Chapter 2 #2
“I’m gonna show her ’round and give her the unfiltered tour of the ranch. Think you can cover for me for a bit?” Ayden asks.
“Yeah, sure. But you owe me!”
“Add it to my tab,” Ayden taunts.
It’s then I realize their relationship isn’t a romantic one. It’s more of a sibling one. Relief washes over me even though I have no reason to feel an ounce of hope. It’s clear he’ll never return to Texas. He’s found a family here.
Ayden takes my hand and leads us down the walkway, talking about a few of his favorite horses and the inside of the tack room. Then we walk into a back room makeshift office, but I can hardly focus with his strong hand enveloping mine.
“It’s not much, but it’s where I make the boardin’ schedules and speak to clients. I also keep track of expenses and payments.”
“It has more personality than your entire house,” I tease. “At least there’s pictures on the walls.”
Most are newspaper clippings and horse photos.
“To be fair, I’m here more than at home.” He shrugs.
Next, we walk out to the pasture. “Is that a goat?”
“That one’s Shelly Belly. Careful, she’s an old, sassy one.”
I step back. “They just roam free?”
“Kinda, but she’s an escape artist. The rules don’t apply to her,” he explains with a shrug.
“What do they do?”
“Graze mostly. Eat up the brush and wild vegetation. It helps control the shrubs. We move them from pasture to pasture.”
When we walk the fence line, one of the horses approaches. “This is Mayberry. She’s a show horse with a strict schedule of eatin’, exercisin’, and jumpin’. Noah works with her every day.”
She nuzzles her nose against his hand.
“I’m surprised she’s allowed to be out here,” I say, remembering what little knowledge I have. The risk of injury is higher when they’re frolicking in a pasture.
“Yeah, it’s why she’s out here alone and only for a short time after trainin’.”
“I bet you’ve learned a lot workin’ here,” I say as we walk back toward the barn.
He chuckles. “More than I could’ve ever wanted to know. Now it feels like second nature.”
“Ayden.” I stop, hoping he’ll do the same. When he faces me, I inhale. “I’m really proud of you. I know I was angry and heartbroken when you left, but it looks like you’ve made a good life for yourself. I’m happy you got the fresh start you wanted.”
He closes the gap between us. “I’m sorry I had to start over without you. Not a day goes by that I haven’t thought about you. Wonderin’ how you were doing. If you were happy and safe. If a man was treatin’ you right. My biggest regret in life was havin’ to walk away from you.”
Tears form in the corner of my eyes. I hate that I’m not strong enough to keep my emotions in check, but when it comes to Ayden—the boy I never stopped loving—his words shoot straight to my heart.
“I’m sorry, too. I wish I could’ve come with you. This would’ve been an awesome place to raise a family.”
He raises his brows as if it just occurred to him to ask if I had a family.
“Are you married?”
I shake my head.
“What about kids?”
This time, I nod.
“Really?” He genuinely smiles. “How old?”
I suck in a breath because there’s no avoiding this. It’s part of the reason I came here.
“She’s nine.”
His brown eyes stay glued to mine, neither of us moving or speaking while his brain catches up.
“Who’s the father?” he finally asks, his voice gruff and angry as he folds his arms across his chest.
“Ayden,” I say his name calmly. “Can we not do this right now, please?” I look around in case we aren’t alone.
“We’re not moving until you answer my question. Who’s. Her. Father?”
“Who do you think?” I shrug, then rub my sweaty palms along my jeans. “I didn’t find out until after you left.”
“Jesus Christ, Laney.” He paces. “You could’ve led with that.”
“I didn’t want to overwhelm you. Howie’s death was already big news to share.”
“I have a daughter?” His voice cracks as he stops in front of me.
“We have a daughter, yes.”
“Is she here?”
“No, she’s with my mother in Texas.”
“Does she know about me?”
“Howie and I talked about you a lot, yes. She doesn’t know the details of why you left, but she knows you exist—somewhere.”
“I can’t fuckin’ believe this. Shit.” He shakes his head in disbelief and then grabs my hand. “I would’ve never left, Laney. I swear, I would’ve stayed and raised our daughter with you. I would’ve married you. I’d—”
“I know, Ayden. I never doubted for a moment you wouldn’t have been the best father.
For years, I tried to find you. You were never on social media.
Your phone number was disconnected. Eventually, I saved up money to hire a PI to check if you had opened any credit cards or a bank account, but he came back empty. ”
“You’ve been raisin’ her by yourself?”
“No, I had help.”
He frowns, releasing me. “But not mine.”
“You didn’t know,” I remind him softly.
“What’s her name?”
“Serena Mae.”
He tilts his head, and those soulful brown eyes light up every nerve under my skin. “You named her after my grandmother?”
I can’t help but smile. “I knew how much you loved her, and I loved her name. I wanted to honor you somehow.”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say. I don’t even deserve the chance to be her dad after being away for nine years.”
“Ayden Carson, that’s not true,” I scold, inching closer until I’m at eye level with his chest. He has a good six inches on me.
“You had no idea. Hell, I didn’t know for a month because I thought it was heartbreak sickness.
It wasn’t until I realized I missed my period that I finally took a test, and well. ..surprise.”
He cups my cheek, and I can’t stop myself from leaning into his warm palm. “God, I’m sorry. I should’ve put my new number in my letter so you could’ve at least called and told me. I would’ve come back in a heartbeat.”
“That’s partially my fault too. I told you not to.”
“Can I meet her?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“When?”
“I’m not sure. It’s a bit complicated. I need to take off work and—”
“What if I come there?”
My brows shoot up at the sudden change of heart. “Really? You’d come to Beaumont?”
“To meet my daughter, yes. I can’t go to the funeral, but I’d like to visit Howie’s grave and pay my respects in private when I’m there.”
“That’d be great, Ayden. Seriously.”
He takes me by surprise and wraps me in a hug, but I don’t back away. Ayden’s touch is something I’ve been dreaming of, and just like always, it gives me comfort and hope. I inhale the scent of his cologne, and years of memories flash through my mind.
“Do you have any pictures?” he asks when we break apart.
“Yeah, thousands.” I laugh just thinking about how many I’ve taken over the past nine years.
“Let’s eat at The Lodge tonight, and you can show me. Start with when you were pregnant. I bet you were cute as hell.”
I burst out laughing. “Oh my God. It’ll take us a year to get through them all.”
He smirks. “I’ve got time.”