Briar Valley: The Complete Duet

26. Killian

CHAPTER 26

KILLIAN

PURPLE - WUNDERHORSE

“Pass me the screwdriver.”

Ryder slaps the tool into my hand, frowning at the complicated booklet of instructions. “This makes zero sense. Why do they make it so complicated?”

“We don’t need the instructions, idiot. I know what I’m doing.”

“How does your back not break under the weight of your ego, Kill?”

Crouching down beside us on Willow’s living room floor, Zach casts a critical eye over the pile of pine-coloured wood and countless screws yet to be assembled. We’ve been at it for over an hour already.

“I still remember the bookshelf fiasco.” He snorts when I give him the stink eye. “There were more parts left over than in the actual shelf.”

“Shut up, little asshole.”

Jabbing an elbow into his ribs, Zach groans in pain and flops onto his back. “Ouch, dickhead. Someone doesn’t like criticism.”

“Not from you I don’t. You couldn’t assemble a fucking cardboard box.”

“He’s right,” Ryder agrees.

Zach glowers at us both. “How can I apply for a disownment? I want a new family.”

“No one would take you, kid.”

Busy in the kitchen, Willow is slicing vegetables at the counter and watching the three of us bicker with amusement. She offered to cook dinner in exchange for our help assembling her newly purchased dining table and chairs.

I tried to convince her to let me build the furniture myself, but she’s on a roll this week, insisting on being all independent and shit. While I love seeing her slowly come back to herself, my possessive instincts are in overdrive.

A primitive part of me loved it when she was living in our spare room and dependent on us for everything. Food. Warmth. Shelter. We gave her this space so she had her own home but letting her find her own feet is giving me stress-induced hives.

“Is that true?” she asks.

“It’s why I chopped up the shelf for firewood and made my own.” I shake my head in disgust. “Ikea doesn’t know how to build shit. I can do a better job myself.”

“Too big-headed to take instructions from a piece of paper?” She wanders over with a glass of wine in hand. “I’d like the table to actually stand. It’s not just firewood for you to burn.”

Grabbing her by the wrist, she screeches in surprise and nearly dumps her glass of red wine on Zach’s head. He plucks it from her hand just in time. Willow lands across my lap, staring up at me with wide eyes.

“We always need more firewood. Sure I can’t go fetch my axe?”

“You’re impossible, Kill.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Crushing my lips against hers, I steal her breath before handing her off to Zach for safekeeping. We have a table to finish. She gave me a job and I’ll get it done, no matter how tempted I am to smash this stupid thing to pieces.

“Don’t distract him.” Zach pins her in his arms and kisses her temple. “Quit being all cute and sexy as well, or we’ll all be eating on the floor again.”

Willow draws a little halo over her head. “Me?”

“Don’t act all innocent.”

“I am the innocent one here. You’re the troublemaker, Zach.”

“It didn’t sound like that from what I heard the other morning,” Ryder mutters, his face buried in instructions. “Innocent isn’t the word I’d use for those sounds.”

Willow clears her throat. “Um.”

“Nothing to say?” Ryder winks at her. “That’s a first.”

Maintaining a stony expression that gives nothing away, I almost break cover when Zach starts laughing. We all heard him screwing Willow in the shower at the weekend. I’m surprised they didn’t wake the whole damn town up.

“Don’t act all coy,” Ryder throws at me. “I know full well that you joined in too.”

Still, I don’t let my fa?ade crack. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

“Might be time to invest in some headphones,” Zach adds.

Ryder tosses the instructions over his shoulder with a sigh. “You guys should be happy I have zero interest in the female species. It was like a live porno in my back garden.”

Willow flames bright red. “I’m sorry, Ry. We’ll be quieter.”

“You’re lucky it’s just us up here. Lola would skin both of you bastards alive if she knew what you were doing to her precious granddaughter on a daily basis.”

“I’m going to get on with dinner,” Willow interjects in a squeaky voice, retreating back to the safety of the kitchen. “Chop chop. Tables don’t build themselves.”

Admittedly, we may have gotten carried away recently. She has no idea the effect she has on me. I’m not going to apologise for finally enjoying what’s mine. Fuck anyone who doesn’t like it.

Catching Zach’s distracted gaze, I watch him shamelessly checking out Willow’s ass, highlighted by the skinny blue jeans she’s wearing with a flowing white blouse. I snap my fingers in front of his face, bringing him back to the present.

“You gonna sit there gawking or actually help us?”

Zach shrugs. “I can’t do both?”

“No. Stop eye-fucking Willow and focus already.”

“Eye-fucking?” he repeats.

“You know exactly what I mean. I’m surprised you weren’t drooling too.”

He flips me the bird and crouches down next to Ryder, picking the discarded instructions back up. Between the three of us, we have the table and chairs all constructed after another hour and lots of colourful cursing.

I could have built something better in my sleep, but Willow insisted on buying her own furniture for her first real home. This is the most we’ve ever seen her smile. It’s been a long rough patch since the miscarriage, but she’s coming back to us, day by day.

