Page 45 of Restored By the Mountain Man
I think I get it now.
I prepare Zoe’s bath before I head to the distillery. Walking in, the team is full force on the matter while everything else runs smoothly around us. Turns out the bearings on this one was shot. I spend the next hour working with Gus to pull the pump apart, replace the bearings, and re-lubricate before we start it back up.
I clean off my hands with a towel when Nash walks in.
“Convenient for you to showafterthe problem gets resolved,” I joke, grinning at my older brother.
“All part of my strategy,little bro. The Master Distiller only needs toappearworking,” he jests back, but we both know heworks harder than everyone here combined. “Everything okay with the mash pump?”
“It is now.” I update him as we walk to my office. In my ensuite, I clean up while Nash waits on the couch.
I leave the bathroom and stop in my tracks when he says, “You’re whistling.”
“Pardon?”
A slow smile grows before he laughs. “Holy shit. Zoe’s a witch. A good one. I should send her one of our legend bottles as a gift.”
“Fucker,” I mumble with no heat, logging in notes from today in my computer.
“Ezra,” he calls.
“What?”
“Seeing you broken these three years, broke something in me.”
I look up, not expecting where the conversation suddenly goes. My heart’s in a fist watching the pain my brother gives me for a moment. Pain he’s carried watching me walk this facility, but not living.
“Nash,” my voice is thick, emotion on the surface.
He shakes his head. “All that to say, the man who walked in here today has blood in his veins, color under his skin, hope in his eyes again. I fucking missed you.”
It’s too much and hits hard. I squeeze the bridge of my nose, which stings with tears. Without realizing he stands up, Nash wraps his arm around my chest from behind my chair, squeezing tight, his face resting on my head.
“Damn proud of you for facing those demons,” he says, keeping his voice low, the natural gravel sounding thicker with his emotion. “And I mean demons. What haunted you wasn’t Liz anymore. She’s at peace. The purest light surrounds her. You needed to let go of the misguided guilt.”
I nod, still pinching my nose bridge, breathing through it.
“And if Zoe is the lucky one who–,”
“I’m the lucky one,” I interrupt him.
Nash pulls back, giving me a second. Once I have it together, I turn in my chair and face him.
Leaning on the wall, arms crossed, he continues. “Both of you are. Shit,” he chuckles. “Another Hunter brother. I’m gonna stop drinking the water here.”
We both laugh, and it feels good. I haven’t laughed with my brothers in years. Which makes me think, I can’t wait for this weekend’s Sunday dinner. I want to walk in there a new man. And I want to do it with Zoe on my arm.
Driving home, the anticipation has built. Two hours away from her, and my soul is already climbing walls. Entering the front door, I toss my keys on the side table, removing my boots.
“Zoe,” I call out. “Are you still wrinkling in the tub?” I smile, already imagining all the ways I can tease her before carrying her dripping body back to bed. Dinner can wait.
“Zo?” I head upstairs but don’t find her there.
My gut twists, and I can’t make out why. Down the hall are two other rooms. The empty room that was set up for Rosie four years ago and…the room I’ve kept closed for the last three.
Only from here, I can see it is most definitely open.
“No,” I whisper, wishing I could turn back time to just ten minutes ago.
