“I’ll wait,” he vowed.

The skewed sensation in her chest sharpened. “I can’t ask you to do that. I won’t.”

“You’re not. I’m telling you that’s what I’ll do. As long as it takes for you to come back to me.”

“I didn’t wait for you,” she reminded with a cringe of anguish. She had gone straight out and got herself pregnant with Biyen, maybe not on purpose, but the sex had been pursued out of spite.

“You did wait, though.” He shifted his touch so his thumb could trace her bottom lip. “You waited all through school, then gave me a chance and I blew it.”

“This isn’t a test, Logan.”

“I know. It’s not one for you, either. I’m telling you how it is for me now. I can’t imagine anyone else in my life. Maybe if you marry some other guy and start having kids with him, I’ll have to think about moving on, but I can’t see myself with anyone else. If you need to try another job or give Biyen more options or visit foreign countries purely for the experience, do it. Make the life you want for yourself. When I’m able, I’ll join you.”

“Just like that?”

“Why not?”

Because no one had ever given her that much consideration. She didn’t know how to accept it.

As she fought to swallow the lump in her throat, the sound of heavy footsteps landed on the porch, followed by an abrupt knock on the door.

“Soph? You home? It’s me.”

“Me” could have been anyone in Raven’s Cove, but they both recognized Trystan’s voice and shared a grimace. Busted.

*

Sophie threw on a robe, then gathered her clothes and slipped out the door and into the bathroom, calling out, “Gimme a sec.”

Logan pulled on his boxers and shorts, then shrugged on his T-shirt as he walked out to the kitchen. He would take the hit broadside to spare Sophie whatever reaction Trystan was about to have.

As glowering went, Trystan was actually better at it than even Reid. It was the scarcity of his bitchiness. Reid had a resting scowl-face and overused it, diluting its power. Logan was too vain to risk the frown lines so he avoided frowning.

Trystan was more impassive than both of them, rarely riled by anything and even when he was, he didn’t let it show. Thus, when he pulled out a sneer of profound disgust, you really felt it.

He underlined this one with a contemptuous, “What the fuck? We talked about this.”

“Swear jar’s on the counter.” Logan nodded. “That one costs a dollar. Don’t ask me to cover it. I’m tapped out.” He held up his empty hands.

“No fucking doubt,” Trystan muttered, glancing at Art’s chair and wincing. When he looked back at Logan, his demeanor was all put back together into its tidy packsack. “We need a family meeting at the house. Why are you still staying here?”

“I’m paying rent.”

“Is that what you were doing?”

“Oh fuck off. What’s the meeting about?”

Sophie came out of the bathroom and said, “Don’t give Logan a hard time. I’m a grown up and make my own choices.”

Trystan flicked a look between them, maybe trying to decide whether to condone this affair or continue to give his brother grief about it. He decided to go back to glowering, this time at Sophie.

“What is this I hear about you leaving?”

“Is that why you’re here? I thought you were the sex police doing random stop and frisk. Who told you?”

“Randy was on the dock. I asked him how you were doing, and he told me you’re leaving. That was news to me, and I wanted to know more before I chat with the Brothers Grimm about something else.” He flicked another look at Logan.

“I’m thinking of leaving,” she stressed, but sent Logan a fresh grimace of apology. “I didn’t mean for it to get all over the island. Nolan has a big mouth and Biyen’s been processing a lot of feelings about a lot of stuff. It’s not something I’m doing tomorrow, but, you know, maybe before school starts? I realize that could make it harder when you sell the resort. Randy is a great mechanic, but he doesn’t have the management skills. Logan will be here, though.”

“Will Logan be here?” Trystan turned a cool look on him, one that judged him no matter which way he jumped. If he went with Sophie, he was abandoning his family. If he stayed, he was screwing with Sophie’s heart all over again.

“I would love it if you minded your own business.” Logan folded his arms. “Try it once. For me.”

“Your business is my business when it’s a fucking mess on the floor that I have to clean up,” Trystan snapped.

“Wow. Since when—”

“Oh stop it.” Sophie waved her arm between them to break their locked stare. “You’re both big men who can pee really far. Do you want coffee, Trys? We have some leftover cabbage rolls from last night. Mrs. Sokal made them. They’re really good.”

“No, thanks. I texted Reid that we need a meeting. You might as well join us. Hear it from us instead of the grapevine.”

“Something about Tiffany’s sister?” Logan asked with concern.

“No, I caught up with Eli Schooner in Ocean Falls. His mother is on the tribal council here in Bella Bella. Things are moving forward with their Truth and Reconciliation settlement. He told me they want to make an offer for the resort.”

“Holy shit.” Sophie’s eyes went big.

“We have to do that.” Logan was equally stunned by the news, but he immediately knew there was no other option. They already leased the land from the Heiltsuk Nation, but the buildings and business had always been run by settlers.

“My thought exactly,” Trystan said. “We need to talk with Reid about what that might look like.”

“It looks like us being hobbled by bureaucracy,” Logan said with anticipated frustration. “What if we need the money sooner than government wheels can turn?”

“That’s a given,” Trystan muttered while they put on their shoes to follow him up to the house.

*

“Biyen will turn up here soon,” Sophie told Emma as she came into the kitchen with Logan and Trystan. “I texted Quinley to tell him I was here.”

“Oh sure.” Emma was sprinkling seasonings over a raw, plucked bird that was already in a roasting pan. “Do you want to stay for dinner? I expected Trystan to join us so I took out this chook and look at it. It’s a monster. I’m starting to think it’s a turkey. How do you tell?”

“You read the label when you buy it.”

“The label said it came from a farmer’s market in Port Hardy. Glenda must have brought it.”

“Helpful.” Sophie leaned closer to give the bird a sniff, but only caught a noseful of thyme and rosemary. “We’ll find out when you cook it, won’t we?”

“Soph?” Logan’s hand squeezed her waist as he came up beside her. “You want something to drink? Beer? Wine?”