Stone usually expected some sort of weather warning before a tornado like that one blew through. Still, he held his ground. “What the hell did I do?”
Zane snorted and rolled his eyes.
“Tell me,” Stone insisted.
Zane leaned forward, his voice low and dangerous. “You want the whole list? Or just the highlights?”
“I want the fuckin’ truth,” Stone snapped back. “That’d be a good start.”
“Why don’t we start with how you blew outta town without a fuckin’ word.”
Stone was shocked by the adamance in his cousin’s tone. “Without a fuckin’ word to who?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Your mom. My mom.”
Stone frowned. “What’re you talkin’ about?”
“Don’t play dumb, Stone. It’s beneath you.”
“I have no fuckin’ idea what you’re talkin’ about.”
“Of course you don’t because you rewrote history to suit your objective.”
Stone set down his beer, staring at Zane, trying to figure out who the fuck ushered him through a door into an alternate universe because seriously? Assuming Zane was referring to when Stone left fifteen years ago, he thought back to the conversation he’d had with his parents before he left. He’d sat down with them and explained what he wanted to do. No, he didn’t tell them his full reasons for wanting to leave or what happened between him, Stevie, and Nico, but he did sit down with them. His mother had been upset but understanding. His father had been supportive, reminding him he always had a place to come back to when he was ready.
“So why’re you back, Stone? You hear through the grapevine that my parents were lookin’ to do somethin’ with their land? You thought it would be the perfect opportunity to swoop in? Think this’ll be your big break?”
His knee-jerk reaction would’ve been to tell Zane to go fuck himself. However, Stone knew that wasn’t the right thing to do. Stevie was right when she said Zane was as laid-back as they came, so his animosity was out of left field. He obviously had a reason.
“I didn’t go to them about the land,” he explained, trying to keep his tone calm. “They called me.”
“Oh, I know. But you jumped right on it, didn’t you?”
Stone frowned, opting for complete honesty. “You’re damn right I did. But I’m not expectin’ a fuckin’ handout. I’m puttin’ in the work.”
“Sure you are.” Zane sucked down the rest of his beer. “Then what? How long will it be before you get bored and leave again?”
“Bored? Is that why you think I left?”
“And hopped from job to job,” Zane tacked on. “I’ve heard my mother talkin’ over the years. They call you the wanderer. Always movin’ from place to place. Incapable of stayin’ put. How long will it last this time? A month? A year? Two?”
“What the fuck do you care?” Stone retorted.
“Because that land belongs tomyfamily. Not yours.”
Ouch.
Stone exhaled, the wind successfully knocked out of him. “I didn’t realize we came from two different ones, Zane.”
For the first time, he saw a hint of remorse in Zane’s eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“Actually, I don’t.” Stone sighed. “But it doesn’t matter to you, does it? You’ve made up your mind. I’m not a Walker; therefore, I’m just an outsider. Never mind thatmyfamily’s been here as long as yours.” Stone squared his shoulders, lowered his voice, and pinned Zane with a stare. “And never mind that you’re just as much a Jameson as you are a fuckin’ Walker. Or did you forget that part? That your mom is my dad’s sister.”
Zane’s lips pursed, his anger simmering once again. At least it’d come down from a full boil. Problem was, Stone knew there was nothing he could say or do to convince his cousin that his anger was misplaced. If there was anyone more stubborn than a Jameson, it was a Walker.
Stone shifted to the end of the seat, prepared to walk away. “Thanks for nothin’, Zane.”
He made it several steps before Zane called out, “Wait.”
