Page 112 of Nanny for the Cowboy

“Are you ready?” Brooks looks over at me from across the hood of his truck, and I smile.

“With you two by my side,” I glance back at Darby, “I’m set.”

Both of them grin at me, and my heart warms just that little bit more.

“Hey, everyone!” My dad calls out from the front porch, waving after he wipes his hand on a kitchen towel he’s brought out. “Come on in!”

The three of us walk up the steps of my dad’s house and go inside, ready to enjoy a nice dinner, which smells fantastic, going off of the scents that waft out of the kitchen. And much to my surprise, that’s exactly what we get.

Sure, there’s some awkwardness, but I swear, if anyone is ever worried about that, they can bring Darby along because he’s an incredible icebreaker.

Leave it to ten-year-olds to be hilariously blunt.

“Ooh, this is really good, Mr. Joy!” Darby digs into the heaping plate of pasta, not caring about his shirt or face in the slightest. “Clover, make this for dinner this week. Please? Oh, and make sure your dad buys tickets for the school fair ‘cause he’s got to be there, too. Right, Mr. Joy?”

And just like that, our lives are mingling. We’re a little family, and my dad is tagging along to school events like he’s Darby's grandfather.

It’s almost enough to make you cry.

But I hold it together. I’ve had more than enough crying for at least a few days. My dad chuckles, looking up at me with his brows up.

“Oh, well, alright then. So I take it this means that you’ll be staying in town then?”

It occurs to me that my father doesn’t know my plans yet. He wasn’t there for the “big talk,” after all, and it actually makes me really excited that I get to deliver a bit of good news.

I wipe my mouth with a napkin as I swallow down a bite of pasta, taking a drink to make sure I’m good to speak. When I glance across the table at my dad, he’s waiting on eggshells for my response.

“That’s right. You don’t know.” I look over at Brooks, who’s seated to my left, and take his hand. “After much deliberation and thought, I have decided to make my marketing business remote.”

There’s a pause, and my dad leans forward over the table as his eyes widen. “I…don’t know what that means.”

Brooks and I burst out laughing, and when I’ve regained my composure, I smile at my dad, wiping the tears from under my eyes. Looks like they were coming no matter what.

“I’m staying in Red Lodge. I’ll work with my clients remotely—oronline.” The lightbulb goes on in my dad’s head, and heraises his brows, nodding now that he understands. “I have plenty of clients who will be fine with the adjustment, and I’ve already started reaching out to local businesses that might need the help. I’ll get to sing while I’m here, and who knows, maybe something fun will happen there, and I’ll be able to take another step back from my consulting work. Rosie is thrilled to have me at her beck and call. I’ll tell you that much.”

When I’m finally quiet, Dad’s expression softens all the more, and I see him roll his lips up tight as he fights back the emotions.

“So you’re staying? My little girl will be right here?”

I nod, my throat tight as I deal with my own tears. “Yes, I’ll be here. I loved my job in New York, but I’m going to be able to do most of it in Red Lodge. And I like the pace here a lot more. I like the company a lot more, too.”

Gazing at the people around me, I smile at them in turn. Brooks, Darby, my dad, I have my family gathered all in the same place, and there really is nothing in the world quite like that.

“Oh, honey, I’m so glad!” Dad claps his hands together, and then he’s up out of his chair, coming over to give me a hug. “Having you in town is all I really wanted. Aside from you being happy, of course.”

I pat him on the back, laughing as we embrace. “Of course.”

As we part, I look up at my dad, still misty-eyed. “I think Mom would like it too. She always said the country would be the place for us, and look at that, it is.”

My dad’s eyes can’t contain the tears at that, and I let him lean into me. We take support from each other, and I sigh happily as I consider all the time we’ll have together now.

It’s strange, but I’m almost grateful that Kyle turned out to be a piece of shit. Because of all that, I moved to Red Lodge. And being here allowed me to meet the two loves of my life—Brooks and his son, who I am so proud to care for.

Fate is funny, but it does appear to know what it’s doing, so who am I to judge how we got here? The thought makes me laugh because it’s so well-adjusted of me.

My old New York therapist—which basically everyone has there—would be impressed.

Sighing, I hug Dad again, taking in this moment and letting it become a part of me, ingrained in my blood.

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