Love Me Reckless (Love Me Dangerous #2)

Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

SAWYER

While Kirilee finishes getting dressed, I hurry out to my truck to get it warm. Yesterday’s thick clouds have melted into the washed-out winter sky, and the cold air nips at my skin.

A dusting of snow fell during the night, and the cold has turned it into a layer of tiny crystals that glitter like cut glass. I think of my crew up on the mountain, climbing up the towers and testing the machinery in preparation for another day of fun for our guests.

Will I still have a job when I report for my shift tomorrow?

My phone buzzes in my pocket as I’m scraping the windshield. I climb back into the cab for warmth. It’s Zach.

“I cruised through that neighborhood a little while ago,” he says. “Saw your truck still there.”

That my best friend is watching over us makes a lump thicken in my throat. “We’re just about to head out.”

“How’s she holding up?”

“Like a champ.”

He laughs. “Any idea what she’s going to do?”

“You mean about her family and the business? No. We’re going to visit her mom today. And that house she wanted to buy for the art center.”

“Okay.” In the background, the hum of his cruiser’s engine rises, like he’s accelerating. “Are you going to the ranch?”

“I don’t know. She’s calling the shots.”

“The fiancé finally stopped calling the sheriff.”

I rub the back of my neck. “She’s never going back to him.”

“Good.”

“Beyond that, the future is a bit murky.” And from what I can tell, Kirilee doesn’t know what’s ahead, either. A part of me is completely content to let the hours leapfrog into the next, with no plan, but there’s a nasty little voice in the back of my thoughts slowly turning up the volume that it’s all going to fall apart.

You’re too different. She’s a lady and you’re a brute. You’ll never give her the life she deserves.

“What do you two need from me?” Zach asks.

I wipe down my face with my palm to gather my thoughts. “I, um, might need help finding another job.”

“Why? I thought you liked your mechanic gig at the ranch?”

I lean back into the seat. “I do. But it won’t be long before the boss knows who I am and what I did.”

“You didn’t put a gun to her head, force her to run.”

“Doubt they’ll see it that way.”

“They can’t just fire you.”

“I like your optimism.”

The sun peeks over the trees, shining bright, lemony rays over the snow-covered landscape. “Tomorrow, maybe Kirilee could hang out with Sofie while I’m at work? I don’t want her to be alone right now.”

“Good idea. Ava and Hutch are still in town. Sofie asked them for help with a couple of projects at the house, I bet they would love to have Kirilee, too.”

We end the call with Zach pledging his support and me promising to keep him in the loop .

When I return inside, Kirilee comes down the hallway dressed in fitted black pants, boots, and a moss green sweater that matches her eyes. Her long hair is tied back in a loose braid I can’t wait to unravel as soon as we get home. After wrapping it in my fist.

“It was supposed to be my travel outfit,” she says with a shy twitch of her lips.

I take her hand and tug her to me. “Where were you headed?”

“Morocco. Birch wanted to ride horses on the beach.”

Of course, the trip would be about douche date and what he wanted. “It’s not too late,” I tease.

She laughs. “I prefer the honeymoon I’m having right now.”

I stroke her lower back beneath the hem of her sweater. “You want to postpone these errands you have planned? If this is a honeymoon, we better make it count.”

Her smile lights up her face. “We’ll have plenty of time for that later.”

“I like those plans.” I press her body into mine.

She gives a little pump of her hips to grind against me. “Me too.”

I’m tempted to flip her over my shoulder and march her to one of the other bedrooms we haven’t used yet, but with a giggle, she darts from my grasp and skips through the door.

Inside my idling truck, I grab her thigh and snug her closer, so she’s glued to my side. The warmth from the sudden contact in this chilled space washes through me, and I put my arm around her shoulder as I drive.

At the little green house, we get out of the truck and wade through the deep snow around the perimeter, my fingers entwined with hers. Kirilee stops to peek into the windows. Does she see her dream coming to life before her eyes in these darkened rooms?

Back at the front of the house, she slips one of the flyers from the FOR SALE box staked into the snow. “I’ve been writing a grant. It’s a pie in the sky, but it never hurts to try, right?”

