UNBROKEN PROMISE

~68~ Admitting it Loud

The barn was quiet except for the occasional shuffle of hooves and the distant howl of the winter wind outside. The cold had settled deep into the wood, making the space feel hollow.

Logan stood near the workbench, his hands gripping the edge so tightly his knuckles had turned white. His muscles were tense, his mind was filled with thoughts he couldn't say out loud.

Jacob had been watching him all morning. Logan had been grumpy since the harvest, and it had only gotten worse as winter set in. He didn’t say much but Jacob had known him long enough to see through his gruff exterior.

Jacob sighed and finally pushed off the stall he’d been leaning on, stepping up beside his younger brother. He nudged Logan’s shoulder, his tone light but laced with knowing. "You been stewin’ like an old pot all week. Spit it out, Logan."

Logan grumbled, not meeting his brother’s gaze. "Ain’t nothin’ to spit out."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Right. And I’m a baby. Just tell me what’s got ya lookin’ like a storm cloud ‘bout to break."

Logan let out a breath, his grip on the workbench tightening. For a long moment, he didn’t speak, just stared at the scuffed wood beneath his hands. And then, with a voice raw and low, he muttered the words that would cut deeper than he could ever know.

"I regret marryin’ her. If I had any sense, I would’ve let her go with her uncle and aunt, saved myself all the trouble and drama."

The words tasted like ash in his mouth, bitter and dry. Even as he said them, something in his gut twisted, telling him it was a lie. But he didn’t take them back. He couldn’t.

Because if he admitted the truth—if he let himself feel just how much he needed Oma, then he’d have to face the fear that had been clawing at him since the moment he realized what she meant to him.

Jacob shook his head, his arms crossing over his chest. "That’s a lie, and you know it."

Logan swallowed, his jaw clenching as he fought against the truth. But Jacob wasn’t lettin’ up. He stepped closer, his voice steady but firm. "You don’t regret a thing, Logan. You’re just scared."

Logan let out a harsh breath, turning away, but Jacob wasn’t done. "You’re pushin’ her away, same way you done with everyone since Miriam died. But this ain’t like before. Oma ain’t a memory you can lock away. She’s real, and she’s right here, and if you don’t stop bein’ a stubborn fool, you’re gonna lose her."

Logan tried to hold himself together, tried to shove the emotions down deep where they couldn’t reach him. But then Jacob did something that completely broke him.

His older brother, who had always been steady, always been strong reached out and pulled him into a hug.

Logan stiffened at first, caught off guard. But the warmth of Jacob’s embrace, the solid strength of it, cracked something inside him. A sob broke from his chest, raw and painful, and suddenly, all the weight he’d been carrying came crashing down at once. His hands clenched into fists against Jacob’s back, his shoulders shaking as the dam burst.

"I love her," Logan choked out. "God help me, Jacob, I love her with everything I got. But I can’t....I can’t lose her. I can’t go through that again. If anything happens to her… if she leaves, if she—" His voice broke, and he shuddered against his brother’s grip.

Jacob shushed him, his voice quiet but steady. "Ain’t nothin’ gonna happen to her, Logan. You gotta stop thinkin’ like that. You keep pushin’ her away, tryin’ to protect yourself, but all you’re doin’ is hurtin’ her and yourself in the process."