I won’t have doubts that I pushed something away that could have been wonderful, but now I see who Walker is, and it rips my heart in two. I know what will always come first for him, and I can’t live that way. Every time he’ll choose his work or money over me, it will cut my heart in half. Then there will be thousands of pieces, and it could never be put back together.
A part of me was so sure he’d see the mistakes of his father and wouldn't want the same for any children he had. That he would pick a different kind of life than the one he had growing up. He might not have said it specifically, but it was clear it was a lonely upbringing. One that I will never let a child of mine have.
Gosh, when he spoke about his place in the city, my heart hurt for him. He’s lived so long without love. I wanted to show him that love is more important than anything, but I guess time is up. The bubble that had been around us finally popped, and reality has come flooding back as fast as the avalanche.
“Something is wrong, princess.” He slides his fingers into my hair, tilting my head back so that I have to stare up at his handsome face. “Tell me.”
“Jen says no one was hurt.” I force a smile, trying to pretend it’s tears of happiness that fill my eyes.
“That’s good.” His brows pull together, and I’m not sure he’s buying it.
“Yeah, really good.” I’m terrible at faking my emotions because I’ve never had to before.
“Then it won’t be rude of us to plan a wedding soon.” He leans down, brushing a kiss against my mouth, and it takes a moment for his words to sink in. Did I hear him wrong?
“A wedding?” Even with how hurt I am, my heart stupidly flutters.
“I told you. You’re mine.”
I don’t understand this man, but I guess this could be the plan. He clearly wasn’t lying about never losing. If we’re married, I suppose what’s mine is his, and he might think he could do whatever he wants with my portion of the mountain. Or maybe talk me into whatever plan he has. I’m too agreeable when that mouth of his is on me.
“Are you going to introduce us?” Wilder asks, cutting in between Walker and me.
I’m actually thankful to see my brother. I need a moment to get myself together and figure out where I go from here. I should smack him and walk away, but I can’t bring myself to do it.
“Walker.” He holds his hand out. “I’m Natalie’s man.”
“Is that so?” My brother glances down at Walker’s outstretched hand before looking back to me. “Are you sure about that?” My brother's eyes stay trained on mine, waiting for me to actually answer the question and not Walker.
Walker wraps his arm around my shoulder, tucking me into his side. His grip on me is firm, and five minutes ago I would have thought this was adorable. Now I’m wondering if I’m really only an object to Walker and somehow a means to what he wants. Sure, he might even love me to a degree, but sometimes love isn’t enough. Or worse, he loves something else more than he loves me. Something that would never love him back the way I always would.
“A hundred percent. We’re getting married,” Walker responds anyway.
“You’ve been in this town for a whole two minutes,” Wilder points out.
I know he’s testing Walker more than anything because Wilder knows the magic of this town better than anyone. The second he found Bri, he knew she was his forever. He even had her thinking they were married when they weren’t, but that’s a whole other story in itself.
“Doesn’t matter how long I’ve been here. Natalie is mine whether anyone likes it or not. I’d rather you’d be okay with it, but it’s not going to change anything either way,” Walker challenges right back.
Damn, do I love that he’s standing toe to toe with my brother and not batting an eye. They’re both big men that could cause some damage if provoked.
Even with all that’s happening, I find myself nodding because Walker is right: I’m his.
“All right,” my brother says and finally takes his hand. I know he wants to be happy for me, but I’m guessing he can sense my emotions are off. I don’t know if it’s the twin thing, but we have always had a way of reading each other. “Fuck up and you’ll have the whole town along with me to deal with.”
“Wouldn’t want it any other way,” Walker says with confidence. As if he’s proud that so many people would hunt him down for me if necessary. “Is there anything I could be doing to help here? Natalie told me that everyone is safe, but if there’s something I could do to lend a hand, I’m happy to help,” he offers.