Brax looked like he was actually considering the question, but Adam’s eyes narrowed. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t fold you into a pocket square and mail you to China.”
“Because Chloe won’t be moving to Lodestar Ranch. Not this spring. Not ever.” I looked him dead in the eyes. “She’s staying with me. For good.”
Adam let loose a stream of curse words. Zack looked ready to throw another punch. Brax shook his head.
“You don’t deserve her,” he said.
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “Shit, Brax, I know that. She’s way too good for me. I’ve known that since the first moment I saw her. I spent a long fucking time feeling like I wasn’t good enough. But what I deserve, that doesn’t matter anymore. Becauseshedeservesme. She deserves a man who will show up for her every day. A man who will show up for her son. She deserves a man who will fuckingtry, and when he inevitably falls short—and I know I will—he tries again and keeps right on fucking trying until he gets it right. She deserves a man who loves her. She deserves to have everything in this whole world she wants, even if that includes a jackass like me.”
They stared at me like I had sprouted an extra head, and that extra head happened to be particularly upsetting.
“Oh, goddammit,” Adam muttered with deep disgust. “I’m going to be pissed if we have to invite him to the picnic.”
And then he took out his phone.
32
CHLOE
“I can’t believehow big she’s getting!” I cooed, stroking Belle’s velvety pink nose.
James gave the mare an affectionate pat on the neck and grinned at me. Belle was special to her, and her pregnancy meant big things for the breeding operation at Lodestar Ranch.
“My two favorite mamas-to-be,” James said. She placed one hand on Belle’s belly, and her other on mine. “I can’t wait to spoil both babies rotten. Within reason, of course. Foals can be real brats, and you don’t want to reward that behavior no matter how cute they are, because when they get big—hey, what’s wrong?” James’s big brown eyes got even bigger as she took in the tears leaking down my face. “Why are you crying?”
“Because you’re an amazing friend, and I am theworst,” I wailed. “The literal worst.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” James wrapped her arms around me. “What’s going on?”
“I can’t move to the ranch.” I gulped back a sob and hiccupped.
James rubbed my back soothingly. “Okay. That’s okay.”
“It’snotokay,” I said. “It’s really not. I did the worst possible thing. It’s Steven’s fault, really. He made me go and fall in love with him.”
James did a slow blink. “Say that again?”
“I’m in love with Steven.”
“McAllister?” she asked dubiously.
“We don’t know another Steven.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Ew.”
My eyes narrowed. “Careful,” I warned.
“He is hot,” she admitted. She cocked her head, studying me. “But he’s still the guy who spooked my horse and called me a slut.”
“I know.” I rubbed my forehead.Fuck, fuck, fuck. “I could give you a hundred other things he’s done. Good things. Sweet things. I mean, the man caught my vomit barehanded to save the shoes you embroidered for me because he knew how much they meant to me. But I’m not going to sit here and try to balance out his soul for you. You don’t have to like him. But if you could learn totoleratehim…” My voice wobbled and I slid to the ground in a pathetic heap. “Goddammit, James, I love him so much.”
“Oh, honey.” James sighed. She sat down next to me, and we leaned back against the stall wall. “I really hope you landed on clean hay.”
“I tried really hard not to love him, James. You have no idea. I fought it for weeks.”
“Weeks,” James echoed drily. “You don’t say.”
“You haven’t seen that man’s abs. It was a Herculean effort on my part, and I want credit for it.”
