Page 53 of A Cowboy Takes A Chance

Reid stared at him. “I am, and Melissa is the love of Brayden’s life. Sometimes, we get a second chance to have it all again and when we do, we have to take it or it will slip away. I got that chance with Lucy, and Brayden got it with Melissa. Maybe you need to talk to Bethany.”

Jaxon frowned. “Talk to her?”

Reid smiled. “Yep. Just as I did with Zeke. I was scared to tell him I loved Lucy and Z-man, but I had to. He was my best friend and I thought I was overstepping, but he let me know he was fine with it. He knew I’d take care of them and love them until I take my last breath.”

Jaxon shook his head. “You talked to Zeke? And just how did he let you know?”

“I won’t tell you that, but he did. Go talk to Bethany. She knows you still love her and won’t forget her but I’m sure she wants you to be happy.” Reid clasped his shoulder then stood and walked off.

Jaxon stared after Reid. As crazy as it all sounded, maybe his cousin was right. He strode out to his truck, climbed in it and drove up to his house. He ran inside then to the bedroom, and after getting what he needed, he hurried back out to the truck, got inside then tore out of the ranch. The miles flew by as he drove to his destination. Pulling onto the road leading to the cemetery, he found a place to park then exited the truck. Striding through the grass, he found her headstone and stared down at it. It had been a while since he’d been here. Squatting down, he reached his hand out and touched the cold stone.

“Hi, Bethany. I’m sorry I haven’t been here in a while. It’s hard to come here. I know you’re not really here, but I really needed to talk to you today.” He stood when he heard a truck pull up and swore when he saw Devin climbing out of his vehicle and walking toward him.

“Jaxon?”

Jaxon frowned at his brother. “What are you doing here, Devin?”

“I saw you tear out of the ranch, and I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

Jaxon took a deep breath and turned back to look at the headstone.

“I don’t want to forget her,” he whispered.

“You’ll never forget her, Jaxon. You loved her.”

Shaking his head, Jaxon could feel the tears stinging his eyes.

“Her face is fading from me. How can I forget her face? I fell in love with her the minute I saw her, and now I can barely remember what she looked like. Damn it, Devin. I don’t want to let her go.”

“You don’t have to. She’s always going to be in your heart. But even Bethany wanted you to move on. You need to do that. With Presley. You love her.”

Jaxon spun around and glared at his brother. “Who says I love her?”

Devin smirked. “I do. I see that look in your eyes. I see it in the mirror every day. The eyes of a man in love. You love her, Jaxon. Don’t let her go too. Bethany wouldn’t want that for you. She loved you enough to let you go. Now you do the same.”

Jaxon clenched his hands into fists. “I don’t know if I can.”

Devin’s hand came down on his shoulder. “Letting her go and forgetting her are two different things. You’ll always remember her,but if you don’t let go of her you’re never going to be happy and damn it, Jaxon, you deserve to be happy. Presley makes you happy. I’ve seen you looking at her, smiling at her.” He shrugged. “You’re not fooling anyone. You’re in love with her.”

“I’m so scared, Dev. Scared to death of this feeling and losing it again.”

“I know but take what you can. We all do.”

“I have to talk to her.” Jaxon moved away from him.

“Presley?”

“Bethany. Please leave me alone for a while.” He glanced at Devin to see him nod then his brother walked away. Jaxon heard his vehicle start up and drive off.

Once Jaxon was alone, he took a deep breath and wondered if he’d be able to do this. The pain inside him was to the point where he wanted to curl into a ball and wish the world away.

“What the hell am I supposed to do, Bethany? I know you told me to find someone but why does it feel so wrong, or is it because I’m just so scared?” Jaxon took his hat off then squatted down and stared at the headstone.

Reaching out a hand, he touched the headstone again as tears welled in his eyes.

“I thought you were the love of my life. How can I love Presley, if you were? I don’t understand. I don’t doubt that I loved you, but now I wonder if I loved you as much as I thought. Fuck.” A sad smile lifted his lips. “Yeah, I know. Don’t swear, Jaxon.”

Pushing to his feet, he glanced around the cemetery to see he was the only one here since Devin had left. He needed to go, but he just couldn’t make himself walk away yet. Hunkering back down, he stared at the headstone.

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