I hug her from behind as these words trickle down through me. “Nope. ”

She skims the flyer. “At least they’ve come down in price a little. I might have enough for the down payment now.”

The sun catches the light of that fucking diamond on her left hand.

With a grimace, I look away. “Have you talked to a bank yet?”

“Maybe tomorrow?” It comes out fast, like she’s excited.

I kiss her temple. “I like that idea.”

We retrace our steps through the deep snow and climb back in the truck. I pull her close again, but my eyes catch on that giant glowing rock again.

How long is she going to wear it?

Haven’t I proved to her that she’s mine?

“What?” Kirilee asks.

I draw a slow breath and release it, puffing my cheeks. “When are you going to take that thing off?”

She blinks down at where her hand is resting on my thigh. “Oh. You’re right. Of course. Forgive me.” She slips her hand free to tug at the ring but I stop her.

“Don’t.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder and press a kiss to her temple. “I’m just impatient.”

She makes a fist, making the band tighten around her delicate finger. “I need to give it back.”

That she doesn’t want to fling it into the weeds is like a knife to my chest.

But I remind myself that Kirilee isn’t like that. She’s kind to a fault. Thoughtful even to those who don’t deserve it.

“Maybe you could hock it.” I try to smile. “There’s that down payment you’re looking for.”

To my relief, she laughs. “Hmm.”

During the drive to the hospital, I cover the ring with my hand and weave my fingers with hers.

“You don’t have to come into the room with me,” she says as I pull into the parking lot. Her hand has tightened in my grip. “Grayson will be there too. ”

“Do you want me there?”

“Yes.” She chews on her bottom lip. “But when we get to her room, I think I’ll go in alone first.”

“You got it.”

Opening her door, her pretty face framed inside the cab is like opening a present, and when she slips her delicate hand into mine, her warmth spreads through me like a shock wave. It’s impossible not to pull her into my arms and hold her close. She hugs me back and I try to savor this feeling—that this is the beginning of something good.

These past two days have been the best of my life. How many more of them do we have?

I think about that shooting star burning through the atmosphere, the gold flash brightest in the instant before it snuffs out.

Kirilee releases a soft sigh like she’s happy, then smiles up at me, her cheeks flushing pink in the cold.

Inside the spacious hospital entryway, we stop for guest passes then take the elevator to the third floor. I don’t let go of Kirilee’s hand, but it’s for my sake as much as hers.

I’ve only been to a hospital once, and I’ve avoided them ever since. The lights are too bright, and the smell… like bleach and death. Add in nosy doctors and nurses who boss everyone around and it’s no wonder I feel like I’m walking into a trap.

We pass the nurse’s station, where two men in scrubs are hunched over a computer screen. They give our badges a quick glance before resuming their conversation.

At the room, Kirilee pulls me into a tight hug.

“I’ll be right outside,” I say, drawing her rich cocoa scent deep into my senses. I don’t like being more than two feet away from her, especially in this unfriendly place, but I tell myself she’ll be safe with her mom and brother.

Kirilee slips from my embrace and disappears into the room. I glance through the window, spotting Grayson, looking casual in a pair of jeans and a thick wool sweater, rise to greet her. As he hugs Kirilee, his bloodshot eyes lock with mine. His haggard face reveals what’s likely been a sleepless night. It’s yet another reminder of the turbulence all around us, that the little cocoon Kirilee and I created at the vacation rental is temporary.

Swallowing my rising discomfort, I settle with my back against the wall.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. It’s a text from Zach with a link to a news article.

FINN RIVER RANCH INVESTORS RETRACT SUPPORT

Shit.

I skim the Boise Statesman story. There’s no mention of Kirilee and the wedding she ditched, which brings up several questions in my mind. How did they keep that tidbit out of the news? And why? Is it to protect Kirilee? The word is definitely out that her partnership to Birch is in jeopardy—but do they believe she’s coming back? One of the investors, a venture capitalist from Chicago, has apparently withdrawn a twenty-million-dollar pledge which would have been used to support the green energy infrastructure Birch planned to build.

While I don’t want Kirilee bearing the weight of her family’s business collapse, the danger is real. There has to be a way to address whatever got the investors so nervous. One that isn’t tied to a doomed wedding.

