Page 87 of Wild and Wrangled

“I know,” I said. “And we’re there.”Permanent.

“You deserve that—to be happy—and you deserve a partner, Cam. A real one. Someone who can support you and getyou gas and help you with Riley, and can love her the same way we do.

“I didn’t realize how much I needed and wanted something like that until Teddy, and I just…I’m really happy for you if you’ve found it, too. I know I can be a bit of an ass, but I guess what I’m saying is that you have my approval—even though you don’t need it. I just know how much it meant to me when you gave me yours.”

“Gus…” My voice was a little shaky. “That was a hell of a speech.”

Gus laughed. “Yeah, I practiced it a few times. Teddy gave me some notes.”

“I’m sure she did.”

“But, really. Cam, Dusty is a good man. He’s a hard worker. He’s loyal and kind, and he’s been looking at you the same way for fifteen years—like he would do anything for you. I know that if he got the chance, he would extend that to our daughter, too.” Gus reached out and grabbed my hand. “I can’t even imagine what he felt when he found out you were pregnant. It probably almost killed him, but he shows up for our daughter anyway.” Tears pricked at the back of my eyes. “He was ready to throw down for her at the soccer game.”

I laughed at that. “Yeah, you two made proper fools out of yourselves.” But then I took a deep breath. “This means a lot to me, Gus. Thank you,” I said. Who knew that when I got knocked up, I would get a damn good friend out of it, too?

“Dusty Tucker is a good man,” Gus said again. “And you’re one of the best people I’ve ever known. It sounds silly now, but I’m grateful for the night that brought us together because getting to spend my life parenting Riley alongside you andTeddy…and Dusty…is going to be one of my greatest accomplishments.”

I threw my arms around Gus’s neck, and he wrapped an arm around me. “Did Teddy help you with that part, too?”

Gus laughed. “That part was all me. And it’s all true.”

I squeezed him a little tighter before pulling back. The buzzer to the dryer went off.

“I’ll get it,” Gus said as he stood from the table. “Let me know about the job, okay?”

“I will,” I said. “Thank you.”

Chapter 39

Dusty

When I got home later that night, I sat in my car for a second after I cut the engine. I did this every night when I got home—took a second to be still.

I loved nighttime. I think I loved mornings more—probably because I had to learn to love them because of my job, but still, I loved the night. I think I loved them both because those were the times when the world was quiet. I liked the quiet. I liked the stillness. I liked the weird sense of calm and stability they evoked in me. No matter where you were in the world, there were always going to be mornings, and there were always going to be nights.

So I sat in my truck with my eyes closed in the dark. I thought about this morning at the soccer game—about how much I loved being there with Cam, and how she didn’t shy away when confronted with telling people about us.

Something slammed on the hood of my car, and I startled. I think I yelped. When I looked up, Teddy Andersen was grinning outside my driver’s-side window. So much for quiet.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I said loudly, so shecould hear me through the glass. She tossed her head back in laughter before yanking the door open.

“Scoot over,” she said. “It’s cold as shit out here.”

I moved across the bench seat, and Teddy climbed in the cab.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Riley has a team sleepover tonight, but she forgot her blanket. We came here to get it, so we could drop it off to her.”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re sitting in my car,” I said.

Teddy shrugged. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“About?”

“Everything,” she said. “We haven’t really had a chance to debrief lately.”

“What are we debriefing?”

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