We need to keep her distracted and focused on the future. Those endless weeks of blank faces and silence were fucking agony. I felt powerless as she pushed me even further away. That can never happen again, no matter what we have to do to bring her back.

Handing out a round of cold beers, we gather in the living room, surrounded by paint pots and brushes. Willow changed her mind on the last colour we used and chose a deep turquoise for the walls instead to match the dark wood finishes.

“Interesting colour,” I complain.

Ryder rolls his eyes. “Shut up. Willow likes it.”

“I’m doubting my skills a bit here,” Zach worries.

“Fuck it up and you have to fix it.”

“Awesome,” he drawls. “Very helpful.”

Setting himself up with a fresh roller to go over the last colour, Zach ends up getting more paint on himself than the actual wall. Leaving him to make even more mess, I work on securing several abstract paintings that Micah gifted Willow last week.

“Giant! Giant!”

Bursting through the front door, Arianna toes off her sandals and rushes at me without stopping for a breath. I catch her mid-stride before she knocks over a paint can, twirling her in the air and placing a kiss on her cheek.

“Careful, Ari. There’s paint everywhere.”

“You’re tickling me with your whiskers!” she shouts.

I frown at the little devil. “Whiskers?”

“Like a big jungle cat,” she explains cheekily.

Silencing Zach and Ryder’s laughter with a threatening glare, I rub my beard against Arianna’s cheeks again. She screams and demands to be put down. I deposit her in Zach’s outstretched arms instead.

“Zach! Why are you covered in paint?”

“Because I’m shit at painting,” he replies with a grin.

“Language!” Willow scolds, stepping into the living room with her hands on her hips. “Ari, doesn’t Mummy get a hug anymore?”

Escaping Zach’s paint-splattered embrace, Arianna races into her mother’s open arms. Willow easily plucks her up, ruffling her blonde pigtails. She laughed her ass off this morning when I did Arianna’s hair for homeschool.

The devilish child requested pigtails. What was I supposed to do, deny her? Arianna’s got me wrapped around her fucking finger and she knows it too. I’ll surrender my pride if it makes her grin up at me like she did this morning.

“Sorry, Mummy.”

“Hey, baby,” she coos back. “How was school?”

“Rachel gave me three new books to read!” Arianna looks over at Zach. “Will you read them to me before bed? I like it when you do the funny voices.”

He winks at her. “Of course I will, princess.”

“Yay! What’s for dinner? I’m really hungry.”

“It will be ready soon.” Willow sets her back on her feet. “First, Micah has a surprise for you in the bedroom. Go and have a look.”

“He does?” Arianna gasps.

“Go on. Don’t keep him waiting.”

We all head to the back of the cabin which is almost complete. We went furniture shopping last weekend and got all of the remaining essentials. I took great care to choose an extra-large bed for Willow, purely for selfish purposes.

“I wanna see!” Arianna screams. “Lemme in, Micah!”

Willow knocks on the bedroom door, waiting for Micah’s voice to call us all inside. We enter the spacious room, and our eyes immediately lift to the furthest wall where his mural is complete after hours of painstaking work.

“Holy shit,” I curse.

I’ve never given a damn about art, but hell. My cousin has some serious talent. He’s been hiding this from us for years. I always knew he was good, but this is next level insane.

“It’s finally done.” Micah nervously spins the paintbrush in his hands. “I can change it if you don’t like it, Ari, or rethink… or…”

Cutting off his anxious rambling, Arianna throws herself into his arms. Micah hesitates at first, but soon circles his arms around her to accept the enthusiastic hug.

“It’s amazing,” Arianna whispers in awe. “Look, I’m a princess! Wow… and Mummy too. Micah! You’re so clever!”

The entire surface is covered in a colourful, floor-to-ceiling scene. I saw the sketches he drew up, but this is something else. Each leaf, stalk and sprinkle of stardust on the wall feels like it’s leaping off the plaster.

“Willow?” Micah bites his lip.

She gawks at the wall with her mouth hanging open. “Mi, holy crap! I can’t believe you did this all yourself.”

“Language,” Zach throws her words back at her. “Little ears are present.”

Scowling at him, Willow flies across the room. She tosses her arms around Micah and this time, there isn’t a second of doubt. He presses their lips together, despite us all watching them embrace. When they part, he’s grinning from ear to ear.

“I’m glad you both like it,” he offers quietly.

“Like it? Your work should be in a gallery or something.”

“Nah. I don’t think so.”

“Stop being so modest,” I scold. “This is crazy good.”

Micah rubs the back of his neck. “Thanks, Kill.”

Retreating from the room, he mumbles about getting cleaned up. I know he’s still struggling to adjust to being around people, but he gets better at it with each passing day. Willow’s presence in our lives has broken through his icy lake of solitude.

