Mending Fences
COLT
My heart thumps as I pull up to Mom and Dad’s house.
Dean, however, leaps out of the car with a yelp of utter joy.
“I’m starving, Dad. What d’you think Mimi made for dessert?
Are you still going to be mad at Auntie Billie and Uncle Ry?
I can’t wait to kick his butt at UNO. Is Lainey really going to be here?
I hope she’s going to be here.” My son pulls the deck of cards out of his jacket pocket.
Shaking my head, I tuck the flowers I bought from the grocery store underneath my arm and hustle toward the door.
We’re running late, thanks to a kindergarten class playdate that went half an hour long.
The other room parent and I wanted to get the kids together outside school hours, and a Sunday afternoon ended up being the best time to do it.
“How do you know I’m mad at Auntie Billie?” I ask, although I already know the answer.
“I heard Uncle Tate talking about it. He said you were being a butthead.”
“What did we say about that word?”
“So ‘butt’ is okay, but ‘butthead’ isn’t?”
“How about we avoid the B word altogether, yeah?”
Dean rolls his eyes. “Fine.”
The flowers are a shitty consolation prize for Mom after I intentionally skipped Sunday supper the past couple weeks. I just couldn’t deal with seeing Billie and Ryder together, stupid as that sounds. But I was short on time, and I figured flowers were better than nothing.
I’m anxious as hell as I follow Dean through the front door. The smells of tomato sauce and sweet Italian sausage hit me the second I step inside.
Aw, hell yeah, Mom’s made lasagna.
I’m also excited. About the lasagna, obviously. But Dean and I ran into Lainey this morning at the Caffeinated Cowgirl, where she was working on her laptop. She said she’d be here tonight.
I was already thinking about coming to Sunday supper, but not gonna lie, knowing Lainey’d be here too was what tipped the scales for me.
“Mimi!” Dean shouts. “Pawpaw! Are you here?”
“We’re here,” Mom replies. “Oh, sweet boy, I’m so glad you were able to come. I’ve missed you!”
“I miss you too. Miss Lainey, you’re here for dinner?” Dean asks.
My stomach flips.
I hear the smile in her voice when she replies, “Your grandmama invited me. Isn’t that so kind?”
“Can we play UNO after we’re done?”
“As long as you eat your vegetables and mind your manners,” Lainey replies easily.
“That a deal?” Dean asks.
“That’s a deal. Such a good handshake,” Lainey says.
“Thanks. My dad taught me.”
“I’m sure he did.”
I round the corner and stop, my feet catching on the rug, when I see my entire family gathered around my parents’ enormous dining room table. There’s a twist in my chest when I see two empty places set with plates and silverware, just waiting for my son and me.
Dean is all smiles as he stands beside Lainey, who sits so that she’s facing me.
Our eyes lock. A funny kind of pressure builds inside my chest. I feel a smile tugging at the edges of my own mouth, even though I’m vaguely aware that my sister and Ryder are also at the table.
Lainey’s in that black dress again. Red lips. Green eyes.
Beautiful.
“Lainey,” I manage, then glance around the table. “Why y’all so quiet?”
Mack shoots me a pointed look. “Because you’ve been giving us the silent treatment for, like, a year now, and suddenly you decide to show up for supper like it’s no big thing. Care to explain yourself?”
Ugh, this fucking guy. I know he’s just pushing my buttons. Pushing me to mend fences with my sister and Ryder. They’re the only ones I haven’t spoken to.
I lean down to kiss Mom’s cheek. “Me and Dean were hungry.”
“Right,” Beck says, narrowing his eyes at me.
Setting the flowers down on the sideboard, I help Dean into his chair, then put his napkin on his lap. “This looks amazing, Mom.”
She’s giving me a look too. My face burns.
“Ryder helped too, you know. He’s an excellent kitchen assistant,” she says.
I glance at Billie. I have to admit she looks happier. Lit up even as she reaches for Ryder’s hand.
