CHAPTER 11
COWBOY
It’s been five months since I’ve seen her.
She only turns on her phone every couple of weeks.
She’ll send me a text to tell me she’s safe and happy.
She said she finally rode her horse, and I’m excited for her.
She sent me an email that bounced through so many servers even Gambit’s computer guru couldn’t trace its origin.
I know Butcher is helping her. I’m glad he’s there to protect her.
She still hasn’t told me that she loves me, but I know it will take some time before she trusts me again. On top of that, she’s trying to keep herself hidden so she stays safe. I haven’t heard her voice since that one time back in May. It’s now October, and I’m tired of waiting.
I’m sitting in the living room of the house I bought for us, watching Ria roll around on the floor. At eight months old, she’s already crawling. She grows so much every day. I take pictures of her and send them to Andi.
My phone pings next to me, and I see it’s Browser.
“Hey, nerd. What’s up?” I answer the phone.
“I have her.”
I jump up from the sofa. “You do?”
“Yeah, but Ridley wants to see you before you head to her. I promised I wouldn’t say anything to you. Come to the office in about an hour.” He hangs up.
I reach down and pick up my daughter. She’s officially mine. It took some time, but I passed all the tests and inspections.
“Let’s go get your mama back, baby girl.” I kiss her forehead.
I carry her to her bedroom attached to the primary suite. I change her bottom and clothes, then get her into her car seat before heading out to the garage. There, I secure her seat into the base in the back seat of the large SUV I purchased a couple of weeks after Andi left me.
By the time I make it to Ridley and Julian’s office building, only forty-five minutes have passed. I pull up just as Striker and Amelia do. Another couple steps out of the back of their SUV. The woman bears a striking resemblance to my girl. I know exactly who she is.
“Why is he here?” Penelope, Andi’s mom, asks.
I walk over, ready to grovel to this woman if I have to.
“Hello, I’m Cowboy. This is my daughter, Ria.” I hold up her car seat. “I’m Andi’s boyfriend.” I want to say I’m her man, but I can’t be that over the top with her parents.
Her mom just stares at my hand, but her stepdad reaches out and shakes it.
“Hello, I’m Jon. Don’t mind my wife. She’s overprotective of our girls.”
“Good. I am too.”
“That’s good to hear, but you did let her run in the first place.” Jon doesn’t pull any punches.
“She overheard Striker and me talking. She didn’t stick around to hear the whole conversation, or she would have known I said I wasn’t letting her go.”
“Yeah, sometimes these Forbes women react before thinking or waiting to hear everything.” Jon chuckles, and Penelope smacks him on the chest. He laughs harder as he takes her hand and kisses the knuckles.
Together, we walk into the refurbished warehouse.
The elevator feels crowded, but I still get on, not wanting to give them any reason to think I don’t want to be around.
When we reach the second floor, Ridley directs us to the conference room, where Browser is already sitting.
He’s typing away on his laptop, and I get the sense he’s avoiding eye contact.
“Hey, nerd.” I try to break the ice, but he just nods. Something feels off, and then a voice stops me.
“Cowboy, you can’t come here right now.” Butcher’s voice comes through the speaker, and I’m about to bark at him when Striker holds up a hand.
“He has a right.”
“I get that, but she’s really delicate, and I don’t want to make this worse.”
“What are you all talking about?” I say, loud enough to startle my daughter awake. She cries, and I pull her from the car seat and cuddle her to my chest.
“What are you talking about?” Penelope repeats my question.
“Nothing,” Butcher says, and I know he’s lying. “Look, we’re safe here. If this person is watching any of you, it could direct them here.”
“We need to discuss an opportunity that has presented itself for Andi. Can you please just get her so we talk? I don’t know why she’s making us go through all these channels,” her mother says.
“Darling, you know why,” Jon says, and I look between them. “She doesn’t want to talk to you right now. She asked everyone to give her time.”
“That doesn’t matter.” Penelope leans into the table, moving closer to the speaker. “Put her on, please.”
“For fuck’s sake. Just a moment.”
Striker and Amelia walk around the room toward me.
“Can I hold her?” she asks. “I don’t get to hold a baby girl. I have big boys.” She grumbles, and I hand Ria over.
Amelia moves further down the table, bouncing Ria and cooing to her as she walks. I get the uneasy feeling I’m being set up when a click sounds on the speaker.
