Page 116 of Tragic (Lark Cove 3)

Though he was talking about Isaiah. To me. It was by far the best of the simple

gestures he’d made over the last month. I trusted him to talk when he was ready. He trusted me to listen. He trusted himself not to go into a rage.

He still got angry whenever he spoke about his brother, but he kept himself in check. There were no porch chairs hacked to pieces. No dishes had been shattered on the floor. Kaine would ball his fists and pace the room as he spoke through gritted teeth, but he wouldn’t shut down.

I didn’t blame him for his anger, and I understood why he’d kept it all from me. The way his muscles would bunch and his normally loving eyes would turn cold, he was a different man when that pain and anger took over.

He didn’t trust himself when he was so mad, but I did. Kaine would sooner cut off his own hand than lift it to me in anger.

“He’s so hurt, Thea. About his brother and all that happened. I wish there was something I could do to help him find some peace.”

Thea knew all about Kaine’s past. He’d shocked me by suggesting I share it all with a friend. He didn’t want me carrying the burden alone, and while his tendency was to keep things bottled up, he knew I wasn’t wired that way. So he’d driven me down to the bar one afternoon and left me there to eat pizza and confide in Thea.

“Logan and his sister went through a rough time right after we got together.”

“I remember that,” I told her.

Thea sighed. “I don’t know if I handled it right or not, but I just tried to be supportive. I let him vent when he needed to get his frustrations off his chest. And when they eventually made amends, I never held anything against her.”

Logan’s younger sister, Sofia, was a spoiled brat. Or at least, she had been. Logan had told me that Sofia had been trying harder lately to become more responsible. She was finally growing up.

But the issues between Kaine and his brother were in an entirely different stratosphere than the squabbles Logan had with Sofia.

“I doubt Kaine will ever forgive Isaiah. Making amends isn’t something I think he’ll be able to do. And I don’t blame him for it. But I do want him to find some peace with it. Not for Isaiah’s sake, just his own.”

The death of his daughter had tainted all of Kaine’s memories of Isaiah. I didn’t expect the brothers to work through their issues, especially while Isaiah was in prison, but I did want Kaine to get some closure.

“It’ll fade,” Thea promised. “You have these babies. You two live your life. The anger will fade.”

“I hope you’re right.” I smiled, then shook off my heavy heart. “Are you guys all set for Christmas?”

“Ready as I’ll ever get. Logan’s family gets here next week so that’s always hectic. But it will be nice to see everyone. When does your family arrive?”

“Same. Next week. I’m really excited to see them. This year has gone by so quickly with the move and the remodel. Then everything with Kaine and this pregnancy. It feels like I haven’t seen them for years, not months.”

I’d never been this excited for a Christmas as an adult. One nice thing about having Kaine’s cabin empty was it gave my parents a nice getaway spot for their two-and-a-half-week vacation. My brother would sleep in the guest room here when he arrived the following week.

“Is Kaine nervous about meeting them?”

I shrugged. “If he is, he’s not telling me. I think he’s more nervous that his mom has a nice time.”

Suzanne was coming up on Christmas Eve to spend the holiday with us. She’d had three years of holidays without her children. When we’d called to invite her up, she’d been so happy we were including her in the festivities that she’d cried.

He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but Kaine was overjoyed too. He’d been busy this last week making her Christmas gifts. He’d built Suzanne these beautiful wooden cutting boards and candleholders. I think he was anxious to show her how his talent had grown over these last three years.

My phone on the coffee table chimed. I groaned, summoning the energy to get up. Getting off the couch was as difficult as hot yoga these days. And I’d end up just as sweaty.

“Don’t.” Thea stopped me, handing over the phone. “Here you go.”

“Thank you. Speak of the devil.” Suzanne’s name was on the screen. “Hi, Suzanne.”

“Hi, Piper.” Her voice sounded off, not as cheery as when she normally talked to Kaine and me. There was a whirring in the background too, like she was driving. “Is Kaine there?”

“He went out hiking to get us a Christmas tree and didn’t take his phone. Is everything all right?”

“I need to talk to him. And I’m so sorry, but I won’t be able to come up for Christmas.”

“What? He’s so excited you’re coming.”