She was stuck between two men she was angry at. Both throwing curveballs at her. One she was worried about, and one she was pretty sure she was falling for and might have blown a chance with.
She caught Peony’s eye, and her mother raised her eyebrows in a gesture ofWhat now?, sitting down in her favorite chair with folded hands, waiting. Liz let out a huff and sat down herself, unsure how to reconcile what had her more riled up: Tanner losing his shit or Jake’s statement in the stable.
She desperately wanted to punch something, she needed a hug, and the only person she wanted one from was Jake, which was fucking with her. Confusion sucked, especially when it came to . . . well, all of it.
Tanner took another sip from the mug then set it over on a side table, flopping against the back of the couch, his eyes closed. He’d sobered up some, having upchucked out the window of Brady’s truck on the way home.
“Tanner,” Peony said, finally breaking the awkward silence. “You gave us a worry today.”
He grunted and flicked a glance toward her. “I know.”
“Well, I’m glad you know, because Lord above knows we don’t. Fighting in my house, getting so drunk you can’t even stand? This isn’t you.”
Tanner gestured with his hands, then let them fall, his entire posture admitting defeat. Peonytsked and moved over beside him on the couch, her hand brushing his hair away from his forehead, like she would when Liz was sad about something. His composure crumpled when she did, and he leaned forward to hide it, head falling into his hands. Her mother slipped an arm over his shoulders.
“Maybe it is who I am now. I don’t know anymore,” he said quietly.
“I’m sorry it’s been so hard,” Peony said, her voice gentle. “You should have come to me, my dear.”
Liz was intruding. She stood up, deciding to wait until he was completely sober and less upset to talk to Tanner. Cranky, stoic Tanner was sometimes easier to deal with, and with her restlessness, she was liable to snap at him, which wouldn’t help. She got up and headed to the other two men.
“I’ll see to it he gets a meal into him, and we’ll make him rest,” Jake was relaying to Brady, as she reached them.
“I’ll check that his list is covered for today. I’ve not much left to do on my end but some paperwork, which can wait,” Brady replied.
With that, the two men nodded and parted, leaving her standing, mouth open to ask what she could do. Obviously both of them were too deep in their own heads to even acknowledge her presence. She debated following Brady to discuss spreading the rest of the day out among the men, but let it go. He had it well in hand. He always did.
She stood a moment in the front hallway and let her anger at being snubbed fade away. She listened for another moment to her mother’s murmurings from the living room, followed by the low rumble of Tanner’s voice, quiet as he answered. A slice of worry slid through her when it was followed by a soft, gut-wrenching sob from him.
Everyone was already on edge, and it would do no good to get indignant about not being included or listen in on a conversation her mother was having with a man who never showed emotion outwardly.
She had more important things to confront, so she slid farther away from the living room into the house. There was still one West brother in the house she could talk to, and this particular conversation couldn’t wait. If it did, it might not happen.
She knew Jake would be where he’d always gone since he was forced into this ridiculous situation and needed to clear his head.
He was washing his hands, and she observed him from the door as he leaned on the counter in front of the kitchen sink. Hands braced on the rim, he bowed his head, his shoulders rising tightly, the tension in them radiating over to where she stood. He took a loud breath in through his nose and let it out through his mouth in a watery huff.
He was hurting.
She hesitated, wondering if her timing could wait, but when his knuckles went white on the sink and his biceps bulged out in an obvious attempt to keep his emotion in, she reacted.
Without thinking, she strode over to him and put her hand between his shoulder blades, like she’d done before, the tension rock hard against her touch, the heat of him echoing through her. She gave in to the worry she had been battling since they had left to go find Tanner, and leaned into it.
He turned his head and looked at her, his hair a mess over his forehead, his mouth closed and stiff.
“Today, with Tanner, was hard,” he murmured, his voice gravelly and low. “Brought me right back to Mom.”
She wondered what he’d had to endure, dealing with a parent who was an addict, which, as she thought about it, she understood all too well. That was another story for another time, because right now, he obviously needed not to be reminded of his past. Visiting the cemetery was plenty for one day.
“You know my dad put my name on the West monument?” he added.
“No.” She raised her eyebrows. How strange was it that Brett had secretly done all this reconciliation without telling another soul? It was so at odds with his normal outgoing gruffness. He was never secretive, or at least they had never known him to be. Brett was all out front; he told it like it was.
Boy, did they have him wrong. Secrets upon secrets were unfolding around them now that he was gone. He’d hidden everything so well no one would have even guessed at them. How many more were they going to uncover as time went on?
“We didn’t see it at the interment. Must’ve been hidden,” she said. “Secretive old fox.”
He nodded and slid an arm out, circling her, pulling her into his side. They stood by the sink hip to hip, and he dropped his forehead to the top of her head.