“That so?” I ask.
“My mom always used to say many hands make light work,” Ryder says, gulping his beer.
Lainey and I meet eyes. Hers are full of feeling. She used that exact same expression with me, only in a wildly different context. My blood thumps at the memory.
“You’re kind of the living embodiment of that, Ry,” Billie says.
Lainey is chewing thoughtfully on some garlic bread. “All y’all are. Watching you work together day in and day out is really something else.”
Can’t help it. Gotta tease this girl. Gotta get a rise out of her, ease the tension in here, because I kinda want to die right now. I didn’t come to address the proverbial elephant in the room, but I do want to thaw out this silence between me and Ryder and Billie a little bit.
I also wanna keep that smile on Lainey’s face.
“That’s ’cause we’re doin’ real work. The kind you do with your hands,” I reply with a tight smile and take my seat.
Lainey’s eyes gleam. “You really gonna start with this right now?”
Almost like she wants to play this game with me.
Damn it, she gets it. Gets me. Once upon a time, that woulda pissed me off. Now it turns me on.
I can’t stop thinking about our date. Best I’ve been on in forever. I can’t wait to do it again.
“Daddy, Miss Lainey does real work too,” Dean says, watching with glee as Tate scoops a massive piece of lasagna onto his plate. “Matter of fact, we worked together today.”
I raise my brows. “I thought you were showing Miss Lainey how to ride a horse.”
“We were riding horses, Daddy. We were also talking strategy.”
Mack hides his laughter by wiping his face with his napkin. “I like the sound of this.”
“Can we tell them?” Dean asks around a mouthful of lasagna. “Please please please? Your ideas are the neatest.”
Now we’re all laughing.
“Sure,” Lainey says with a nod. “Why don’t you tell everyone the idea we were kicking around today while you were being such an excellent teacher?”
Dean looks like he’s about to burst when he smiles and says, “Double U Ranch! Get it, Mimi? Instead of the Wallace Ranch, our new name would be—wait, what did you call it, Miss Lainey?”
Watching her laugh, I feel short of breath. Somehow I know she’s going to nail her delivery, and my family’s all gonna love whatever idea she presents.
And me? I’m gonna have to try with all my might not to love it too.
“A play on words.” Lainey’s ruffling my son’s hair now. “Wallace starts with the letter w, so we just spell that letter out in a different way. D-o-u-b-l-e-…”
“U!” Dean shouts, clapping his hands. “Remember you wrote it out for me and I got it because I know how to read now?”
Double U Ranch.
It really is clever. And it’s unique enough to make us stand out.
Lainey knows this. Of course she does. Why else would she aim that wide, white smile at me before turning back to my son?
“You are so smart it’s amazing. Of course I remember,” she says. “Just like I remember how much you’re learning in kindergarten.”
Dean beams. “Kindergarten is the best. I’m so good at it.”
Note to self: Talk to Dean about the definition of humility.
Mom looks at Dad. Dad looks back at Mom. They’ve always had the ability to communicate with just a glance. Used to make me wonder why Abby and I could never pull it off.
“I think that’s mighty clever,” Dad says. “What do you think, Mama?”
“I think I love it.” Mom smiles. “It’s just different enough to stand out, but still classic and very tongue-in-cheek. Just like my sense of humor.”
Now it’s Lainey who’s beaming. “Dean informed me he saw the colors in yellow.”
“It’s my favorite color,” Dean confirms.
Billie’s eyes move around the table. “Well then, our new logo has to be yellow. I don’t know how y’all feel, but I am really digging this.”
Her enthusiasm—her willingness to try on something new—really is the best. I’ve missed my sister. My best friend too. I know I’m jealous of them.
I’m jealous because I want another shot at love, even though I’m scared to admit it.
“Thank you, Billie. Appreciate the vote of support.” Lainey looks at me, and everything inside me leaps. “Although I don’t think the new branding will pass by unanimous vote tonight.”
