Chapter 25 Stetson #2
Tears fill her eyes, but she fights them from falling. “I just need to make it through these next few days. Once the deal is made between Nathaniel and Harrison, I’ll be in the clear. Free from both of them.”
“And us?” I know this moment isn’t about me, but I need to know. If I do something savior-like and it comes back to slap me in the face, I need to know if it was worth it. Will Cove keep me? Can I keep her?
Her hand linked with mine squeezes tighter. “Do you want there to be an us?”
“More than anything I’ve worked for,” I tell her truthfully, my eyes sweeping around the custom home my father built with his own two hands.
“This ranch has been my everything for as long as I can remember. Since my parents passed, and even before then. I’ve always wanted to settle down with someone, just never slowed down enough to actually do it.
Come to think of it, I’ve never met someone who’s made me want to.
Until you, Cove. There’s a light about you that keeps me chasing.
And I think one thing I’ve learned about my feelings for you over these past few months is that I’d chase you through every clearwater beach off the coast of Florida until I found you.
With only the intention of bringing you back home with me. ”
“Stetson,” she gasps softly, eyes coming to life at my words. “Everything you’ve done with this place is just…breathtaking. It’s incredible. You’ve worked so hard, and it shows. The care. The maintenance. The feeling of home Coleson Ranch gives. Why would you ever want anything more?”
“Because none of this means anything without someone to share it with. Without you. I’m mentally drained, Cove.
Drained from seeing my sister and her family visit the ranch while I sit back alone watching them and this unfailing love they have for each other.
No matter who fucks up. I’m happy for her, don’t get me wrong. But it sucks because I want it, too.”
“With me? You want it with me?”
“I do.”
I don’t miss the small smile that lifts across her flushed cheeks. “But how? I live in Florida, Stetson. And you know firsthand how much of a colossal disaster my home life is right now. Besides, I could never interfere with your life here.”
“Then come live here with me. Make my life your life, too. A home for the two of us together.”
“It’s not that simple.” She shakes her head before giving me her undivided attention.
“It’s rare for me to feel this deeply about someone, Stetson.
But I feel that with you.” She places my palm over her heart.
“In the most perfect world, all would be easy breezy CoverGirl, and we could be together. I want that more than anything, but there’s so much I need to handle before I think about myself. ”
That’s the thing I want to be my job. She’s always taking care of everyone around her, but who has ever seen Cove worthy enough to cherish?
Me. The answer is me. Come hell or high water, I’ll be that man for her.
“Cove, I know you feel like you have to go through with this ploy to save your mom alone, but you don’t. Let me help you. We can march into Nate’s room right now and call the whole thing off. I’ll support you. I have yet to tell my best friend off, so no time like the present.”
“It’s not even about that, Stetson,” Cove exhales, and I can physically feel her inner turmoil from here.
“It’s not just about the money now. Coming to Texas and seeing Nathaniel for the first time in twenty-one years has been eye-opening for me.
I hate him,” she bites out, followed by a pause that only amplifies her seriousness.
“More than I’ve ever hated anyone. After all these years he’s been gone, I still managed to give him the benefit of the doubt that maybe, just maybe, he’s a decent person.
That there was a legitimate reason I was too young to understand as to why he abandoned us.
But I was terribly wrong. At this point, it’s less about what I need from him and more about what I’m owed. ”
“He owes me not only a childhood without a father, but a life of watching my mother, the woman who has sacrificed everything for me, struggle. Yet, true to her nature, she did it with a smile on her face because she loves me. I never wanted a perfect dad, Stetson. I just wanted one that loved me enough to try. So, pardon my French, but fuck him. It still confuses me how a man as good as you could ever call someone like that a friend. And best friend, at that.”
I always knew there was more to Nate than he let on. But I never questioned it, just accepted it as how he is—reserved, slightly moody, and a closed shell. Most men are like that these days. But hearing Cove’s side only solidifies what my gut tried to tell me all along.
Something was off. The phone calls came less and less. He never stopped by my parents’ for family dinner. Stopped celebrating my accomplishments like I did his. I attributed it to his being busy.
But we’re all fucking busy.
