Gentry and I arrive at nearly the same time, putting our UTVs in park and jumping out. He rushes over to me, enveloping me in his strong arms. “We’re gonna find him,” he breathes against my ear before kissing the top of my head.
“I know we are,” I say, peering up at him and forcing myself to believe that.
He nods once. “Come on.”
The treehouse is nothing but a shadow tangled up in branches, half-swallowed by the oak. The boards have gone gray and soft over the years, and the ladder nailed to the trunk hangs crooked and haphazard. It looks nothing like it used to. If I didn’t already know this was here, I would miss it entirely.
My pulse slams so hard as we approach, I have to stop, my hand braced against the tree. “Lukas?” I call out, my voice low, careful. “Lukas, bud, are you in here?”
Silence.
“Lukas?”
More silence.
But then I hear it… A faint scuff. Wood shifting under weight. My heart seizes as I shoot a look at Gentry before maneuveringmy way up the tree. My stomach in my throat, I lift the beam upward, relief flooding my system when I spot him.
There he is.
Curled in on himself in the corner of the treehouse, Lukas hugs his knees to his chest, his hoodie pulled over his head like armor. He looks smaller up here, younger somehow. His cheeks have dirt streaks, probably from crying, and his eyes are wide and frightened as they meet mine.
“Oh, thank god,” leaves me on an exhale. “There you are. We’ve been lookin’ for you everywhere.”
My legs tremble as I grab the ladder and climb, every rung creaking in protest. I don’t rush, and I’m careful with each step, well aware how unstable this is after all these years. When I pull myself up, the smell of old wood and dust hits me, mixed with the familiar scent of him.
The backs of my eyes sting as I crouch a few feet away, keeping my hands to myself even though everything in me wants to pull Lukas close and never let him go. My heart is still racing, my palms sweaty, and my knees weak. Adrenaline courses wickedly through my veins.
“You scared the hell out of me, kid,” I say gently, quietly. “You can’t go climbin’ into old, dilapidated treehouses. You could get hurt.”
Tears well in his eyes as he looks away. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry.”
“I know. It’s okay. Did somethin’ happen?”
His bottom lip quivers, and his arms tighten around his knees. He won’t look at me.
“Hey, whatever it is, you can tell me. I’m not mad. I was just worried as hell when nobody could find you.”
Lukas finally looks at me, his eyes shiny and raw. “I-I broke somethin’,” he murmurs, voice barely above a whisper.
I swallow thickly and nod. “Okay. What’d you break?”
“I didn’t mean to, I swear!”
“Buddy, I know you didn’t.” Reaching out, I grab his shoulder and squeeze, Lukas leaning into the touch. “You can talk to me. Whatever it is, it’ll be okay.”
His gaze finds mine, and my heart cracks open at the look in his eyes. The worry and guilt evident. “I was lookin’ around the back of the barn. There’s a birdhouse back there; I saw it from the kitchen window. I wanted to find out if I could see any birds in there.”
“Okay…”Did he break a birdhouse?
“Well, then I saw this r-really cool tractor back there,” he goes on, his voice quivering. “It looked really old, and I climbed up, wanting to pretend to drive it.”
“Did you crash it into somethin’?” I ask gently, my heart in my stomach.
Lukas shakes his head as fresh tears cascade down his cheeks. “The lever thingy broke off,” he says. “It broke, but it was an accident, I swear! I didn’t know what to do. I got scared that Gentry would hate me and you wouldn’t want to adopt me anymore, so I ran. Remi, I swear I didn’t mean to!”
The words and his panic hit like a punch.
“Whoa, hey.” I pull him into my arms, resting my cheek against the top of his head. “First of all, nothin’ will ever make me change my mind about that.Nothin’, you hear me? And Gentry would never hate you. Accidents happen. You aren’t in trouble.”
