Chapter 35
Greer settled onto her mom’s couch and just breathed.
It was the same couch that had been in her family room all through her childhood.
Her mom had just had it restuffed and reupholstered a few times now.
It was one of the only pieces of furniture her parents had taken with them other than their bedroom suite.
Now they lived in a modern ranch style house that featured the same architecture and similar layout as the much larger ranch did.
Her mom had designed the house that way on purpose—instead of suites, though, there were three bedrooms besides the master. There wasn’t a family room on the second floor—because there wasn’t a second floor. But it felt so familiar and welcoming, Greer had always loved it.
And it suited her parents very well.
Her father had grown up on the family ranch, and they had raised all eight of their children there, but her dad liked to travel, too.
He hadn’t wanted the responsibility of running the family ranch day-to-day—he’d wanted to enjoy his golden years, he’d said.
By seeing parts of the world. They’d traveled for almost three years after Greer’s graduation.
Then they’d come back—to spend most of their free time with their children and grandchildren.
They’d built a house and had settled in to bake cookies and have grandparent sleepovers whenever they could.
When she’d been eighteen, they’d given the ranch over to her and her siblings. Grady, Gene, and Gunn ran it now, with help from the rest of them when needed. It was the family ranch.
Her own baby would grow up as a part of it.
That legacy was something she would always appreciate.
The roots she had in Value…were…invaluable.
She hurt that Kurt didn’t have those same kinds of roots. That his baby girls would hurt over the loss of their parents someday. Kurt was determined to make sure they knew they were loved. She had no doubt about that.
That man loved those little girls. It was one of his few redeeming qualities.
She’d spent almost a week since what had happened to Grady and Hala soul-searching.
Asking herself how she really felt about Kurt—and if she was capable of forgiveness.
Maybe her sisters had been right when they’d said it just sounded like Kurt had panicked.
Maybe…maybe it really was second chance time?
She’d been stewing over that for a few days, waiting for him to be free to figure this out.
But he’d been talking about Garth and Marie and how he was trying to help Garth as much as he could, and about the arson in Oklahoma and she just hadn’t wanted to add to his burdens right now.
Even though she knew that was just an excuse.
She was afraid. Because this could mean so much. And what if it didn’t work? And all she did was end up hurt again, an innocent baby in between them? And two other little girls who deserved so much better?
No man had ever torn her up inside the way Kurtland Tyson Chase. She was one hundred percent certain of that.
“You are preoccupied, young lady. Is it the baby or the gorgeous man?” Her mother looked at her from eyes almost identical to Greer’s own.
She’d heard it before—Genny took after their mom in stature, but was two or three inches shorter.
Greer looked the most like her mother. Rumor had it she acted like her mother had at her age, too. “Talk to your mama, baby.”
“Definitely…the man. He’s very…determined.” And her resolve was weakening every single time their path’s crossed.
“Very beautiful. No missing that. My grandbaby is destined to be beautiful.”
“Hmmm.” Yes, Kurt was a very attractive man. Hard to miss that. “He’s a total toad. Who says he loves me. What am I supposed to think about that?”
“A total toad is not that good of a daddy. And I watched that man with those babies of his. Babies he didn’t have to take in, I might add.
And…he looks at you the way Hudson and Chad look at your sisters.
Something to keep in mind. And you like to look back—when you think he’s not watching. Care to tell me what really happened?”
“We were…together. Made the baby the first time I ever got naked with a man, and then he practically threw me out minutes later. Saying he’d made a mistake.
Now that there is a baby, he thinks I’m going to just play along with whatever he wants and forget what he said that night.
But how can I? It hurt, a lot. How can I ever trust him again? ”
“Tell me exactly what he said.”
Greer spilled the entire story to her mother. Her mother just shook her head. “I see. Not much different from what your own father said and did when I told him about Georgiano Maxwell Hiller the third’s coming arrival. It took me a while to forgive him.”
Greer knew the story. George had been six months old by the time her father had tracked her mother down and captured her forever. They’d had a bit of a rocky start back then. But they’d loved each other and worked it out. “Daddy wasn’t that big of a toad.”
“Honey, your father was the epitome of toad back then. Arrogant, cocky, and yes, spoiled. He thought he was God’s gift to women, and I was just the lowly temporary secretary he did something stupid with.
And he just got caught. He made that very clear when I told him about Georgie.
He thought I’d trapped him. He said we’d work out a structure for your brother’s very existence.
Grr. That still burns me, how much of a toad your father was that day.