I clear my throat. “Nate and Abigail used to date back in the day.”
“Wait, what?” Cove chokes out.
Nothing surprises me about her response, so I nod.
“We were in our thirties. Around the time we first met. Before Kyle, obviously. My pops and Nate’s father, your grandfather, who has since passed, were good friends.
They worked in the same industry, and suddenly it wasn’t long before there wasn’t a holiday or event we did without the McIntosh family. ”
Cove’s eyes go wide with both question and understanding. “That must have been not long after he left.”
“That would make sense, then. I remember noticing something off about Nate. Never could pinpoint it, but he’s always been…
secretive in a way. I’d say the moment we became closer as friends was during the time he and Abbi dated.
They loved each other boldly. In a way that was sickening at times, but somehow it felt normal for them.
” I don’t miss the gulp at Cove’s throat, and I know this probably hurts her to hear, but I have to be honest.
“They dated for close to two years before Abbi got sick.”
“Sick?”
I nod slowly, replaying that uncertain time in my mind.
“Everything shifted out of nowhere. Abbi had always been healthy, a marathon runner and everything. But she slowly started to become more tired than usual. To the point where she’d fall asleep at the table, unable to keep her eyes open.
We didn’t think too far into it at first, but then Nate noticed her weight fluctuating more than normal.
She’d drop fifteen pounds in a matter of weeks.
None of us were trained in the medical field, so hell if we knew what it was, but the more symptoms that rose, the more concerned we were.
Her skin began to go pale—ghostly white at times.
She’d get these stomach pains that she described as a knife to her gut. ”
“Oh my god, Stetson.”
“Nate was the one who advocated for her when my parents and I couldn’t think straight.
Our only worry was keeping Abbi safe and healthy.
He called everyone he knew. Every board-certified doctor Texas had to offer, and scheduled consults, ordered bloodwork, screenings, X-rays, you name it.
He loved and cared for her through all of it.
Until dozens of tests later revealed she had Celiac Disease, an autoimmune disease, that in hindsight seems somewhat simple to treat, but when you’re blindsided with the pain of it, nothing is as easy as it seems.”
“Your family must have been so worried. God, especially not knowing.”
“Exactly. Thankfully, we know now how much worse her diagnosis could have been, but it’s a battle for her every day.
A fight I hate that she has to live with, yet she takes it in stride through the good and bad flare-up days.
Changing and restricting her diet helped the most, but Abbi’s always been a badass. ”
Cove smiles softly. “She’s strong. I can see that.”
“The strongest. Never once did she let it stop her from living a full and promising life. Now, she’s the world’s best mother to my two favorite munchkins.”
“I love hearing how special they are to you.” Silence stretches between us before Cove speaks up again. “So, Nate and her never worked out. What happened?”
“No one really knows but them. Never felt like it was my business to know. Nate stood by her side through everything, which is a huge reason why I’ve always felt loyal to him.
Nate’s automotive company grew more than he could manage alone, making him nearly unreachable at times.
The busier he got, the more he pulled away, until we hardly ever saw him.
Abbi is notoriously positive, always has been, seeing the best in people.
I’m still unsure if she’s really processed his distance herself.
They talk every now and then, but it’s nothing like it used to be.
I think that’s why Kyle isn’t bothered by her need to protect him still.
He knows it’s nothing like the way he loves her.
Somewhere in the years of distance, Nate met Misty, and Abbi met Kyle. The rest is history.”
“But they stayed close? I mean, I saw the way they hugged each other when we first got to the ranch. Nothing about that hug seemed like there was bad blood between them.”
“Closer than any of us ever expected. I think everyone just accepted it, knowing the bond they’ll always have together after everything. Kyle is as supportive as husbands come, and although I don’t feel like I’ve ever really known Misty well, she seems the same.”
“Well, I guess Nathaniel has at least one redeeming quality. I believe everything happens for a reason, and maybe the sole reason my father wasn’t around for me was so he could be there for your sister.”
“Cove,” I sigh, desperately hoping she’s okay and not masking her feelings for me. Abbi is safe. She’s healthy. Her disease is managed well. But those years Cove lost with Nate…she can’t get them back.