Chapter 6 #3
“Suz is a brilliant woman who loves your sister. And I’m the man who loves you, and no way, no how, does even a new-and-improved version of your womb-provider get any say in your life.”
“Agreed.” Charity slipped her fingers into his.
“Growing up we didn’t deal with physical abuse, but it wasn’t healthy.
Chelsea and I have done a lot of work to break free of the pain of the past.” She met his eyes.
“That’s not a place a truly loving person, who had ‘worked to become better’ would willingly send a child they’d abused. ”
“Good for you for seeing that.” He lifted her fingers to his lips. “What’s the plan? Do you know what you want to do?”
“I thought I should talk to Caleb. Ask if he can get the Silver Stone lawyers to talk to her. Tell her on behalf of Chelsea and I that she’s not allowed to contact us again.”
Dustin nodded slowly.
“I already blocked her number, but I know she could get a new one. I refuse to hide my entire life, so she needs to know to stay away.”
Dustin cupped Charity’s face in his hand. “You’re strong, Tee. Strong and beautiful, and I’m very proud of you right now.”
She leaned in and took the kiss he offered, staying close when he would have pulled back. “Your turn.”
He blinked. “Um.”
“What’s got you waking up in the middle of the night?” she asked quietly. “I don’t think it’s something terrible, but you are pondering.”
Dustin smiled. “Smarty-pants.”
“I am.” She twisted to a more comfortable position. “What’s up?”
He offered it up simply. “Remember when Uncle Frank was being odd? Turns out he’s started to think about legacy planning. He has no heirs, but he wants Crooked Creek to stay in the family.”
Oh. Oh boy. “Does that mean—you?”
“Maybe.” Dustin played with her fingers, rubbing his thumb over her skin gently as he stared at their joined hands. “You know, I thought Frank was terrible for a lot of years.”
“He was,” she agreed. “He’d be the first to admit that he was a total ass.”
Dustin’s lips quirked. “He would, but it’s not the fact that he’d now admit to his faults that made me start to like him. It’s the fact when someone pointed out his asshattery—ahem, you—he changed.”
She wasn’t sure where he was going with this. “Go on.”
“He changed, and he did it to become a better person. But then he didn’t ask or demand or do anything more. The rest was up to us to decide if we wanted to be with the new-and-improved Frank.”
Oh. Dustin was right. Charity nodded. “Unlike my mother, who thinks it’s her right.”
“It makes me like Frank a whole lot more that his first thought in all of this wasn’t what was best for him and Crooked Creek, but what was best for Silver Stone. Best for me as well, but I think Frank would honestly give the ranch up before he’d do something that might hurt Caleb or me.”
“Frank’s a good man,” Charity agreed. “At least now he is.”
“He is. And I’d like to honour that if it makes sense.
He’s family, real family. Years ago, I vowed to help my family the best I could.
” Dustin straightened and looked out the window.
“I get where he’s coming from because I’ve been stewing over this for a while.
If my answer was a straight up no, then I didn’t need to bother you with it.
But I don’t know what’s the right answer. ”
It was impossible not to laugh. “I’m not sure there is a right answer.”
He turned back to face her. “Would you want to move to Crooked Creek? You know it’s pretty, and while we wouldn’t be part of Silver Stone in the same way, we’d still have lots of contact with family. We’d be close enough to visit often.”
She reflected on his words, because the question had obviously been bothering him for days and deserved proper consideration.
But the truth was too bright and shiny to ignore.
Crooked Creek was close, but not close enough for Dustin to drop in at Luke and Kelli’s to babysit Kyle.
He wouldn’t be able to randomly stop at Tucker and Ginny’s to hold Demi on a regular basis.
Not close enough to pop over to the main ranch house and read Tyler a bedtime story.
Or stop at Walker and Ivy’s and build Lego castles and paint pictures with the nieces and nephew there.
It wouldn’t be a world where Dustin could pause to chat with his brothers every day, an act that filled his soul with happiness.
Not to mention the other truth—they’d have to leave Fern and Cody, who’d become friends to the core.
Charity spoke carefully. “We don’t need to decide this minute, but if you want to know what my heart already says?”
“Always.”
“It says we belong at Silver Stone.”
Dustin took a deep breath. “I think so too. Which means disappointing Uncle Frank.”
“No, it means considering other options that could keep Crooked Creek in the family.” Utter confusion flitted over his face, so Charity held up a hand for him to let her finish.
“One of which involves a young woman who’ll soon finish the first major step in growing up, and it’ll be time for her to figure out the next thing. ”
His eyes widened. “Sasha?”
Charity nodded. “Sasha.”