“Higher! Higher!” she called out.

“I’m trying.” Wes hoped his voice sounded lighter than he felt. Behind him, Lydia laughed as Jessie screamed in happiness as he made her fly.

He pushed her for what felt like an hour but was probably closer to fifteen minutes before she finally got tired. When she climbed down, Stan offered to take the kids on a walk, which Wes knew was really an excuse for Lydia to talk to him. They steered clear of the woods behind the house, and walked around to the front. As soon as they disappeared, Lydia asked, “How are you doing?”

He sat across from her, the bench creaking when he did. “I would guess the same as you. We lost our sister.” Who was more like our mother.

“You know that’s not true, Wes, so don’t pretend it is. My heart is broken. I miss her already, but...”

“I’m fine. My loss isn’t any bigger than yours.”

Her eyes softened, and he knew exactly what they said. That she knew he’d loved Chelle more than anyone in the world. That Chelle was the sister he’d talked to, the first person he’d come out to. He had always assumed he’d have her, and now he didn’t.

Lydia’s eyes said she worried about him. She worried about Jessie.

“But I don’t keep everything locked inside. You’ve been alone a long time, brother.”

He smiled at that.

“She always called you brother. She was so proud to be related to you.”

Wes dropped his eyes to the table. He had no idea why, but Chelle had been. She thought the sun rose and set on him, and damned if that hadn’t felt good.

After a few minutes of silence, Lydia asked, “Who was the guy?”

“What guy?” He knew exactly who she meant. Dammit, Braden. He’d caught Lydia’s attention.

“You know what guy. He watched you all day.”

He had. Wes hadn’t wanted to, but he’d watched Braden as well. “And you know who he is. Blackcreek isn’t very big, and you’ve lived here for years.”

“Yes, but Braden’s only been here less than one.”

He raised a brow at her.

“Okay, fine. I know who he is. Why was he watching you? Are you dating him?”

Wes groaned. “Do we really have to do this today?”

Lydia smiled. “He’s hot. If I wasn’t married, I’d like to date him. Did you see the way his muscles pressed against his shirt? Delicious.”

Hearing his sister call a man who Wes spent a night with delicious—a man who’s muscles he’d bitten his teeth into—was something he could do without ever experiencing again. “I’m not dating him.”

“You could, you know.” She pushed her hair behind her ear. “I mean, if you’re going to be living here, you need to be comfortable. Have a life. You know we support you. Chelle always taught Jessie that love is love.”

Wes closed his eyes again, as though that would block out the memories. She’d been just as supportive when he’d come out at sixteen. It doesn’t matter who you love, brother, as long as you love them with your whole damn heart.

His eyes popped open again. “No offense, but dating is the last thing on my mind right now.”

“Don’t pretend it’s just right now. You haven’t dated anyone seriously in years. Don’t put it on Chelle’s death, or having Jessie.”

That was the last thing he wanted to talk about right now. Wes picked at the paint on the table. “I’m not going to do this with you. Braden is...” What was he? He couldn’t even say the man was a friend. He’d known him for a couple hours when he went home with him. Then they’d hardly said another word to each other until Cooper got hurt, or rather, Wes had hardly said a word to him. Then it had been all about Cooper and Noah.

But the lack of friendship hadn’t stopped Braden from calling him up twice in the past couple weeks. From asking Wes out, and then showing up here today.

“Braden is...?” Lydia asked.

Wes’s mind flashed back to the little girl he’d been pushing on the swing. To the niece that he was supposed to raise. To his sister who died, and... “No one. Braden is no one.” Those words made him feel like an asshole.

“Fine. I’ll drop it. But what about Jessie? She wanted you to have her.”

His heart both swelled and broke at those words. “I don’t know the first thing about raising a kid, Lydia.”

She rolled her eyes. “Who does when they become a parent? It’s never what you thought it would be. And you know we’ll help you. We’re family. We’ll do this together.” Lydia paused a second before continuing. “You know Jessie can stay with me, but you’ll regret it. If you walk away from that little girl, you’ll regret it.”