Yet I have now forgiven him. Mostly. Of course I had to leave after that.
He didn’t want our baby, and I know he didn’t want me then.
Except physically. So…to hell with him. I was going to build a life for me and my baby boy without him. ”
Her mother had told her father the baby was hers and not his, gave him a notarized letter stating she wanted nothing from him for the baby, and then taken off to stay with relatives all around the state.
Her father had been kept hopping just trying to find her.
He finally had, when George was not even six months old.
It took him three more months to catch her fully, as she liked to say.
They’d been married three weeks later. And then had eight more children over a span of twenty years, including their baby Gregory, who had passed away at around four weeks old.
“But you and Daddy loved and respected each other then.”
“No. We were two incredibly hardheaded, stubborn people who were definitely in lust with each other. Love…came a few months later. Like…after your brother was born. Love can be so complicated. And people can say and do stupid things—especially when they are afraid or confused. Have the two of you even sat down and talked about what happened that night? Or about the baby and the future? Or—did you just cut him out completely and threaten to run away forever, your own version of baby Georgie with you?”
Oh, her mom had that look in her eyes again. One that said she knew exactly what Greer had done. “He barely even acknowledged me until he found out about the baby. Almost three months.”
“In his defense, he’d been a bit busy, right? With those baby girls of his? Becoming daddy.”
“Yes.” That was one way to put it.
“Yet when you needed him after George’s wreck, where was he?”
She knew exactly what her mother was saying.
“And after Jessica hurt your brother and Hala—where was Kurt?”
“With the Glasses. And…me.” He’d stayed where she could find him in an instant, until the moment her brothers had walked her out. Kurt had followed her to the truck and told her good night. And to call if she needed him.
“That boy, he cares about you. Deeply. I don’t think you will ever know fully how much…until the two of you actually sit down and talk, Greer Katarina. Stop being so much like your mother, and just go get your man. I don’t think you will be truly happy until the two of you figure this out.”
“He’s coming for dinner tonight. Gia suggested it. He’s bringing the girls.” She’d told Gia everything, and all the ways he’d made her feel. Gia had suggested starting with a simple…dinner. That was it. And going from there.
Gia had then told her not to waste time. It was too precious. Her sister had still been so battered over what had happened to her at the courthouse. Gia’s words had made a real impact.
Greer thought about her mother’s words as she drove back to the ranch. Her mom and dad lived less than five miles from the ranch. They would always be close. George and Ronnie were in town, less than seven miles from the ranch.
Greer didn’t know where the rest of her family would end up.
Gia was already making noises about moving into Hudson’s house, once the fire damage was repaired.
Hudson and Ryan were still at the ranch now—Greer suspected Gia was sneaking that beautiful man into her suite at night after Gunn and the boys were asleep.
Ayla and Aubrey were there now, too. Supposedly to take care of Hala and Grady—but Greer knew the truth.
Everyone was ending up there because they loved each other.
Guthrie and Aubrey were talking about looking for a house near Hudson’s, on the same stretch of highway.
Ayla and Aubrey wore Hiller engagement rings.
It made Greer gooey to even think about it.
Genny was happy, Gia was happy, Ayla and Aubrey and Chantal had all captured one of her brothers each, and now her best friend for almost longer than she could remember was with Grady.
Her family was beautiful and happy, and things were going to be good for them all now.
Greer could just see all the babies they would have.
It would be fun to see how alike Gunn and Guthrie’s babies would look, and Gia and Hala’s, for that matter.
They’d probably all look like Ryan. Would Chantal and Genny both have redheaded babies?
Her eyes stung.
They were all going to be happy.
And her baby would be right there in the middle of it all.
She—or he—would be close in age to baby Mira and baby Max.
And she just knew one of her siblings would start a family right away, too.
There would be playmates and aunts and uncles and grandparents and so many connections…
her baby would never feel alone. Not in this family.
But Kurt…Kurt didn’t have that. She believed him when he said that was what he wanted for the baby—and for Bristol and Bronte. Those sweet little girls deserved people to love them, too.
Family…connections…they shaped who people became.
It was a miracle Kurt had become the man he had.
Maybe her mom had been right when she’d said Greer probably scared him to his very toes, considering what he hadn’t had.
Her mom had told her to talk with him. To figure this out. For all of them. Somehow.
Well, maybe it was time Greer did exactly that.
Maybe it was time she stopped being such a coward and faced that man head on.
She almost missed the truck coming right at her until it was too late.