Page 12 of Rhett & Moses
The earnestness in his voice cut through my defenses. He was right. He did deserve the truth. But the truth was complicated, tangled up in promises made and secrets kept. If I told him what really happened that night, I’d be breaking a vow I made to protect not just myself, but him as well.
“I can’t,” I whispered, the admission painful. “Not yet.”
Disappointment flashed across his face, quickly masked. “The falls, then. Tomorrow morning. Will you at least give me that?”
I hesitated. Yellow Branch Falls held memories for us, intense, passionate memories that had haunted me for years. Going there with him was dangerous, a risk to the careful walls I’d built around my heart.
But looking at him now, his expression open and hopeful, I found I couldn’t refuse.
“Yeah.” I confirmed with a nod. “But I can’t promise you’ll like what you hear.”
A faint smile touched his lips. “I’ll take my chances.”
He reached out then, his fingers brushing mine so briefly I thought I might have imagined it. “Don’t disappear on me again, Moses. Not tonight, and not tomorrow.”
The touch sent electricity racing up my arm, familiar and exhilarating all at once. I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to entwine my fingers with his.
“I should get back,” I said instead, gesturing toward the door. “I’m supposed to be the responsible bar owner tonight.”
Rhett stepped back, giving me space. “Of course. I’ll see you inside.”
I nodded, turning to head back in, but paused with my hand on the door handle. “Rhett?”
“Yeah?”
“Your toast,” I said, unable to meet his eyes. “To my authentic self. Thank you for that.”
I didn’t wait for his response, slipping back inside before he could see the emotion I knew was written all over my face. The hall enveloped me, the music and chatter a stark contrast to the quiet intimacy of the moment we’d just shared.
As I made my way back to the bar, I spotted Vanessa watching me with knowing eyes. She raised her glass in a silent toast, a small smile playing on her lips. Across the room, I caught sight of Bronwyn giving me a similar look. It seemed everyone could see what I was trying so hard to hide, that despite my best efforts, I was still hopelessly drawn to Rhett.
The night stretched on, a blur of drinks poured, and conversations navigated. I kept catching glimpses of Rhett across the room, laughing with former classmates, charming the teachers who had once adored him, and occasionally looking my way with an intensity that made my skin flush.
It was great to catch even some former familiar faces catching up. I’d seen Theo and Caden deep in conversation and even managed to take some time to catch up with Theo myself before the night rolled to a close.
I was mentally and emotionally exhausted by closing time. As I made my way back to my apartment above Timbers & Tallboys, I tried to prepare myself for what tomorrow would bring.
Yellow Branch Falls. Dawn. Rhett. The truth.
It was a combination that terrified and thrilled me in equal measure. After twenty years of running, of hiding behind half-truths and careful omissions, I was finally going to face the past. Whether I was ready for it or not remained to be seen.
But as I collapsed onto my bed, still fully clothed, one thought kept circling in my mind: Rhett’s toast to my “authentic self.” After all this time, all the walls I’d built and the distance I’d maintained, he still saw me, the real me, beneath the carefully constructed façade.
And despite everything, that recognition, that acceptance, felt like coming home.
CHAPTER 4
RHETT
The eastern skywas just beginning to lighten as I pulled into the small gravel lot at the trailhead to Yellow Branch Falls. A thin mist hovered over the ground, lending an ethereal quality to the familiar landscape. I was early, deliberately so, needing the quiet moment to collect my thoughts before Moses arrived.
If he arrived.
Part of me still feared he might have second thoughts and leave me waiting, just as he had twenty years ago.
I stepped out of my rental car, breathing in the fresh mountain air that carried the scent of pine and damp earth. The trail to the falls was just how I remembered it—narrow, winding, bordered by ferns and rhododendrons that glistened with morning dew. As I moved down the path, memories washed over me, so vivid they nearly took my breath away.
I was young, reckless with desire and the intoxicating freedom of a summer night. Moses had suggested the falls, knowing they would be deserted at that hour. We’d stumbled down this very path in the dark, hands intertwined, stopping every few yards to press each other against tree trunks for hungry, desperate kisses.
