“Are you sure they’re not taking advantage of you,” Charlie cuts in. “I know we’re in a similar relationship with Starlee, but it’s unconventional.”
I take a deep breath. “Jake, I’m sorry I hurt you. All of you. Walking away that day…I just couldn’t handle it anymore. For my sake and yours, I needed a break. I wasn’t a mom. I was barely older than you. I just lost it.” I look at Charlie. “Thank you for your concern. I felt the same way about you guys and Starlee. I was worried someone would get hurt, but I get it now. Sometimes attraction is bigger than two people. They’re respectful and kind and,” I gaze around the house, “they helped me pull this off.”
“It’s not easy,” Jake says. “You have to share a bond bigger than the whole.”
Charlie nods. “A lot of balancing and trust.”
A line forms between George’s eyes. “The guys are right, Sierra. It’s hard and we’re still figuring things out. I’m not going to judge you for who you like or even love, but getting involved like this requires a deep understanding of one another. It took the four of us and Starlee a long time to work it out.”
It’s a switch-around from the past, them being worried about me, but not only that, these boys are giving me advice. Well-thought-out advice, which is unexpected. And a little unnerving. Me and the Rangers have had it pretty easy; circumstances putting us in this house together, with no outside judgement.
I fight past the insecurities and say, “Dex’s boxes are out in the garage, if you want to start loading them up. I marked them with his name. I’m going to go check on him.”
I grab the papers off the counter and head out the back door. Dexter is standing on the deck, looking out over the hills. It’s late afternoon and the sun is already falling behind the hills.
“Dad picked a great view,” I say, walking over.
“Yeah,” he says, hands shoved in his pockets.
“Are you mad about the Rangers?”
He shakes his head. “No. They seem like good guys. Robbie really likes them.”
“The guys just gave me a warning about how hard it’s going to be.”
“It is hard, Sierra. There are days I don’t want to share Starlee and I just want to keep her all to myself.” He glances over. “We make sacrifices, but it’s worth it. She wants all of us, and we want her. I trust you to make the right decision.”
“I should have trusted you better.”
He shrugs. “We were all in a tight spot, one that we never should have been in. We all had a shitty situation and you stepped up to help us. We made mistakes. It’s all in the past.”
I take a deep breath of fresh air. “Are you going to be okay with selling the house?”
He looks over at me. “Yeah, I think so. You really did a great job fixing it up. Mom and Dad would have been proud.”
“They would have been really proud of you. So proud.” Tears prick at my eyes. “There were days I didn’t know if you were going to make it. The fights, the drugs, the attitude…but you figured it out. Look at you now? You’re an amazing person.”
He smiles and throws his arm over my shoulder. “I had a good mom that loved me no matter how much I fucked up.”
That one gets me, and I can’t fight the tears that spill down my cheeks. “I do love you, you know that, right?”
He squeezes me. “Yep, and I love you, too.”
I hand him the papers and together we agree it’s time to let the house, and a lot of hurt from the past, go. Dexter’s future is bright—and so are the boys'. There’s only one of us that still needs to figure out her path.
The Wayward Sons are no longer lost, this sister is still standing at the crossroads, but now that I’ve shed the baggage of my past and started repairing the relationship with my brother and the guys, I think I may know better what I need to do.
And who I want to do it with.
32
Adrian
“You ready to go?” Smith asks as we drive through the gate. He’s stepped out of the shack, leaning into the open window.
“Sierra called and said she was headed into town and would meet us back home.”
“Now?”