But he was my brother.
And he needed me.
“Where are you now?” I asked.
“At the house. Trying to keep busy.” A pause. “Can you come? Just for a day or two?”
My trip calendar flashed in my mind. Three days free. I’d been planning to spend them with Sienna—hiking, maybe grabbing dinner again, maybe just finding quiet places to talk, to be near her. Now all of that blurred behind the heavier weight of obligation.
I swallowed the tightness in my throat. “Yeah. I’ll come.”
Relief broke in his voice, sharp but grateful. “Thank you. God, thank you.”
We talked a little longer—details, reassurance, the fragile stitching of a man trying not to unravel. When the call finally ended, I sat there for a long minute, phone heavy in my hand.
I didn’t want to go.
But I had to go.
And that realization lodged somewhere deep in my chest, scraping against something new and unsteady…the beginnings of a life that wasn’t solely built on responsibility.
The beginnings of something with Sienna.
Damn it.
I stood, grabbed my jacket, and stepped out of the cabin, heading straight for her cottage before I could talk myself in circles.
She deserved to hear it from me.
The morning sunlight hit the Lodge grounds gently, warming the budding branches, carrying the scent of damp earth. Everything felt too calm compared to the storm tightening inside my ribs.
When I reached her cottage, I knocked.
She opened the door almost immediately.
“Hey,” she said, smiling the kind of smile that steadied me even when I didn’t want to admit it. “I was just about to come find you.”
I wished that didn’t hurt.
“We need to talk,” I said gently.
The smile faded, not into fear, just into concern. “Okay. Come in.”
I stepped inside. She closed the door softly behind us and turned, arms folding lightly, waiting.
“My brother called,” I began. “He’s having… marriage trouble. Serious trouble.”
Her eyes softened instantly. “Oh, Carson. I’m sorry.”
“He asked me to come home for a couple of days. He wouldn’t have called unless he needed me.”
She nodded, absorbing it without flinching. “Of course. Family comes first.”
“I have three days before my next trip,” I said quietly. “And I was planning to… spend them with you.”
“We can still have three days. They’ll just be… later.”
I exhaled, and she stepped closer, slow and thoughtful, like she was checking if I needed space first.