“I have Andi here, but she isn’t happy with the situation,” Butcher says, and another male voice speaks up.
“Mrs. Durnum, I know why you’re trying to get into contact with Andi, and I’ve already talked to her. We don’t think it’s a good idea at this time.”
“Who the fuck are you to talk about my woman that way?” I hear Andi gasp in the background. “Nymph, who is that man? Tell me before I come wherever you are and not only break his legs, but make him disappear.”
“Stop, Callum.” Andi’s voice quivers. “Ty is my best friend. He’s not interested in me that way.”
There’s a pause on the line, and I’m about to bare my soul to her, but she speaks again. “I can’t do that, Mom. Now isn’t a good time. I’m just not prepared to take that risk. We know my stalker has something to do with barrel racing.”
“Andi, we don’t know that for sure. Besides, if you don’t want to ride, you don’t have to. They just want you to commentate on the current championship. It’s great PR for you if you do decide to go back to racing, or it could be a future position for you instead of finishing your degree.”
My head whips toward her mother. She’s only concerned about Andi’s career, not her well-being.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t agree with this. If her stalker could be linked to barrel racing, why would you put Andi at risk?”
“It could get the stalker to make a move, then we could get them,” Julian says.
This time my head whips toward him, and I grit my teeth.
“You’re not using my woman as bait.”
“Your woman? She’s been gone for how long now? You have a baby, a very young one at that, from someone else. How could my daughter be your woman?” Penelope asks.
I take the deep breaths I’ve been learning to calm my nerves. She doesn’t know my history.
“Let me explain. Ria is my adopted daughter. She was my niece, but my sister passed away, and I adopted her. As for Andrea, she’s been my woman since the moment she looked at me in the Roadhouse back in March. We’re working things out because we had a misunderstanding.”
“Callum, I agree with you,” Andi says. “We’re working things out. But before you make any real decisions, you and I need to talk.”
“Baby, you’re mine, no matter what.”
“Callum, please. A lot has changed.”
“Have you moved on?” I ask, my chest tightening.
“This isn’t the time or place for this conversation, Callum.” She avoids the question.
“Answer me, Andi,” I demand.
“Look, before you two figure out your future or not, we need to decide on the National Finals Rodeo in Vegas. They said if you only want to do this one time, that’s fine.
They just want someone in the booth who knows the sport, and they’d love to touch base with you after all this time,” her mother says.
“Fine.” Andi huffs.
“I don’t like this,” Butcher states.
“Me neither. This could really put Andi in harm’s way,” I say.
“Based on Andi’s current situation, I oppose it too,” Ridley says. “It would be a logistical nightmare, and I can’t guarantee her safety.” She looks at me for a moment. “Andi, you and Cowboy should have your conversation before you decide.”
“She already yes,” Penelope says. “And I just texted them.” Every eye in the room turns to her.
“Mom, I wish you would have waited. I realize now there’s more than just me to worry about.”
“Who else are you worried about?”
“Penelope, why would you message them?” Jon asks.
“I want her to finally see what she’s missing.”
“I won’t barrel race again. I’m officially retired. I can ride Raine again, but I won’t race another horse. Mom, don’t make me go no-contact with you. My life is different now. It’s going to change completely soon enough.” Andi’s voice holds a wistfulness I haven’t heard before.
“Well, it’s settled. We’ll have a larger team there than we planned,” Julian says.
Andi
I’m so nervous right now. I know what I need to do. I’ve dreamed of this very moment for so long. Especially now that we’re talking and trying to communicate with each other. His life has changed so much, but is he really ready for how much more it’s about to change?
“I—”
I’m not sure how I want to proceed. I’m still on the call, but we’ll be on video soon. I wanted to wait and tell him in person, but now that my mom has done this, and because of the increasing danger, I need to tell him today.
“Look, I really need to talk to Callum without everyone around. After we talk, I’ll give my final decision. It’s only fair.”
“I told you it’s too late. I sent the text. They’re not going to want to change the plans. They’ll probably make the announcement in the next hour. Sweetheart, everyone wants to know how you’re doing.” My mother is pushing this hard.
I want to end my career on a good note, and this would be that, but I can’t risk my life or my child’s. I rub a hand along my belly. Our baby is a big one, just like their daddy. I haven’t found out what I’m carrying because I wanted to save that for when Callum could be with me.