I take a sip of water in a failed effort to control my speeding heartbeat. “What makes you say that, Lainey?”
Her lips twitch—just barely—when she replies, “You and your stubborn behind. You were gonna shoot us down even before we shared our idea.”
“For what it’s worth, I like it too,” Ryder says.
Part of me still wants to bite his head off.
Another part of me is fighting a smile of my own.
“Of course you do,” I manage. “Am I the only one who thinks this whole rebranding business is a waste of time and money?”
Another shameless attempt to get a rise out of our honored guest.
“Yes,” the table replies in unison.
Lainey’s eyes brim with triumph.
That’s a good look on you, honey. And Double U just might be a good look for us too.
“Great,” I scoff.
Dad clears his throat. “How about we shelve that conversation for later? Tonight, I wanna enjoy this delicious lasagna and the company of all my well-behaved children. Plus their significant others.” Dad nods at Ryder.
“We’ve been waiting an age to add some more places at the table. Thank you for coming, Ryder.”
A flush works its way up Ryder’s face. I feel a rush of—of something hit me. Sympathy? Grief? Relief?
Happiness?
“Thank y’all for giving me a chance to prove that I’m worthy of your daughter,” Ryder says, meeting eyes with Billie. “She’s somethin’ special, and I can’t wait to watch her soar.”
Billie’s whole face softens, and so does the stuff inside my chest. I gotta quit being such an asshole about this whole thing. Sure, Billie and Ryder hurt me. But they didn’t do it on purpose. And I’m not gonna be the one who hates them for being happy together.
They deserve better. We all do.
I look at Lainey, who’s looking at my sister and her boyfriend with the same wistfulness I feel inside my rib cage.
That, her eyes seem to say. I want that.
If I were a braver man, I’d admit that’s what I want too.
Tate raises his glass. “Amen to that. To Billie and Ryder. May the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation he gave her that night at the rodeo be the start of a beautiful love story.”
Dean raises his glass so quickly that he spills water everywhere. “Cheers!”
I raise my glass too.
“Lainey,” Mom says, sipping her wine. “Do you happen to have plans for Thanksgiving? I imagine your family is probably dyin’ to see you, but we’d love to have you join us if you don’t plan on going back to Fort Worth.”
I’m short of breath as I wait for Lainey to reply. She meets my eyes across the table. I half expect to see a question in them. Not only is this a big ask, but it’d also put her right at that six-week mark. Is she planning to stay longer?
My pulse leaps. I sincerely hope so.
I’m thrilled when I see certainty in her eyes instead. She knows without asking that I want her to stay for Thanksgiving too.
I’m doing something right. Feels good.
“Thank you so much for the invite,” Lainey says. “I’ll have to talk to my parents, but I’d love to stay. Y’all really pull out all the stops when it comes to hospitality. I’m just honored to be included.”
“You do fit right in,” Beck says, raising his brows at me.
Dean claps his hands. “I hope you can stay, Miss Lainey. Do you think they have Thanksgiving LEGO sets?”
We laugh at that.
“I’ll do some research,” Lainey replies.
“I make a mean beef tenderloin,” Beck adds. “It’s not to be missed.”
Lainey chuckles. “I see humility runs in the family.”
Beck grins. “Not a lick in these genes. We do, however, have big—”
“Hearts,” I finish for him. “Brains.”
“Muscles,” Dean adds, lifting his arm.
“Muscles. Right,” Beck teases. “That’s what I was going to say.”
Lainey’s laughing, her cheeks flushed pink. She looks so pretty like this—relaxed, enjoying a meal, enjoying my family—that it’s all I can do not to reach across the table and pull her in for a kiss. Right in front of everyone.
Soon.
For right now, though, I’ll take her smile and the way her eyes dance when she says, “Wouldn’t miss it. Count me in.”