We leave Arianna to dance around her finished bedroom and return to the kitchen. Zach and Micah lay the newly built table with flower-spotted plates and shining cutlery, allowing me to sneak up behind Willow and band my arms around her waist.

“Whatcha cooking?”

She wiggles her butt against me. “Tamales.”

“Mexican, huh? Another dish from home?”

“Yeah. It’s all I know how to cook.”

“Who taught you? The chef?”

Willow falls silent as she stirs the homemade salsa, staring into its herby depths. I hate it when she zones out like this. It’s like I can see her falling over the edge of a cliff.

“Come back, baby.”

“Sorry… it’s just stuff.”

“Talk to me. I’m listening.”

Her head lowers in defeat. “My friend… he died back in Mexico. Arianna still asks about him sometimes.”

Turning Willow’s frame in my arms, I cup her suntanned cheeks. The summer has brought out gorgeous freckles and imperfections that pepper her cheeks, but her hazel eyes are still haunted, brimming with secrets.

“What happened to him?” I ask softly.

Tears pool in her eyes. “It took more than just me to get us out of that place, Kill. He was the only friend I ever had. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.”

I stuff the automatic feelings of jealousy down where they can’t see the light of day. Willow doesn’t need to know how pathetic I am, envious of her relying on another man.

If I’d known where she was, I’d have broken her out myself. It wouldn’t have mattered that she was a stranger then. I’m physically incapable of standing by while good people suffer, and only the scum of the earth would abuse a mother and her innocent child.

“How did he die?”

“Shot,” she croaks.

“Shit, Willow. I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t want to talk about this right now.” She blinks aside tears, her mask sliding back into place. “He’s dead and I can’t bring him back, so it doesn’t matter anymore.”

My thumbs stroke over her blemished skin. “I think it does, but I get it. I know what it’s like to lose people. I’m here if you want to talk.”

She bites her lip. “I’m trying, Kill. Being vulnerable is hard for me.”

“I know, baby. I’m trying too. I’ll back off, but I’ll be here when you’re ready to tell me the whole story. Just know that you won’t scare me off, no matter what you say.”

“Deal,” she replies with a smile.

Lapsing into comfortable silence, we work together to finish dinner. It’s been a long time since I cooked with anyone. Feeding the twins was usually an activity reserved for me and my mama growing up.

I feel closest to her while cooking. It’s been a long time since my parents passed away, but I still feel their absence in every corner of Briar Valley.

The constant reminders forced me to build my walls impossibly high—until Willow knocked them all down. For that, I’m grateful. She will never realise how she’s changed my life.

Getting everything transferred to the dining table, we gather the whole rowdy group. Arianna claims the seat next to Micah, still fawning over the paint-smeared son of a bitch. He looks mighty pleased about that fact, letting us settle around them.

“Wait,” Willow blurts. “The food might be a bit spicy.”

Zach’s eyes light up. “Did you use my homegrown chillies?”

She nods. “They’re in the salsa and salad.”

“Sweet.”

“Am I gonna need a glass of milk with this?” Ryder asks.

“Um, maybe.”

Grumbling to himself, he disappears to get his drink from the fridge, leaving the rest of us to dig into the meal. Surrounded by my family, all laughing and sharing food, makes me freeze with the fork halfway up to my mouth.

I want to take a mental snapshot of this moment. For the first time in years, this actually feels like a real family. Not just an empty cabin full of broken people. It’s all because of her. She’s given us a reason to come together.

Taking Willow’s hand under the table, I drop a kiss on her head. She smiles up at me, her lashes framing grateful eyes that haunt my dreams every night. Fuck, this girl.

“Thanks for building the table,” she murmurs.

Zach cuts me off. “Um, hello. Me and Ryder worked tirelessly to build this bad boy too. I even got a splinter. Look!”

He sticks out his spotless index finger with an exaggerated sigh. Willow shakes her head at his antics, stabbing a tamale and dipping it in salsa.

“You’re such a jackass, Zach. Eat your food.”

He shoves a huge forkful into his mouth. “I’ll make you pay for that later. I’m a very sensitive creature, you know. You’ll need to soothe my bruised ego.”

Ryder lets out a long-suffering sigh as he sits down. “Can we please save the sexy talk for when I’m not eating? It’s making me feel a bit ill.”

“What’s sexy talk?” Arianna blurts.

Choking on a mouthful, Willow has to hammer Micah on the back before he chokes. Zach is grinning at Arianna, while Ryder points his fork at the idiot threateningly.

“You’re corrupting the child, Zachariah.”

Zach raises his hands. “Hey, I’m a good influence.”

Ryder tucks a loose strand of hair behind Arianna’s ear. “Don’t worry, squirt. Uncle Ryder will look after you. Ignore these mannerless twats.”

“What’s a twat?” she asks instead.

Willow’s head thumps against the table. “Jesus, it’s like feeding time at the zoo.”

I smooth a hand over her hair. “You wanted a family, right?”

She groans in response. “Yes.”

“Well, now you’ve got one. Better get used to this.”