My stomach is in knots as I hear people filing out of the room.
“Are you okay?” Ty asks me, and I nod at him.
I’m going to stay seated for the first part of our conversation. I hope he isn’t angry with me. I’ve already drawn up custody papers, but I’m hoping we won’t need them.
Callum says he loves me, but my bump changes all that. I could have told him so long ago, but I just couldn’t. I needed time to process, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted. Now I know what I want.
I want Callum and Ria.
“Just hit that button when you’re ready,” Butcher says. He squeezes my shoulder on his way out of my small cabin.
Carefully, I arrange myself so I don’t look too big. I’ve gained some weight over the past few months, beyond the baby weight. At twenty-nine weeks, I’m measuring bigger than most first-time moms, my doctor says.
I tap the camera button and wait for Callum to accept the video call.
When he appears, I can’t stop staring at him.
His hair is a bit longer, the curls making it wild.
Darker scruff lines his jaw, making him look rugged.
His cowboy hat rests on the table beside him.
Ria is in his arms, dressed in a cute pink-and-cream outfit with a matching headband.
“Oh my God! She’s gotten so big.”
Ria turns toward my voice, looking for me. I know she doesn’t remember me, but it still warms my heart. She smiles at the screen, and the damn hormones rage through my body, making me cry.
“I’ve missed her so much.”
“She missed you. God, baby, you look so beautiful. You’re glowing.”
I can’t help but preen at his words. I worry my face is fat and I look oily, but I tried to make myself pretty but comfortable today. My hair is up in a messy bun, a few thick curls framing my face. I’m wearing brown maternity bibs with wide legs and a green off-the-shoulder shirt.
“Thank you.”
“Baby, just come home. We don’t have to do this Vegas thing. I just need to hold you and solidify our little family in our new home.”
He’s shown me the house, and I love the design. He says he’s waiting to decorate it more until I come back to him.
“Things have changed. I’ve been keeping a secret from you. I don’t want you to be mad.”
“I won’t be. Unless you tell me you’re seeing another man. You didn’t answer my question. Have you moved on?”
“No. But do you miss us? I miss you so much. I needed time to figure a lot out, and in doing so, I let a secret go on without telling you.”
“I miss us so much. I miss everything about you, Andi. I want everything with you.”
“Do you regret keeping us a secret for so long? Are you sure you want to bring me back when we still don’t have this person captured? What about Ria’s safety?”
“Ria needs you. I regret letting you get away. I wish I had chased after you, but I couldn’t because of Ria. I regret that you overheard only part of the conversation. Mostly, I regret not getting you pregnant so you couldn’t run from me. I wanted to tie you to me so much.”
Shaking my head, I can’t believe he said that.
I slowly stand, letting him see my body. I turn to the side and show him the bump where his child is growing.
“You don’t have to regret that,” I say.
“What the fuck?” he bursts out, startling Ria. She starts to cry.
I hear a door open and then Lia is taking Ria from him. She turns to the screen and sees me. She gives me a sympathetic look before walking out.
“How far along? Is it mine?”
I remain standing. I want to be hurt that he doubts me, but before I can answer him, he holds up a hand.
“Don’t answer that. I know it’s mine. I fucked with your birth control. I just wish I could have been there with you for everything. What is it? How are you doing? How are they?”
I pull the chair forward and slowly sit down. “I’m twenty-nine weeks along. I don’t know what we’re having yet. I was waiting for you. The baby is doing good, other than being big. I’m good. I have problems with my feet swelling. I can’t wear my boots. I’ve stopped riding, just in case I fall.”
“You aren’t doing the Vegas show.”
“I think I should. I think you should meet me there, and we can talk about what’s next.” I pause to pick up the papers. “I had an attorney draw up custody paperwork for you.”
“Not fucking happening. If I have you in Vegas, I’m marrying your ass, Andi.”
“You’re not mad?”
“I told you this is what I wanted. I’m not fucking mad. I wish you had told me sooner, but I’m fucking ecstatic. I want to hold you. Can I come to you now? Ria and I can be there within a day. I’ll travel wherever you are.”
I pull my top lip between my teeth and think about it.
“I don’t want to wait another six weeks to see you either, but we have to talk to Ridley, Julian, and Butcher. We don’t want to lead my stalker here.”
“I don’t want you doing the rodeo. This person is associated with it. I don’t want to endanger you or the baby.”