Chapter 38 Matty
MATTY
“…you scared everyone half to death, you know.”
I paused in the doorway, unseen for the moment, Hudson’s voice carrying soft and low as he worked the arm of Ivy’s pajama top around the cast.
Her little voice piped back, pouty and small. “Wanted to do it myself. I’m sorry, Daddee.”
Hudson sighed, but there was no heat in it. “And what happened when you tried?”
“I felled.”
“Exactly, you fell.” He kissed the top of her curls. “So what lesson did we learn?”
“Ivy’s not a big girl.” She mumbled it, barely audible.
Hudson chuckled. “No, you’re Daddy’s little Bug. Don’t try to grow up too fast, yeah? And you need to listen to Ozzie’s instructions and always let a grown-up know where you are and what you are doing. Do you know why?”
“To keep me safe?”
“Exactly.” He tipped her chin with one calloused finger. “I love you, Ivy. You know that, right?”
She nodded, solemn as a preacher. Ivy glanced up, spotted me, and her whole face lit up. “Daddee!” She lifted her good arm and patted the space on her other side. “Sit here!”
Hudson glanced back, catching me in the doorway, and for a second, the emotions in his eyes made my chest go tight—tiredness, relief, but it was the intensity of his love that nearly undid me.
I crossed the room and lowered myself onto the mattress on the other side of Ivy. I brushed my fingers lightly over her hair and whispered, “And I love you too, Ivy. More than all the horses on this ranch.”
Her eyes rounded. “That’s a lot.”
“Exactly.” I smiled. “That’s how much.”
Hudson huffed a soft laugh, and Ivy squirmed happily between us, tucked safe with her two dads. Hudson picked up the book on the nightstand.
Ivy’s eyes went straight to the engagement ring on Hudson’s finger. “Pretty.” She gingerly touched it. “Can I have it, Daddy, pretty puh-leeze?”
Hudson chuckled, shaking his head. “Not this one, baby girl. Daddy Matt gave me this ring.”
Her lower lip jutted out. “I don’t gots a ring.”
“This is a special ring that means Daddy Matty loves me very much.”
“So Daddy Matt doesn’t love me?”
Hudson froze, his mouth opening and closing like he didn’t know how to answer without breaking her little heart.
I leaned forward, smoothing Ivy’s hair back. “Of course I love you, Ivy,” I said softly. “So much. That’s why tomorrow, we’re going into town to get you the shiniest ring we can find. Just for you.”
Her whole face lit up, eyes sparkling as she bounced against the pillows. “For me?”
“For you.” I kissed the crown of her head. “So you’ll always know you’re just as special as other Daddy.”
Hudson groaned, snapping the book shut again, his eyes rolling heavenward. “You’re going to spoil her if you give her everything she pouts for.”
“No,” I countered gently, brushing my thumb along Ivy’s cheek. “She’s right. This ring”—I touched Hudson’s hand, the band gleaming in the lamplight—“is a promise to you. Why can’t I also give her one that shows my promise to her?”
Hudson was shaking his head, but the softness in his eyes betrayed him. His gaze flicked back to the little girl, his expression softening. “You know what else is happening, Ivy? Daddy Matty and I are getting married. To each other. Does that make you happy?”
Her eyes widened. “What’s married?”
“It means,” Hudson said patiently, “that Daddy and I promise to love each other forever. Like Papa and Ozzie. We’ll be family, no matter what.”
“And it means.” I swiped a curl from her forehead. “You’ll always have us. Both of us. Always.”
She thought hard, then raised her head to look me in the eye. “You marry me too, Daddy Matt?”
Her question hit me square in the chest, small and earnest in the way only a three-year-old could manage.
“But you have to be this big to get married.” I held my hand high above her head, grinning when she scrunched her nose.
“That’s not fair.” She pouted, lips trembling like she might cry.
“Hey now,” I murmured, rubbing her cheek with my thumb until she peeked up at me. “But here’s the thing. You don’t need a marriage to keep me. I’m already your forever daddy. That means no matter how big you get, or how far you go, I’ll always be yours.”
Her face softened, the pout slipping away as a shy little smile took its place. “Forever daddy?”
“Forever,” I promised. “Settle down for Daddy and let him read you a night-night story, okay? I’ll see you in the morning.”
“And we buy a ring.”
I chuckled. “Yes, we’ll buy you a ring.”
She snuggled into Hudson’s side, already settling as he started to read. “Find me when you’re done,” I told Hudson, then slipped out.
I nearly walked straight into Ozzie in the hallway. He looked tired, his shoulders sagging, but there was relief in his eyes when he saw me.
“Hey, Matty, how’s Ivy?”
“Tired with all the excitement of the day. Hudson’s reading to her now. She’ll be fine. Stop worrying.”
