Page 91 of Feverburn

Kaylee’s voice cut through,“Hey now, let’s all take a breath. Rosie, girl, what thehellis going on?”

Rosie gulped and looked up at me and back to them.“We hit it off while he painted the mural, but nothing happened until the solstice. We planned on telling you, but then you got engaged, and we didn’t want to steal your moment. It was so new it felt like we needed to protect it. I’m sorry you found out this way. And Harley, he loves you so much. He didn’t—”

“Bullshit!”Now pointing at me, he continued,“If you respected me as a brother, man to man, you wouldn’t keeplyinglike this.”

“I didn’t lie! I kept it privatebecause it was none of your goddamn business!”

Harley let out a dark chuckle, his face contorting.“Like how you thought Whitney was none of my business? How it was none of my business when the whole town thought I was the bad guy because you dated her first?”

I stepped closer to Harley, each girl now pushing at our chests.“I am notgoing to sit here and explain myself to you. You had nothing ironcladwith Whit. I was going to marry that girl! You fucking asshole!”

He looked at Rosie.“Did he tell you he fucked my girlfriend?”

“Harley!”Kaylee scolded.

His voice got louder,“Did he tell you how we both fucked Whitney, but I had to find her gruesomely contorted body after she fell off a cliff? How I carried her mangled remains back into civilization only to find out my miserable asshole of a brother was fucking her too?”

My ears rang like a freight train was in my head. A dark truth I had held for so long escaped me in abrutalmockingscream,“She died pregnant with my child!”

Rosie and Kaylee both gasped and reeled away from us. And just like that, my truthbombexploded in the world around me. Silence filled the coffee shop, but the ringing continued in my ears.

“Whit had my baby inside her when she fell!” I bellowed again.

Harley froze, staring at me. The faintest sound scraped his lips,“No.”

“Yes,”I hissed.“Yes, you self-righteous prick! Ever think of that?”My voice boomed from the bricks, the echo cruel and sharp.

“No!”He blinked in disbelief, his chest puffing to catch his breath.“There’s no way.”

Tears blurred my eyes.“It wasn’t just her Ilostthat day.”

The world around me halted and tilted to one side, disjointed and abnormal. I watched everything click into place in my brother’s mind.

Not a single soul knew. Not Bear, not Viv, not Rosie. My throat was tight with the truth.“So yeah, you might’velosta girlfriend. But I lost everything—the woman I loved, a baby we both wanted, my brother, my reputation. All of it was ripped from me in a single moment. I was never going to burden you with the truth, but if you’re going to be like this and shame me for anyshredof happiness, you deserve to know. Whit died pregnant with our baby.”

I walked away, but Harley’s hand on my chest stopped me.“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Would it have changed anything?”

He stepped back and scoffed.“Of course.”

“Yeah, I don’t believe that.”I looked at Rosie, who stepped towards me in concern. Clasping her shoulders, I whispered,“I didn’t tell you because it didn’t feel like the right time. Whitney and I were trying to be careful, but one drunk night camping changed everything.”

I glanced at Harley,“It happened before you moved back, so I knew it was mine. We didn’t know until—listen, it was her decision on what to do—her body, her choice. But she wanted to be a mom. I wanted to build a life with her. Even though she wanted to go back to Georgia.”

Rosie gnawed at her bottom lip.“I’m so sorry, Carson.” Unshed tears rimmed her eyes as she squeezed my arm. “I’m so sorry.”

Everyone was focused on me, making me more uncomfortable with their pity. I cleared my throat,“Listen, I need space from all of you. I can’t do this. My secrets are all out. IloveRosie, and you’ll have to deal with it.”I kissed her forehead before turning to walk away.

Kaylee blocked me with a silent hug. I patted her back and moved past her, bolting to the door. Tears finallyburstdown my cheeks as the crisp autumn air hit me. I swiped my face and booked it, getting Kiszka from my store.

I drove to the top of my favorite bluff that overlooked our small town and sat down on the ground. Kiszka kept me company, laying his weight on my lap in his healing way.

I felt him coming before he parked. I saw the flash of headlights, too white in the night. The truck door slammed, followed by the distinct rhythm of his walk. His mass settled next to mine,unspokenand steady. A paw stroked Kizzy’s tail.

After a couple of minutes, I turned to look at him.“Hi, Bear.”

“Hello.”

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