Even without seeing Mac’s pictures, my imagination of the event was horrifyingly vivid.
You’d think it wouldn’t faze me, considering I regularly helped animals deliver their babies, but I was good at compartmentalizing. Until this moment, I had been able to block out how gruesome and painful a human birth would be.
Tuning out whatever conversation Mac and Aspen continued to have, I leaned into my husband. “You wanna hold her, Uncle Tripp?”
His chin came to rest on my shoulder as he stared down at our niece. “Maybe later. Wouldn’t want to wake the sleeping angel.”
I hummed. “Just as well. I was only being nice offering anyway.” Lowering my voice to a whisper, I asked, “You think now’s a good time to let her parents know we’re taking her home with us?”
“Hey!” The infant in my arms jolted, startled by her father’s raised voice, and her eyes snapped open for a split second before drifting shut again. “You can’t have her. If you two want a baby, you can damn well make your own. Since you’re marriedand all.”
There was no denying we’d been living in a bubble out on the rodeo circuit and that coming home would cause it to burst. Reagan had provided a momentary distraction, but Mac’s words were a reminder that we would now be forced to own up to what we’d done.
“So much for Dad keepin’ his mouth shut when I asked.” Tripp’s grumble was laced with annoyance, aimed at his father. It wasn’t any wonder why the Blaze house had been our first stop upon our return to Sullivan Ranch.
“Daddy didn’t breathe a word.” Aspen set the record straight before scolding her younger brother. “He’s not always the enemy.”
Tripp grunted his disagreement—they had very different relationships with their father.
“We might be sleep-deprived, but we clocked those wedding bands the minute you two walked in,” she explained.
A blazing inferno settled beneath the skin of my cheeks as I kept my eyes firmly locked on Reagan. While I wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed about marrying Tripp, I wasn’t looking forward to facing the judgment coming our way from the community.
We’d caused quite a stir with how we ran off. Once people learned that we came back hitched, it would relight the dying embers of the gossip surrounding our relationship. The last thing I wanted was for the Sullivan name to be dragged through the mud because of me.
“To be honest, I’m not all that surprised you didn’t waste any time in making it legal. You’ve spent your entire lives dating—not that either of you realized it—so there didn’t seem much point in dragging out the inevitable.”
A smile crept onto my lips at her astute assessment, and I turned to Tripp. “Your sister’s a smart lady.”
Confusion laced Aspen’s tone. “Am I missing something?”
Tripp’s chest vibrated with a chuckle. “Believe it or not, that’s the exact logic Penny used whensheproposed to me.”
“Okay, Penny.” Mac gave me a slow nod of approval. “Gotta respect a woman who goes after what she wants.”
“I sure got it.” My head dropped onto Tripp’s shoulder, and a peace settled over me.
Aspen leaned into her husband’s side. “Damn, they’re cute together.”
Mac pointed between me and Tripp. “I did this, you know,” he declared proudly.
She craned her neck to peek up at him. “Did what?”
“Got them together.”
A loud snort sounded, and Aspen clapped a hand over her nose. “Sorry, but that might be the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said. And there’s some stiff competition.”
“What? I did!” Mac insisted, pulling away from his wife.
“Honey.” She placed a hand on his forearm. “They have decades of history. I doubt anything you did could compete with that.”
With pleading eyes, he implored Tripp, “Tell her.”
“As fun as it is to watch your husband lose his mind, Snowcap, he did play a part,” Tripp admitted.
Aspen’s eyebrows rose to kiss her hairline. “Seriously? After all these years,Macis the one who finally got you to make a move?”
Insulted, Mac scoffed. “I don’t know why you’re acting like the idea is so outrageous. I helped Tucker and Bex get back together too. I have a track record of success in bringing fated couples together, I’ll have you know.”
