I halt the reins, and Cedar stops. God, is he right? He has a point.
“Say ‘thank you, Emmett,’” he says, slowing Brutus.
“For what?”
“Don’t deny that I just helped you. I get that you’re mad at Delaney, and you have every right to be, but Leia didn’t do anything wrong. You and Delaney need to figure out how you’re going to get to know your daughter, then decide what the hell to do about the two of you separately.”
“I’m not sure there’s a chance we could be together now.”
He laughs. “Yeah, okay, B.” He trots ahead of me. “Now I’ll leave you to stew…” He circles Brutus around to head back to the stables. “If you need me to straighten your head out, just call 1-800-Emmett-knows-all.”
He leaves me with my thoughts, but he’s right. My issues are two separate things. As Wren always is, Leia needs to be the priority. If I only knew where to start.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Delaney
“The bastard took my UTV.” Poppy opens the door to the greenhouse, and I slip around her, needing to get out of here. “Whoa, what happened?”
All the years pile on top of one another, and the tears trickle a few at a time until I can’t control them anymore.
“Delaney.” Poppy puts her arm around my shoulders. “Tell me what’s going on.”
My back shudders, and the longer she holds me, the more the weight feels almost unbearable.
“Levi is a dick,” I murmur, backing out of her embrace.
She looks around. “Levi? Is that where Bennett went, to kick his ass?”
Her utter confusion only reminds me how much I’ve allowed our friendship to wane. “No.”
My brother told me to let the truth out, but look where I am now. There’s so much I have to deal with now. This isn’t freeing. It only buries me under another truckful of rubble. I was feeling so good about myself, as if I was useful again and not only good for being pretty on someone’s arm and a good mother. But I have no one to blame but myself.
“I don’t understand.”
I turn away from her and walk back toward the shop. “You’ll hate me just like him, so I need to go. I’ll call you later, and if you want to talk to me, you can pick up.”
She probably won’t. I’ve deceived an Owens, so I’m pretty sure everyone from Plain Daisy Ranch is going to hate me as much as Bennett does.
“I’d like to talk to you now.”
I shake my head. “I need to get Leia.”
We reach the shop, and I walk in, going behind the counter.
“Heya, you two,” Summer says, but her smile falters when she sees me crying. “Did the peonies die?” she teases since I might be slightly obsessed.
“Not now, Summer,” Poppy says and waits for me by the door.
I get my purse from the drawer behind the counter and quickly put it on as I cross the store. Poppy doesn’t stand in my way as I walk out the door, but she follows me.
I click my key fob, unlocking the door, and I’m about to slide into the driver’s seat, but Poppy shoves me aside, getting in first.
“What are you doing?” I shout, struggling to find my footing. “Poppy!”
“First of all, you’re not driving in this condition.” She twirls her finger at my face. “Second, I’m Team Delaney first and always.”
“It’s been years of me dodging your phone calls and texts. And on this one, you’re going to take his side, believe me. And you’d be right to.”
