"Eliza." He takes my hands in his, and I notice the calluses on his palms.
My brother, who used to moisturize religiously, has working hands now.
"This is my home now. I know that's hard for you to hear, but it's true. I've found my place. My people."
The word hits me like a slap.
"Your people?" I pull my hands free.
"It happened fast. Becca and I just... we knew." His eyes go soft in a way I've never seen before. "When it's right, you don't need time to figure it out. You just know."
I want to scream. I want to grab him by the shoulders and shake some sense into him. Instead, I take a breath and channel every ounce of professional composure I've built over eight years of family law.
"Danner, you've known these people for what, a year? And now you're married, living on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, doing goat yoga?" I gesture around the rustic lobby. "This isn't you. This is some kind of... midlife crisis. Quarter-life crisis. Whatever."
"This is exactly me." His voice is gentle, which somehow makes it worse. "This is the version of me I was always supposed to be. I just didn't know it until I got here."
"Until you got seduced by what? The Kingridge money, you mean. The legacy. The land." The bitterness spills out before I can stop it.
Silence drops between us like a stone.
Danner's jaw tightens. "That's not fair."
"Isn't it?" I fold my arms across my chest, armor clicking into place. "Our father had two families, Danner. He chose this one. He chose Alexander and Bowen and the rest of them. He left Mom to raise us alone while he played cowboy king out here. And now you're just... joining them? Like none of that matters?"
"It matters." Danner's voice is quiet but firm. "But I'm not going to punish myself forever for mistakes Pa made way back when. And I'm not going to let you punish yourself either."
"Pa?!" The word shoots out of me. "What the fuck, Danner? Why don't we just get MeMaw and throw ourselves a hoedown?" I open my mouth to continue, but before I can, a crack of thunder shakes the windows.
We both turn to look outside, where the sky has gone from gray to nearly black.
"Shit." Walker's voice cuts through the moment.
I'd almost forgotten he was there, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "That storm's moving faster than they said. It's over, folks. No one's going anywhere tonight. In fact, it's probably time to get out of here and back to our cabins."
I ignore Walker and look straight at my brother. "I have a hotel room in town. I'll stay there for the night. Tomorrow morning I'll meet Becca and see if she is a more rational person than you..."
"Not happening." Walker folds his arms over his chest.
I look at Danner, hoping for backup. Instead, he pulls out his phone and frowns at the screen.
"He's right. The county just issued a travel advisory." He looks up at me, apologetic. "You'll have to stay here tonight. We can talk more tomorrow."
"Fine. I saw guest cabins when I drove in. I'll take one of those."
Danner winces. "Yeah, about that... They're mid-renovation. Roofs are half torn off for the solar panel installation. They're totally unlivable right now."
I roll my eyes. "Of course they are. Fine. I'll stay with you and Becca. I'm sure your wife won't mind meeting her new sister-in-law during a blizzard." I can't quite keep the edge out of my voice. "Time for some forced family bonding."
"Wow, I'm really striking out here. We would love to have you, but..." Danner rubs the back of his neck, looking genuinely uncomfortable. "We're in a one-bedroom. And we don't run the heater."
I stare at him. "You don't run the heater. In December. In Texas."
"It's part of our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint. We use body heat and weighted blankets. It's actually very cozy once you get used to it?—"
"Fucking gross. I'm not cuddling with you and your wife for warmth, Danner."
"I wasn't offering." Danner cuts his eyes at me.
