A whooshing sound floats out of him.
“Yeah, then one thing led to another.”
He chuckles, and I finally face him, silently questioning why he’s laughing.
“My lovely wife would have told you it was destiny.”
I thought the same for a while. “We started seeing one another, dating in secret. I hadn’t told anyone about the separation. I was still wearing my wedding ring and would answer questions about Kristie as if we were still happily married.” I shake my head. “I don’t even know why now.”
“Yeah, you do,” he says.
“No, I don’t.”
“Come on, B, you don’t like failure.”
I rock my head back. “Okay, first of all, I’m anal and have attention to detail and have to keep a strict schedule because I’m a dad. A single dad who needs to be certain everything is organized, otherwise things go to hell.”
He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “You were that way before Wren.”
I think back to before I became a father, barely remembering who I was. Whatever version of me existed, I don’t have much of a recollection of him. “No.”
“Yes,” he drawls. “Remember that time I borrowed your notes for biology, and you got all upset because I mixed up the papers?”
“That’s what you’re using to prove your point?”
He shrugs. “Give me fifteen minutes, and I’ll make a list, but seriously, ask anyone. Kristie cheating on you was a failure in your eyes, when let’s face it, it was really her decision.” I open my mouth, but he holds up his hand. “I get what you’re saying about you not being there and working too much, but she actively cheated, B. It was her choice. Pretty hard to come back from that.” He waves. “And since she passed seven years ago, you’ll need to explain to me why you stole Poppy’s UTV, drove to the stables, and decided to exercise Cedar yourself today.”
It’s just like him to not want more information about that time in my life, only concerned about the present. How many times did I wish I could be Emmett with that carefree attitude, always going after what he wants and never regretting a thing. I feel as if I’ve been living in the past for my entire adult life.
“Leia, Delaney’s daughter…”
“I know who she is. I’m the one who told you about her.”
I get back up on Cedar and grab the reins, veering away from the creek, unable to be in a place that only ever reminds me of Delaney. He leads Brutus next to me, and we head to the open field on the west side of our property.
“She’s mine,” I whisper. It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud, and I’m just as confused on what to feel as I was when I stormed out of the greenhouse.
There’s another whooshing sound. With Emmett, his sounds that aren’t actual words always convey more than had he spoken a full sentence.
“Yeah.”
“Shit, man.”
I nod instead of answering.
“Well, I mean, they love one another like sisters. Her and Wren.”
“Fuck, Emmett.” I nudge Cedar to move away from Brutus, but Emmett only trots Brutus closer.
“Sorry, that’s some serious shit.”
“You think?”
“What are you going to do?” He stares at the horizon, as if there are answers to be found there. “Can I give you some advice?” I crinkle my brow, and he puts his hands up in a placating motion. “You’re going to sit and stew over this for I have no idea how long. You’ll continue to live in the past and rehash every decision that led you here, but what does that accomplish?”
“Me figuring out how to fix it.”
He presses his lips together and shakes his head. “No, it doesn’t. You’re upset that Delaney kept her from you. You’re upset another man raised her. Which really just spirals back to you not having time with your daughter. So, stewing over this whole thing is just going to prevent you from getting to know Leia now.”
