Page 48 of Live, Ranch, Love

“Anyway, have you got the stuff that reminds you of Holly?”

Wyatt sighs and reaches down beside him, picking up a folded black T-shirt. He holds it out for a few seconds, revealing that it’s a worn Simple Plan band T-shirt, like the kind I sometimes sleep in.

“Oh my God! I like Simple Plan. They did a song for one of the Scooby Doo movies!”

“It pains me that that’s what you remember them for.” Wyatt holds the T-shirt to his chest, like he’s trying to cover a stab wound. “Why do I need this anyway?”

“We’re gonna burn shit tonight, that’s why, Hensley.” I jump up and beckon Wyatt to join me. There’s clear apprehension in his expression, face all dark, sharp lines, but the flames flicker in his eyes, lighting up the intrigue.

“When I was younger, my Auntie Grace used to say that we create connections with people and events in our lives that will continue to affect us until we purposefully cut those metaphorical cords. And she reckoned the most cathartic way to do that was using fire.”

I open my notebook and rip out the first few pages. The ones where the ink is splodged and has run down some of the pages, disfigured by the tears that fell as I scrawled all my hatred down.

“You’re supposed to admit your feelings, and then say you’ll let them go. Then you throw whatever it is into the fire so those connections can burn.”

Wyatt’s arms are folded, T-shirt screwed up tightly in his hand as he smirks at me. “I should’ve known at some point you’d drag me into doing some weird ritual.”

I choose to ignore him and hold out the ripped pages. “This is everything I wrote down after I found Jake half-naked with a tall, beautiful blonde woman on his lap when I came back from my great aunt’s wake.”

Tightness winds in my chest, breath struggling to leave as all the memories flood back and lay themselves bare for me to experience yet again. The stab of betrayal, the emptiness of loss, the heaviness of doubting my worth.

But when Wyatt’s hand finds my arm, fingers pulsing, warmth floods my body, reminding me that I’m still standing. I made it through that cold spell of broken trust, and I’m stronger now. Especially now that I have this ranch—including Wyatt—to anchor me back down.

“I am letting go of this betrayal so that it doesn’t hold me back.” Briefly meeting Wyatt’s midnight eyes, which are glazed with unnecessary apologies, I turn to the fire and toss in the pages, watching the flames devour the heartbreak as my body begins to buzz.

It’s not going to be an overnight cure, I know that, but I can already feel some of the lingering unease washing out. Because I’m choosing to release it, as opposed to hoarding onto the pages of messy emotions. This is progress, I know it.

“Your turn, Hensley.”

Wyatt’s head bobs when he eyes the top in his hands. “Holly never came to any concerts with me, always judging my music taste, I think. Then one day she got me tickets to Simple Plan, who I loved growing up. She spent the whole time texting, which I realise now was probably to Easton. She left me for him the following week.”

God, I think I hate that woman even more now.

“Burn that shit!” I shout and point at the fire.

Wyatt chuckles, all hearty, warming every inch of me. Awakening those butterflies.

Teeth tugging on his bottom lip, he balls the T-shirt up, passing it from hand to hand. A moment passes, and I question whether he’ll actually do it, then he lobs the top into the fire and yells, “Fuck you, Holly!”

“Yes, Wyatt!” I cheer on, bouncing on the spot as he lets out a hoot, features suddenly brighter. Freedom pours off us both, tension dissipating into the smoky air.

“I am letting you go,” Wyatt continues, voice raised as he berates the charred top in the fire. “You don’t have a hold over me anymore. I don’t care about you because you never cared about me.”

Wyatt turns and high fives me, buzzing and proud. Spurred on by him, I rip out a huge wad of pages, the ones that represent the hardest part of Jake’s infidelity. “I don’t even care anymore that he cheated on me. I just hate how long I spent torturing myself over why I wasn’t enough for him to only want me. Why he chased after the girl he cheated on me with when I found them, rather than trying to fight for me. I’d worked so hard to be sure and confident in myself, yet the last couple of months have made me question my worth more times than I’d like to admit. But no more!”

“Yeah, fuck that—he’s a fool, Aurora. Now, burn that shit!” Wyatt hollers with a giddy, almost maniacal smile. His tall frame shakes with mirth, laughter loud enough to echo through the mountains when I fling the pages and then the whole notebook into the fire.

“Hold on one second.” Wyatt dashes up the stairs and into his house, leaving me for a couple of minutes to watch the notebook crumble into cinders.

It’s funny because even though talking about Jake still makes me feel raw, I realise that it’s been on my mind far less than I expected recently. Like the last wounds are starting to seal.

When Wyatt returns, he’s got more clothes in his arms. He hands me a shirt that screams white collar, and then proceeds to launch another top into the fire. Deeper shades of orange flames and ruby sparks frolic in response, hissing with celebration.

“These are clothes Holly once bought me that I hate and have never worn, but always felt bad for throwing out.” He nods towards the shirt I’m holding. “I mean, when would I ever need to wear that? It’s literally designed for some city boy office worker, like she was trying to slowly morph me into one. Like who I am wasn’t enough for her—but I say fuck that. No one, not me or you, should have to question our worth. So, help me out and burn that shit.”

Uncontrollable laughter waves out of me as I chuck the shirt in and watch Wyatt throw his arms out in release, letting the other clothes fall into the fire. I couldn’t ever imagine how anyone would want to change this man in front of me—he might be full of dark, sharp edges, but lurking in the shadows is passion and kindness I don’t think I’ve ever found in someone before.

Suddenly, the flames spit up in a rage and Wyatt pulls me back, my body hitting his chest.

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