Tinsel (Lark Cove #4)(89)

Christ, it sounded awful when she said it out loud.

Sofia shot off the couch, but she didn’t leave. She just stood above me, her chest heaving as she fought the urge to either slap me or cry.

Probably both.

“This is insane, Dakota. It’s completely fucked up.”

She wasn’t wrong. It was fucked up. But that still didn’t help me figure out how to un-fuck it up.

Sofia took a few steps, making a circle as she thought it all over. She dragged her fingers through her hair, pulling hard at the roots. “You have to choose. God, I hate even saying that. But I can’t change who I am.”

“I know. I don’t want you to change.”

She scoffed. “Someone has to give here, love.”

“Can you see this is killing me?” I ran my hands over my face. “I know this is my burden. I know I’m putting it all on you. But you wanted the truth. That’s where I’m at. That’s my battle.”

The battle I felt like I’d been fighting my entire life.

Choose Sofia, and I’d lose my family.

Choose my family, and I’d lose the love of my life.

I’d walked away from the reservation years ago. I’d convinced myself I’d forged my own path.

Except all of the things I’d shunned seemed more important now that Dad was gone.

“I don’t want to lose you.” Her voice broke. “But I don’t want to lose me either. I feel like I’ve worked so hard to find myself this year. I don’t want to give up the woman you fell in love with.”

“Come here.” I waved her over.

She came to me, dropping to her knees in front of me instead of sitting next to me on the couch. Her hands threaded through my hair.

“You are you. Maybe you feel like you discovered yourself this year, but I’ve seen you since the beginning. And I fell in love with you the moment you tripped and fell on a bunch of peanut shells.”

She laughed, a tear falling from one of her eyes. “There has to be a way.”

“We’ll figure it out.”

“We will?”

I had no fucking clue, so I lied. “We will.”

“When? We can’t ignore all of this.”

“I know. Let’s get through Thanksgiving with your parents. Let’s just . . . it’s out there.” We both knew the choice I had to make.

“Okay.” She nodded, the hope in her eyes dulling. “I think I’m going to take a quick walk. I have a call with Daniel in an hour, and I need to get my head clear first.”

The last thing I wanted was for her to leave, but at least she’d stayed to talk. Not that anything was solved. She was still walking out the door. This time, it was only for a walk. Next time . . .

I didn’t want to think about next time.

“Fine.” I held out a hand to help her up. I walked with her to the door and grabbed her coat from the floor, holding it open as she put it on.

“I’ll make breakfast. It’ll be ready when you come back.”

She nodded. “I’m not going far.”

I kissed her quickly then turned for the bedroom to collect our cold coffee mugs.

“Dakota,” she called, stopping me.

“Yeah?”

“I see it. I see it so clearly, and it’s magnificent. It takes my breath away.”

“See what, babe?”

“The future.” She turned the knob on the door. “I wish you could see it too.”





“It’s so good to see you, sweetheart.” Mom hugged me as she came into the living room at Logan and Thea’s house.

Dad was next, pulling me into his arms before letting me go to shake Dakota’s hand. “Good to see you again, Dakota.”

“You too, sir.”

“Please, call me Thomas.” Dad waved him off. “I get enough sirs at work.”

Dakota nodded, kissed my mother on the cheek and gave me a smile as Aubrey and Granny came into the living room to join us.

The chaos of their arrival had energized the whole house. Logan was busy hauling in some bags from their rented SUV. The kids were going crazy, excited to see their grandparents.

“Hi.” I hugged Aubrey. “How are you?”

“Good. I’m—ugh.” She was interrupted when her phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket, frowned, then silenced the call. “I’d be better if a certain cop stopped calling me. But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

I fought a smile. “Me? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“He’s relentless.”

Since I’d come to Montana, I hadn’t had a chance to catch up with Aubrey. But I was guessing that Landon had made it his new hobby to pester my sister for a date.

I was rooting for him to win her over. As she looked at her phone again, her eyes twinkled at his name on the screen. I suspected Landon wasn’t far from wearing her down.

“Nice to see you again, Aubrey.” Dakota hugged her then stood by my side as they all came and sat in the living room.

Charlie had already stolen Granny away to her room, where the pair would probably be for the next hour, reading books and catching up on their time apart. The little kids climbed all over my parents, wanting to know where their special presents were stashed while Logan and Thea looked on with happy smiles.