you get what I’m saying is, she loves you. So when you’re beating yourself up about not being able to fix what’s broken in Addy, maybe remember she’s yours, and the shield you provided for her goes both ways. And this is Addy’s way of protecting you from something she knows is gonna hurt you.”
“When you’re a father it doesn’t work that way. My job is to protect her, not the other way around.”
“Right. Trying to explain to a Walker that protection is a one-way street is akin to banging your head on a rock. You didn’t raise your family to take, you raised them to give. To protect each other. To be loyal. Just last night I learned what Adalynn’s brand of loyalty and protection felt like. Warms you straight to the bone while at the same time chills your blood because it should be you shielding her. I don’t suppose it will make you sleep any easier knowing that, I just hope you understand she thinks she’s doing right by protecting you.”
“Fuck,” he muttered, and dipped his chin so he was staring at his feet.
“You have my word I’m gonna do right by her.” His head bobbed but he didn’t lift his gaze so I finished what I had to say. “I’ll leave you with this. You also have my word I’ll earn your trust, but more—I’ll earn hers.”
I got another stilted jerk of his chin, then I left him alone to his thoughts.
I didn’t go back to the gym to check on Addy. She had her mom and sisters with her. I went straight to my office, needing a moment to process my conversation with Jasper. But also needing to calm down my urge to track down the two men in Adalynn’s life that had both caused damage.
My plan was shot to hell when I entered my office and found Luke sitting at Matt’s desk. One look told me this wasn’t going to be a happy chat. He looked furious.
“What’s going on?” I asked when his gaze met mine.
“You tell me,” he returned.
Shit.
“Need you to clue me in about what you’re asking.”
I didn’t, but I was hoping I was wrong and he was there to talk about Belview or our upcoming training schedule.
“Known you a long fucking time, never known you to be a liar.”
“Come again.”
“You don’t need me to clue you in, but since this is how you wanna play it, we’ll play. This morning something was off. Not the first time I’ve felt it. I figured I gave you time, you’d sort it out yourself. But it’s getting worse, so now I’m seeing I need to help you do that. But just to say, it pissed me right the fuck off I gotta do it.”
And there went the kernel of good that Jasper had planted. Seeing Luke, hearing his anger, feeling the vibe in the room shift straight to bone-cold reminded me I’d ruined his life.
“Luke—”
“No. Hell no.” He stood and I braced. “Been waiting on you to pull your head out and remember.”
“Remember what?”
“Who. Remember who the fuck I am. Remember me? Your brother.”
Brother.
That one word bounced around and echoed pain-filled memories flooded.
“What?”
“For the life of me, I cannot imagine why we have to have this conversation. And it offends the fuck out of me that we do. You must’ve bumped your head really goddamn hard. So hard, it knocked all your good sense clean away. You got a problem with me?”
“What the hell are you talking about? Why would I have a problem with you?”
“You blame me for not pulling your ass back when Liberty made her call?”
Oh, fuck.
The twinge of discomfort that was always present started throbbing.
“Hell no, I don’t blame you.”
“Then why in the actual fuck do think I’d blame you?”
The bone-cold in the room seeped deeper, so deep I was afraid I’d shatter. Guilt pounded, making my head hurt and my chest ache. So many regrets wrapped up in ‘what-ifs’. Luke’s life upended because of my indecision.
“I should’ve—”
“You should’ve done what? Drake was our LPO, he was in charge. Logan was our A-LPO. And I hate to break it to you, but you were not in a position of authority over me. So what in the hell makes you think that your dumb ass could’ve ordered me to do a damn thing? Teammates. Let me repeat that for you, Trey—team…mates. Brothers. You remember what that word means, or has your family been back at you again twisting shit in your