“That’s another fun technicality of the prophecy.” Garret pressed his lips together. “Even though my brother is older than me, he’s gone. I automatically become the firstborn simply because I’m the oldest living son.”
“The prophecy really likes to pick and choose what hard definitions to follow,” Holly muttered.
“Magic this old and this powerful isn’t bound to the rules of the human world.” Garret shrugged. “Once you can remember that, it makes it easier to take everything else in stride.”
“I guess so.” Holly was ready to let the conversation drop, but then another question popped into her head and she couldn’t make herself let it go. “Is that why you’re all at the house? To stake your claim, or whatever.”
“You want the truth?”
“Yes.”
“I think so,” Garret said. “Pearl was kind to everyone she met. She loved everyone in the community, but she paid extra attention to me, Johnny, and Keller. It was her idea for us to move into the house, even though we all arrived at different times. I think she was preparing for this, even back then.”
“Wow.” The breath rushed out of Holly’s lungs. “Talk about playing the long game. Any others I should know about?”
“I’ll have to check the family records,” he said. “Until then, you’ve learned enough. You must be feeling incredibly overwhelmed.”
“No.” Holly sighed. “I just ran off into the woods because I felt like an impromptu powerwalk through nature.”
Garret said nothing, but he looked saddened.
Holly shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Sarcasm is a defense mechanism. I’m not trying to be an ass.”
“If you were trying to be an ass, no one would blame you,” he said. “Let’s put a bookmark in this, for now. You need time to process your feelings, of which I’m sure there are many.”
Holly stared at his hand on hers. His skin was so warm. His hands were rough and calloused, obviously, a man who worked with his hands. The true marvel was how gentle his touched remained, despite his size and obvious strength.
“Do you want to go back to the stones?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “I just want to sit here for a while, if that’s okay.”
“Of course, it is,” he said. “Do you want to be alone?”
Holly opened her mouth to say yes but hesitated. Was being alone truly the best thing for her right now? She’d retreat into her head and who knew what would happen after that. She might end up in a fit of tears or rage. She might decide running away was the only solution and give it another go.
No, she couldn’t trust herself to be alone right now.
“Can you stay?” she asked. “You’re a really good listener. You’re making all of this sound somewhat normal.”
Her words obviously pleased Garret. His entire face lit up. His eyes twinkled when he was happy. Holly liked that.
“I’ll stay as long as you want.”
Holly sat quietly on her rock, looking at the forest around her. It really was beautiful. She tried to focus on the details of the leaves and the intricate patterns of the bark, but her brain was too active.
A soft breeze swept through the woods. The rustling that accompanied it was like a symphony of nature. Holly closed her eyes, willing herself to focus only on what she heard. The wind skittered over her skin. It felt nice, if not a little chilly. Goose bumps rose up on her skin. She shivered.
“Here,” Garret said, getting up from his kneeling position. He took a seat next to her on the stone. His forearm rested against hers. “I radiate heat. You’ll never get cold with me around.”
“I believe that.” Holly laughed softly without opening her eyes.
She continued to listen to the wind and soak up the warmth radiating from Garret. Her head began to feel heavy. She let it come to rest on Garret’s shoulder. He didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he put his arm around her when another gust of wind made her shiver all over.
She couldn’t stop thinking about everything they’d talked about, but one thing, in particular, stood out. Garrett had called the son of his adoptive parents, someone who was dead and gone before Garret ever met them, his brother. That small act, one he probably didn’t even realize he made, spoke volumes about his heart.
Other than his size, his kindness was what stood out the most about him.
Since the moment she’d gotten here, Holly had been manipulated. She didn’t realize it at the time, but now that she had the benefit of hindsight, it was obvious. No one was really looking out for her here, despite what they all said. Except for Garret.
Maybe she was grasping at straws, desperate to feel like someone genuinely cared about her, but she didn’t think Garret actively manipulated her at all. Johnny certainly had. Keller didn’t manipulate her in such a blatant way, but he tried to control what Johnny told her. Garret was a man of few words. He wasn’t trying to twist her point of view or pull one over on her. If he was, he’d be talking more.
She opened her eyes and twisted to look up at him. He was watching her, his eyes filled with something Holly couldn’t pin a name to, but it stirred something inside her all the same. Without stopping to think—she’d thought enough for one day—she stretched up. Garret lowered his head, meeting her halfway. Their lips pressed together, and Holly felt the world and all its madness drop away.
CHAPTER 16 - Garrett
Garret forced himself to remain under control despite his instincts surging to life inside of him. He’d felt drawn to Holly since the moment he saw her and long before.
