didn’t necessarily. But Sawyer didn’t know her.
“She wants to go do some Christmas thing.”
“Without you?”
He arched a brow. “Weird, because I’m known for my sparkling, glorious personality that is obviously geared toward holiday celebration.”
“I’m just saying, did shewantyou to go?”
The way his brother said that made him wonder, and he didn’t like that. He didn’t like being uncertain at all.
“She would’ve invited me,” he said.
Sawyer laughed. “Okay. Granted, I’ve had a wife for like four months. But... No. She wouldn’t necessarily have asked.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s a test. Because you’re supposed to prove your love by offering, even though she didn’t indicate that she needed you to do that. There are a lot of reasons. I don’t know all the reasons. I just know that there are reasons.”
“I think she wanted to spend some time with her friend. And with her family.” But he had doubts now.
“She probably wants you to come after her.”
Wolf sighed. “I don’t know how to do this.”
“You did,” Sawyer said, fixing him with a hard look.
“That was different. I was sixteen when all that started. And it just happened. There was no... There was no baby. There was no marriage. There was no...”
“You mean, there was nolife? Yeah. This is being an adult and navigating relationships, I guess.”
Wolf snorted. “I was excited to be in a relationship back then. Because I was an idiot.”
“Maybe you should try to think a little bit about whatidiotyou would have done. Or actually, just think about what you actually want. Do you want to be away from her for a few days?”