Angel Falling (Falling #1)(71)
“Give me your keys, Heath!”
“No way, Hank. You’re in no place to drive,” he warned.
“Give me the goddamned KEYS!” I roared at my brother.
“Settle down. I’ll drive!” he screamed. “Take care of the kids and Jess, Ma!” Heath hollered over his shoulder as we ran as fast as our boots would take us, hopping in the truck and heading to my girl. I prayed that I could talk some sense into her. Losing the best thing that had ever happened to me was not in my cards. It just couldn’t be. I’d fix it and fix it fast! She’d listen. God willing, she’d listen.
They were nowhere to be found when we arrived; lock, stock, and smokin’ barrel at the ranch. I ran through the house like a horse at full gallop, but there was nothin’ for me to find. They’d left. My truck haphazardly parked in the driveway, the back door still wide open. They’d left in a hurry, and with the kind of money and a private jet that my Angel owned, there was no luck she’d be waiting at the airport.
Heath gripped my shoulder and patted my back. “What happened, bro? Why’d your girl high-tail it outta here?”
I explained the whole story to him over several beers. At least my brother had the decency to see me through it, let me talk it out. I told him everything about Susie and our past, shit he’d never known. When I left Susie all those years ago, they all thought it was because I’d lost interest or she cheated. I’d never told anyone the real reason. The one thing I couldn’t forgive her for. The reason why I’d left.
Heath took his hat off and pushed his fingers through his hair, repeatedly shaking his head. Butch pushed through the screen door and sat on my feet then leaned his furry body against my leg. His head provided a welcomed comfort against my thigh. Man’s best friend for sure.
“I had no idea, bro. Sayin’ sorry doesn’t seem quite good enough.” He took a long pull from his beer and I followed suit.
“Nope, it doesn’t. I still can’t believe she pushed to get me back, and because of her, the one f*cking woman that’d hurt me the most, I’m losing the best thing I’ve ever had. She’s taking her away from me too, bro.”
“Nah, you’ll get her back. You just got to talk to her. Tell her about what happened with Susie way back. Then tell her about what you think she already saw, but explain your side.” He paused and then looked at me. “Aspen’s it for you. I knew the second I saw you huggin’ on her. You treat her like there is no other woman in the world. Just like my Jess. She’s my only. She’s my life. Aspen’s yours.” I nodded. There was no denying that. He continued, “Even if she is a fancy city girl from NYC. We don’t get to choose who makes us right, Hank.”
“No we don’t. But I’m going to do it right this time. I’m going all in. She admitted she loved me. Fuck! That was just last night, bro, and I’ve already screwed it up!” My arms physically ached to hold my Angel. I needed to bury my face in the crook of her warm neck, smell her vanilla goodness and taste her honey lips and body. Only then would everything be right again.
“So what are you gonna do?”
“I’m going back to the job I started. Doc said I could go back to desk work and manning the jobsite as long as I didn’t do any of the lifting or physical work.”
“Okay, then what?”
“Then I’m going to start putting in for loans to get the capital I need to expand Jensen Construction.”
“You could always sell your half of the family ranch. That would give you the funding you need,” he offered. I loved my brother more in that moment than I ever did before. He’d be willing to have to deal with an outside party owning half his company to help me. To make me happy.
“Not ever gonna happen. That’s for Jensen’s only. No way, no how, would I ever sell my half of our family business. Our kids will be gettin’ the ranch one day. You hear me?” He nodded.
“I will tell you, though, that I have some options with Oliver. If he’ll talk to me.” I sighed. “He had some good ideas, but I’d have to buckle down and be humble to it.” I’d gnawed the inside of my cheek to painful proportions thinking this plan through.
“Hank, you do what you have to do to get your girl. And when you do, you never let her go. You hear what I’m sayin’? Never!”
Marriage. I’d known the second I looked into those clear blue eyes that day she’d hovered over me, a pipe ripping through my shoulder, that she was the one. The universe—the heavens, whatever—had seen to giving me an Angel in white. Oh, how I loved to see her in white. I’d damn near do anything and everything to see her walk toward me in a perfect white dress, to bind her to me for all eternity. Fate was on my side. I had to believe that above all else.
Chapter 17
“Up and at ‘em, Princess!” Oliver’s voice ripped through my sleep, shattering the perfect dream I was having. Hank and I were in a meadow, having a picnic. It was lovely. The comforter was shrewdly yanked from my form curled around the halo of warmth and solace.
“Enough of this!” Oliver sat down and patted my bare hip. “You’re killing yourself. Why don’t you just talk to him?” It was the same damn question, every damned day.
“You know why, Ollie. Stop asking. I mean it this time.” As much as my broken heart didn’t want to admit, Hank and I were over. Finito! The last few weeks had been pure, utter hell, but the end had to be in sight, somewhere.