“You have some nerve.”

Douche date strides down the hall, his fancy shoes making snappy little taps on the linoleum.

I slip my phone into my back pocket. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I came to visit my mother-in-law. And my fiancée.”

I push off the wall and step in front of the door. “You’ve been ex-communicated.”

“By you?” He arches an eyebrow, like we’re playing some cute game of wits and he’s just scored a point .

“By her.”

His gaze flicks past me to the room, then back to my face. “She’ll come to her senses.”

“She already did. News flash. You’re on the outside now.”

“Not for long. Now step aside.”

I coax a cooling breath into my lungs, but I’m wired tight, and the effort stings my windpipe. “The St. Claires aren’t things you get to manipulate.”

He blinks in mock surprise. “Manipulate? That’s a good one. I’m the hero here, remember?”

“Last time I checked, heroes are faithful.” I could have picked any number of things Birchnuts isn’t or doesn’t do, but this one has been thorn in my side for months.

“What are you talking about?”

He tries to step around me, but I block him. “Who was bobbing on your dick in that office at the Bitterroot Club?”

“What?” The flicker of surprise on his face vanishes almost as soon as he lets it slip. “You’re mistaken.”

“You’re the one who has made a massive mistake.” I take a step closer. “You don’t deserve Kirilee.”

He huffs in disbelief. “And you do?”

“No. But I’m going to spend my life making it up to her.”

“How endearing. Meanwhile, her family’s business is in shambles. Without me, the EPA will shut down Finn River Ranch. She’ll be homeless soon.” He gives me an open-mouthed sneer that reveals his shiny white canines. “Maybe you can show her the ropes.”

I hit him in the diaphragm and he doubles over so hard the blow threatens to knock me over, but I hold him in place while he wheezes.

“Time for you to leave,” I say in his ear.

“I’m pressing charges.”

“Go ahead, asshole.” I let him go with a subtle shove.

He stumbles back and tries to straighten, but a grimace plays across his face. “You’ll never get her money.”

I stare him down. “Bye. ”

He tugs on his suit’s lapels and glares one last time before turning away and hurrying down the hall.

A nurse from the station peers over the counter at Birch’s retreating form, then at me before slipping out of sight.

Grayson peeks from the room, scowling. “What’s going on? I heard voices.”

“Branch came by,” I say.

Grayson’s exhausted face tenses. He glances down the hall but it’s empty.

“How’s your mom?” I ask.

Grayson heaves a full sigh like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. “They have her on some sort of anti-anxiety cocktail that’s making her kind of loopy. But if she continues to improve, they plan to discharge her this afternoon.”

“That’s good.”

“Yes and no. Yes because she would of course prefer to be home than here, but she’s had quite a shock.”

I rub the back of my neck. “Is she blaming Kirilee?”

He gives me a quick scan, then crosses his arms. “Last night, once the medication kicked in, she said some things to me and our Grandma Theodora. It could be nonsense, but…” He huffs another sigh. “I think what’s at the root of Mom’s behaviors is anxiety. I don’t fully understand the mental health angle of it all, but part of what came out last night is her fear of pushing Kirilee to marry someone who doesn’t love her and never will.”

The knot behind my breastbone loosens. “Oh shit.”

“That doesn’t mean she’s any less anxious right now.”

I reel in the sudden ray of hope. “Right.”

“I’m sorry if I came off as cold,” he says, surprising me further. “That was wrong.”

“You’re looking out for your little sister. I get it.”

“I think I was scared, too.”

“Of me?”

He laughs, but it’s more of a grunt. “A little. You’re… intimidating.” He exhales another long sigh. “Kirilee marrying Birch was going to solve some pretty big problems.”

“There has to be an alternative.”

“One I need to pull out of thin air, and fast,” he says, his eyes turning serious.

Kirilee slips from the room, her eyes puffy, like she’s been crying. She gives me a brave smile. “Mom wants to meet you. Is that okay?”

Grayson gives me one final once-over, and then he offers his hand. I shake it, his steady grip reassuring.

The promise I made with Birch as my witness blares bright inside me. I may not deserve Kirilee, but if I’m lucky, I’ll have a lifetime to make it up to her. “Yeah, it’s okay.”