Page 98 of Lonesome Moon

She hung her head for a moment. “The idea of leaving Rhett feels like someone’s punching me repeatedly in the chest.”

“That bad?”

“Yep. All these years, I dismissed the idea of him. Told myself we were kids, you know, when we were in love, and that surely it wouldn’t be real now. Even though I’ve compared every man I’ve ever dated to him. No one holds up. No one can make me laugh as hard as he does, or get me to talk about the real stuff. There was never any pretenses between us. From the time we were little kids, we could look at the other one and know exactly what we were thinking so there was no reason to pretend otherwise. I love that about us. And we still have that chemistry. Our age hasn’t seemed to change that one bit. In fact, it’s even more intense.”

“What are you saying?”

She turned to look at me. “I’m saying I’m ready to change my whole life to be with him.”

I stared at her. “You are?”

“I think so. We haven’t made any decisions yet, obviously. I haven’t really told him what I’ve been thinking about.”

“Why not?”

“Because it sounds absolutely crazy. I’ve given my whole life to Stonehaven. But it’s not enough, Luci. I want something for myself. And that something is Rhett.”

“Well, okay then.” A wave of grief rose up in me. I fought hard but the tears came anyway.

“Hey now, what this? Talk to me,” Holly said, voice as tender as if I were still six years old.

“It’s Grant.” And it all came out. I told her about three years ago and how the feelings had returned the moment I saw him again. “I’m in love with him. But he’s choosing Jack.”

“I don’t understand.”

I launched into the whole thing—my brother’s warning ten years ago to stay away from his little sister. Grant’s damage from his messed-up childhood and how alone he felt until he found the band. “They’re like family. He’s afraid that if he tells Jack about us, he’ll be tossed aside.”

“That’s not true, though. Is it?”

I let out a long sigh. “I didn’t think so at first, but now, after sneaking around all month, I’m feeling confused and unsure. But I know one thing. Grant has to be the one to tell Jack. And, so far, he hasn’t done it.”

Holly was quiet for a moment, looking out over the frozen pond. “These guys and their bond—it’s tight. Five men who haven’t had much support in their lives came together to make something truly beautiful. Grant’s fears, whether founded or not, are real.”

“I know that.”

“But it still hurts. Give him a little more time.” Holly wrapped her arm around my shoulder to give a quick squeeze. “I had no idea this month would be what it is. But I have to believe that we’re all here for a reason. Maybe simply to shake us all up and start to see things as they really are.”

“Which is what?” I asked.

“Love, when it’s real, brings you back to whom you belong.”

The beauty of her words made me tear up all over again.

“I don’t know him well, obviously,” Holly said. “But I sense a truly great man who has some scars on his heart. Sometimes those scars take a bit to heal.”

I nodded, telling her the story of his father blindfolding him somewhere on the family’s property with an order to find his way home.

“That’s awful,” Holly said. “Who does that?”

“I don’t know, but it certainly explains a lot.”

“No wonder he clings so fiercely to Jack and the others,” Holly said. “It must feel like a fight for survival.”

“My brother’s getting married today, and I need to be present, so I’ve got to shake this off.”

“Hang in there, sweetie,” Holly said. “It’ll be all right.”

“I hope so.” I rested my head against her shoulder and for a moment I was back to the time when Holly used to look after me even though no one asked her to. “Don’t forget to take care of yourself, okay?”