“I can’t help it. I feel like I let everyone down.”
“Ozzie, accidents happen all the time. Ask my dad, and he’ll entertain you with some interesting, laugh-out-loud stories of all the accidents I’ve had. I mean, up to a week ago, he had to pick barbed wire out of my skin, and I’m a grown man.”
That got him to chuckle.
“What about Dad?” I asked. He had been quieter than usual at dinner, and Hudson and I had spent the evening with Ivy, so I only got to speak to him briefly about the charges I pressed against Grant. “How’s he doing?”
“Coming around. He took…what you told him hard. Feels like he failed to protect you.”
“Oh God. I don’t want him to feel that way. He’s always been a great father.”
Ozzie’s mouth softened. “He’ll be okay. It’ll just take some time for the shock to wear off, but I’ll take care of him. Always will.”
I swallowed hard at his obvious love for my dad and the way I’d behaved toward him about their relationship. Guilt pricked at my consciousness. Much of the tension between us had eased, especially after he started minding Ivy, but I had to make things right between us.
“Oz… I owe you an apology.”
His eyes flew open wide, startled. “You do not.”
“I do. For the way I treated you before. It was hard to accept your relationship. I felt obligated as Car’s brother to stand up for him, but I’ve seen the way you care for my dad. Things might not have started in the best way, but you make him happy. You’re good to him, and he deserves that.”
Slowly, he shook his head. “Matty… thanks for apologizing, but it’s all in the past.”
“It wasn’t that long ago.” I rubbed at the space between my brows. “I have a habit of lashing out at the people who I believe crossed me, and you got the full brunt of that. You and Hudson both. I know I can be a bit intense, but that’s no excuse for some of the things I said to you.”
“All water under the bridge. I’m glad you and Hudson worked things out, and Ivy’s the sweetest ever.”
“She is. Isn’t she?” I grinned. “Thanks for not holding things against me.”
“Never. It’s not like you have to call me stepdad or anything.”
I scowled, and Ozzie laughed, walking away. “See you in the morning, Matty.”
“In your dreams,” I muttered under my breath and took the stairs.
I headed into the kitchen, grabbed a cold bottle of water from the fridge, and twisted the cap off. My throat was dry, but more than that, I needed the quiet. Out back, the night waited, broad and hushed.
The screen door squeaked as I pushed it open.
The air was cool, sweet with hay and dust and the faint scent of horses.
I crossed the porch and stepped out onto the yard, heading for the swing Dad had installed for Ivy.
It creaked when I lowered myself onto it, chains groaning as I set myself into a slow sway.
I smiled faintly, taking a sip of water. Ivy’d sworn never to touch the swing again, but I’d bet my last dollar that by the time her arm healed, she’d forget that vow and come running back to it. That was the thing about kids. They broke, they mended, and they forgave faster than adults ever could.
The night stretched around me, peaceful in its simplicity. The cattle mooed in the distance, an owl hooted from somewhere near the barn, and fireflies blinked lazily along the fence line. For the first time all day, my chest eased.
Then my phone buzzed in my pocket.
I frowned, pulling it free. The name on the screen hit me like a kick: Carter.
For a second, I stared. He hadn’t answered my calls in weeks. I could ignore him right back, punish him, but I couldn’t. Despite everything, he was my older brother. I swiped to answer. “Car, what’s up?”
There was silence for a second or two, then a sharp breath. “I wasn’t sure if you would pick up.” His voice was rougher than I remembered, older, wearier. Considering he’d just been given millions of dollars of the Magnuson wealth, I expected him to be chipper.
“I—” My throat closed for a second. “Yeah. Always will for you. We’re always gonna be brothers, right?”
“Mom called me.”
She’d called me earlier too and had been hysterical on the phone. Dad had apparently informed her of what had happened to me when I was fourteen. I’d ended up consoling her more than the other way around.
“You answered? She’s been calling you for weeks.”
“She told you that?”
“Yes.”
“Well, she left me a voice mail about what happened, so I called her back.” His words tumbled out, fast and uneven, like they’d been bottled up too long. “You okay, man?”
A lump rose in my throat so fast I had to swallow hard before I could speak. “Yeah, I’m good. Was a long time ago.”
“Still…why didn’t you tell me?”
“I…I don’t know. Maybe a part of me was ashamed that it was happening.”
I’d always been careful about sneaking out to meet Grant, looking for something but ending up feeling empty and horrible after. Each time it happened, he would remind me no one could find out.
“Dad would have killed him if he knew it then.”
“Yeah. Well, it’s reported now, so he won’t get away with stuff like that anymore.”
He sighed. “At least there’s that, but it makes me angry someone took advantage of my little brother that way.”