Page 72 of Ashes of the Past
“I don’t know the specifics, okay? I wasn’t there. My mom was high as a kite on morphine, and she told me that she tricked him into signing the paperwork, but I didn’t really understand how she did it. I also didn’t ask my dad because I didn’t want him questioning why I was asking. It’s probably better that way. The ranch…the ranch was completely paid off. My dad is the third generation of Castings to run it. She told me that she wanted to pay all the medical bills so that my dad didn’t have to handle them or have the reminder of her death hanging over him.”
Jack runs a hand over his face, exhaling slowly. “Jesus, Brynn. Didn’t she realize she was causing more issues?”
There’s a quick flash of anger as I take offense to his words. I inhale and exhale slowly, taking into account that he probably didn’t mean to suggest anything bad about my mom but that is the way that it came out.
“I didn’t get to ask a lot of questions, but…my mom was really good with money. She…she wouldn’t have taken such a risk had she thought it would go down the way it did. She said that the harvest payouts would cover it all. I looked back through all the financial paperwork, and she’s right; the harvest payouts should have taken care of everything she took out.”
“But it didn’t?”
“No, because there was the outbreak with the cattle. Then, we had issues with suppliers and had to order things at a higherprice. We had to install an irrigation system. We…couldn’t catch a break. She told me I was strong. Resilient. That I could handle it.” My voice wavers, and I blink rapidly, trying to keep it together. “And I thought I could.”
His brows furrow. “Bovine Respiratory Disease?”
I nod. “Yeah. That fake auction company—it brought in infected cattle, and it hit us hard.” I shake my head, pressing my fingers against my temples. “I didn’t have the heart to tell my dad we couldn’t afford something. I knew it would just end in a fight, so I didn’t. I made up the difference with my pay from the flower shop. Quietly. Without him knowing.”
Jack is silent for a long moment, and when I finally look up at him, his expression is unreadable. But there’s something in his eyes—something that looks a lot like frustration but also something softer, something almost like concern.
“You shouldn’t have done that alone,” he says, his voice low, steady. “You shouldn’t have kept that to yourself.”
I let out a shaky breath. “I didn’t see another option.”
“Maybe so, but you were wrong to handle it that way. You caused yourself unnecessary stress because you didn’t want a confrontation with your father.”
“How do you tell your father that he can’t buy something because your mother made a wrong decision before she died?” I hiss.
He shakes his head, standing from the chair and stepping closer. “From here on out, you can’t keep stuff like this to yourself, Brynn. You don’t do anyone any good by trying to shoulder it all alone.”
I suck in a breath and swallow hard. The weight of everything crashes over me all at once, and before I can stop myself, my face crumples. A sob breaks free, and suddenly, I’m unraveling right in front of him.
He doesn’t hesitate. He closes the distance between us and pulls me into his arms. I don’t fight it. I can’t. I press my face against his chest, breathing in his scent and collapsing against him like he’s the only thing keeping me from falling apart completely. He holds me tightly, one hand cradling the back of my head, the other wrapped securely around my waist.
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs.
I shake my head against his chest, my tears soaking into his shirt. “I didn’t know what else to do. I’m not…I’m not strong and resilient like everyone says…I mean, I don’t want to be that anymore. I’m so fucking tired of having to be the one who takes care of everyone else.”
His grip tightens. “I’ve got you,” he repeats.
Maybe they’re just words, but right now, I fully believe him.
Chapter Thirty
Jack
I’m holding Brynn as she falls apart in my arms, and normally, this would be incredibly awkward for me. I’ve never been good at handling emotions—mine or anyone else’s. But right now, all I want is to comfort her. To take this weight off her shoulders. To protect her from everything that’s been eating away at her.
She’s not a woman who lets her emotions show, and that makes this moment even more significant. When she choked out that she was tired of taking care of everyone else, something inside me snapped.I got youis what was screaming in my head. I’ve never wanted to protect someone like this before. I never wanted to take care of someone outside of my family, to love someone in the way I feel right now.
Not even my ex-wife.
Brynn is so damn strong. But this? Letting me see this side of her? It’s a gift. Just like the other day, when she let me in, letme see her softer side. She doesn’t do this for just anyone. And I know what it means that she’s doing it for me.
I run my hand down her back, slow and steady. “You don’t have to carry this alone, Brynn.”
She fists my shirt, her breath shaky against my chest. “I don’t know how to let someone in.”
I rest my forehead against hers, my voice quiet but certain. “Then don’t think about how—just let me be here.”
Her lips part slightly, and I can see the conflict in her eyes—the need to be strong warring with the need to let go. And then, she does. She leans in, and I don’t hesitate. I close the distance, capturing her mouth with mine.
