“Can we sit and talk?” She led the sweet girl over to the sofa and sat down. “Really. How are you?”
“You asked that already, and my answer hasn’t changed.” She seemed defensive. “I’m fine. Good.” She frowned. “Is that why you came here? You didn’t have to?—because I’m okay. Honest. Things have been fine here, too.”
“I heard a very different story,” Willow said softly. “You didn’t exactly have a welcome party when you arrived.”
Brighton shrugged, drawing her hands into her sleeves. “It wasn’t fair to Stone?—Cord ambushed him, and in a way, me.” She wrinkled her nose. “I was the last person on earth Stone wanted to see.”
“He yelled at you, and that’s not okay.”
Another shrug. “Yeah, maybe. But I understood.”
“You were traumatized and sobbing afterward.”
“It’s … You don’t understand.” Pools of brown looked up at him. “I … really hurt him, ruined his life.” She lifted her chin. “I never thought I’d see him again, and to be honest, I deserved everything he yelled and much more.”
Willow reached across the sofa and touched her knee. “Nobody deserves that. I know Stone and I’ve never seen his anger like that, but regardless, he shouldn’t have treated you like that.”
Brighton sniffled and nodded. “That’s what he said.”
Startled, Willow stilled. “My brother said that?”
“Never thought he’d talk to me again. But after I ran away, he brought me back and we … talked.” With another nod, Brighton sat cross-legged on the couch and propped her elbows on her knees.
She’s comfortable here. But Willow’s thoughts snagged on two words. “Ran away? What happened?”
Brighton gave her a shrug. “I couldn’t take it anymore. Just wanted to get out of here.”
“Couldn’t take what?”
She chewed the inside of her lip. “It’s been over a year, and I was okay until I came here and had to see him every day. Then he was so mad … yelling and angry … It just all???—I couldn’t take it.”
And here the girl had just been defending Stone. “I tried to tell Cord this was too much.”
“No.” Brighton raised a hand. “I mean???—yeah, it was rough at first. But it needed to be worked out, and we’ve done that. Mostly.”
“Want to elaborate?”
She tugged on her sleeve. “Not really.” She looked sheepish. “Is that okay?”
“Of course.” What on earth was going on between them? Mom said Stone had a lot of anger, which was unlike him. And anger was a masking emotion, so what was it masking? Did he really care about her? “I want you to know I’m here to talk. You should feel safe where you live, and I’m not sure this place??—”
“I do feel safe.” Her answer was quick and assured. “He’s always made me feel that way.”
Willow nodded, watching, wondering. Ultimately and ideally, she should get to a place where safety was not defined by a man or any other person. But that was a long journey of healing. And what on earth was she doing living in Stone’s cabin? Granted, her clothes were in the guest room, but still … it was too few steps to his bedroom.
Clearly, she needed to punch some sense into him. Warn him of impeding the healing process. Guilt had been scrawled all over his face and his rigidity when he turned away from nearly kissing Brighton and found Willow there. Honestly, it was priceless. Something she could lord over her big brother for a very long time. Siblings. What was life without a little sibling mercilessness?
“I’m glad you feel safe. Cord is still working on your placement.”
Brighton sat up, her expression open. “So, you’re not here to take me away?”
Take me away. Those words were replete with a mentality of bondage and no sense of control. “When a place has been found, moving will be up to you. Nobody is??—nor should be??—forcing you to do anything you do not want to do.”
A flicker of a smile washed through her face. “Right. Okay. He said that, too.”
Shook. That Stone could be volatilely angry then speak such healing words to Brighton … was he just saying them?
No, that wasn’t like Stone.
