Page 56 of Reclaimed Roots

I chuckled, giving her ass a little squeeze. "I'll take it."

We lapsed into comfortable silence, watching the sun start its slow descent, bathing the lake in shades of gold and orange.

In the distance, I could make out the shape of the orchard, the neat rows of trees and the weathered red barn. My family's legacy, the land that had shaped and sheltered us for generations.

For so long, that orchard was my entire world. My past, my present, my future, all tangled up in the roots and branches of those trees. I thought I knew exactly who I was, exactly what I wanted.

But then Natalie blew back into my life like a summer storm, and suddenly everything was up in the air. She made me question things. My world had gotten very small after she left. Now I saw infinite possibilities stretching out before me.

Something beyond duty and tradition and following in my father's footsteps. More than just surviving. She made mewant to live, really live. To chase my dreams, no matter where they led.

This woman, this love, was everything. And I'd fight like hell to keep her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Natalie asked, turning in my arms to loop her hands around my neck.

I smiled down at her, brushing a damp strand of hair off her forehead. "Just thinking about how lucky I am. How grateful I am to have you back in my life."

"I'm the lucky one, Jas. I never thought I'd get a second chance with you. Never thought I'd deserve it."

"Hey." I tipped her chin up with a finger, holding her gaze. "None of that, okay? We're here now, and that's all that matters."

Her eyes shone with emotion and she brushed her lips against mine. It was a sweet kiss, soft and full of promise.

I let myself sink into it, into her, my hands sliding down to grip her hips and pull her flush against me. She made a soft sound in the back of her throat as she opened for me, deepening the kiss until I was drowning in her taste, her scent, her everything.

A low wolf whistle pierced the haze of desire, followed by Chase's slurred catcall. Natalie and I broke apart with a laugh, our foreheads pressed together as we caught our breath. I flipped Chase off over Natalie's shoulder, not bothering to look at him.

"Fuck off, Chase. We're having a moment here."

"Yeah, a moment of public indecency," he grumbled. "Seriously, bro, keep it in your pants. There are children present."

Charlie snorted. "I'm twenty-one, dumbass. Pretty sure I can handle a little PDA."

"Still my baby sister," Chase insisted, pointing a wobbly finger at her. "Gotta protect your innocence and shit."

Elliot rolled his eyes, snagging the half-empty beer from Chase's hand. "I think you've had enough, man. Why don't we head back to shore before you start puking over the side?"

Chase grumbled but didn't protest, slumping back against the bench seat with a heavy sigh. I frowned and exchanged a look with Elliot.

We'd both noticed the uptick in Chase's drinking lately, the way he seemed to reach for a bottle every time things got too real, too heavy. Not to mention the shady shit he was getting into at Andy's party. It was scaring the hell out of me.

I understood. Numbing the pain with whiskey felt like a great idea in the moment. I'd been there, in those first few months after Natalie left. When the hurt was so all-consuming that I would've done anything to make it stop.

But I also knew that wasn't the answer. Running from your problems only gave them more power over you.

Chase was my brother, one of the most important people in my life. And I'd be damned if I let him self-destruct like that.

"We'll talk to him," I muttered to Elliot as I slid behind the wheel, easing us away from our little cove and pointing the bow toward home. "At least get him to admit he needs help."

Elliot nodded, clapping me on the shoulder. "Damn right we will. We're Evertons. We take care of our own."

The words were a soothing balm to the worry knotting in my gut. He was right. We were family, and that meant something. It meant we showed up, even when it was hard. Especially when it was hard.

The sun was just kissing the horizon as we pulled up to the dock. Natalie tucked herself into my side as I cut the engine, her head on my shoulder and her hand on my heart.

"Thank you for today," she said. "For making me feel like I still belong here."

I cupped her cheek in my palm, my thumb stroking over the satin of her skin. "You do, Nat. You always have. I'm going to make sure you never doubt that again."

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