Stepping closer, I wrinkled my nose at the unmistakable stench of vomit layered over whiskey. “Jesus. How much did she have to drink?”
Tripp grimaced. “More than she can handle.”
“Clearly.” That girl was trouble wrapped in pretty packaging, and she was always dragging Tripp down with her.
Speaking of . . .
I fixed him with a questioning glare. “And you?”
“Not a drop, sir.”
I grunted, mildly relieved to hear I’d taught him well enough not to drink and drive. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t legal yet; country kids had a way of getting their hands on alcohol and getting a little wild on the outskirts of town—I know I had at that age.
“Why’d you bring her here instead of taking her home?”
Sighing, he replied, “Because she asked me to.”
Right. Of course. Couldn’t forget that my son literally couldn’t say no to the woman passed out drunk in his arms. I was just waiting for the day she asked him to jump off the metaphorical bridge with her. It wasn’t a matter of if, but when, and knowing her, that event would be one hell of a doozy.
Barely able to stifle a groan, I scrubbed a hand over my jaw. “All right. Get her cleaned up.”
The kid had his hands full enough—in more ways than one—so I stepped forward to open the door to his bedroom. Tripp shuffled across the threshold sideways so as not to bang Penny’s head off the doorframe before gently settling her on the bed.
“I’ll leave you to it.” I latched the door, waiting until it was fully closed before rolling my eyes.
Trudging back to the master suite, I slipped inside. Immediately, Daisy leapt off the bed, rushing toward me.
Forehead lined with creases, her eyes searched mine. “I heard you shouting.”
A heavy exhale rattled my chest as I moved around my wife to put the gun back in the safe. “Your son,” I grumbled.
“Tripp?” Daisy’s voice rose in surprise. “What’s he doing here?”
I scoffed. “He’s got Penny with him.”
“Oh! Were they . . .”
My eyes lifted to the ceiling. Lord help me.
“If you’re askin’ if they’re down the hall making those grandbabies you’re so keen on, the answer is no, Daze.”
She let out an annoyed huff. “I know you’re grumpy because it’s the middle of the night, but could you please stop being vague and just tell me what’s going on?”
I climbed back into bed, patting the spot beside me in invitation. Once we were both settled and I had her tucked into my side, I explained, “I’m short on the specifics, but what I do know is that Penny got carried away partying tonight, and now Tripp’s stuck taking care of her.”
“It’s his calling to take care of her, Jett. He loves her.”
There was no use in arguing with my wife. In Daisy’s mind, Tripp and Penny were destined to be together. And yes, while it had taken me longer than everyone else, I could admit I now saw the way the pair of them looked at each other.
“Do you—” Daisy paused. “Do you think they’ll ever figure it out?”
Honestly, if he hadn’t found the courage to make a move by now, odds were he never would. I wasn’t about to deny my wife the hope she so desperately craved when it came to those two, but I couldn’t outright lie to her either.
“Maybe,” I murmured against the top of her head before reaching over to turn off the lights.
It might come as a disappointment to everyone if the Sullivan and Atkins families never merged, but it might be for the best in the end. If Trippwasn’t brave enough to confess his feelings, he wasn’t nearly strong enough to bring that girl to heel. She would end up leading him around by the nose—like she had their entire lives—and that didn’t bode well for the future of this ranch.
Loving Daisy had been my motivation when buying this land and building a business, but I feared my son’s love for his best-friend-he-wished-was-more would be enough to ruin it.
