Page 18 of The Lilac River

Eleven Years Ago

“I want us to always be like this,” I whispered against Lily’s heated skin. “In love and desperate for each other.”

She stretched her arm out and picked a stem of lavender, bringing it to the bridge of my nose. “Always,” she said, brushing it along my skin, slow and teasing.

“Forever and a day.”

“I love you, Lila.” My mouth found her nipple and she cried out into the night, hips lifting, urging me to take her again. “Don’t ever leave me.”

“Never,” she gasped. “I swear.”

She had. Left me. Left us. Left everything we’d promised.

I gripped the railing harder, watching the horses in the paddock, trying to force down the rage clawing up my chest.

They had it easy. No heartbreak. No broken promises. Just grass, sun, and freedom. No expectations. No shattered dreams. Just instinct. Routine.

Charlie, one of the stable girls, waved as she led a gelding back toward the barn. She was a good kid, hardworking and kind. From the way Wilder’s eyes tracked her, it was clear he thought so too.

“Got your sights on her?” I teased, not bothering to hide my grin.

“Fuck off, Nash,” Wilder grumbled. “You know what they say, don’t shit on your own doorstep.”

“If only you’d stuck to that rule with the girl from Montrose who worked here that summer.”

He shot me a look, but I caught him sneaking another glance.

“Whatever,” he muttered. “Anyway, what’s up? You never just stand here and, well… be still.”

He was right. Keeping busy kept me from unraveling. It stopped the spiral. Blocked out the memories of my mom, of what we were losing. And her.

I shrugged. “I should be asking you that. Bertie's playing Roblox, which usually means you're right there beside her. You're not dressed for a date, and it's too early for drinking, so...”

“Clever prick,” he muttered.

I just laughed and clapped him on the back.

“So?” I prompted.

He scuffed his boot into the gravel. “I need a week off.”

I raised a brow. “Okay. You’re entitled.”

He shifted awkwardly. “Problem is, it’s the week we bring the cattle down.”

I blew out a breath. Not ideal, but not a deal-breaker either.

“Going somewhere nice?”

“Visiting an old friend,” he said casually.

I didn’t push. We all had our ghosts. I had a whole damn graveyard. Besides, I knew he often hooked up with a girl he knew when she visited from her home in Canada.

“Fine by me. Just hire someone to cover for you.”

He grinned. “Thanks, Nash.”

“You’re part of this ranch, Wild. Not just muscle, you’ve got more sense than you let on. We’d be lost without you.”

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