Page 102 of Wrangled Love

“Amelia left me a box of photos of Caleb. Want to look through them together?”

“I’d love to,” she replies, a smile lighting up her face. “How about we bring them into the living room? I found some organic milk and top-shelf whiskey. We can make a city-boy version of spiked hot chocolate while we look through them.”

I hold her gaze, returning her smile. “Perfect.”

“Come on, then,” she says, standing. When she turns toward the door, I give her ass a playful swat.

Briar glances over her shoulder, a smirk on her face. “You really do have an obsession, don’t you?”

“With you? Always.”

When Caleb woke up this morning, he was full of questions about why we’re going to the courthouse. While I made pancakes, Jensen explained that a judge will give him a special paper that says he’s Caleb’s dad. He showed Caleb his birth certificate with his mom’s name and explained we need one that includes his dad’s name.

He asked what a courtroom looks like, and when Jensen showed him pictures, one with a gavel on the judge’s bench caught Caleb’s interest. Now he’s determined to use one himself.

I’ve just finished getting ready, and when I come out of the bathroom, my breath hitches when I see Jensen standing by his dresser, looking fine as hell in a white button-down, dark-wash Wranglers, and boots.

“Is that what you’re wearing to the courthouse?” I ask curiously.

Part of me expected him to wear a three-piece suit and polished Oxfords.

He glances down at his outfit. “Yeah, why?”

I close the distance between us, straightening his collar. “You look very handsome.”

He dips his head to give me a kiss before his gaze drops to my outfit. “You’re absolutely stunning, and this dress is something else,” he says, rubbing a piece of the fabric between his fingers.

It’s a dusty rose chiffon with a cinched waist and a row of buttons down the bodice. I found it at Charlie’s boutique last year, but haven’t had a reason to wear it until now.

I smile against his lips. “I’m glad you like it.”

We’ve been in New York less than twenty-four hours, yet Jensen is already more relaxed than when we arrived. I suspect it’s because he’s found closure he once thought impossible.

At first, I was worried when I walked into his office last night and saw him wearing a somber expression, surrounded by albums, with a letter clutched in his hand. After reading the letter, a sense of relief washed over me. Jensen’s been drowning in guilt and confusion since learning about Caleb, doubting if he was enough for his son and wrestling with Amelia’s choice to keep Caleb from him for so long.

Although her letter can’t change the past, it provides Jensen with an explanation for her choices and a way to move forward without the weight of the past holding him back.

“Dad, Briar, can we go yet?” Caleb shouts from the hall. “I want to see the gavel.”

We break apart seconds before he bursts into the bedroom, grinning. Our plan is to tell him we’re together soon, but today is all about him. We also want to give him an opportunity to ask questions and take plenty of time to answer them.

I kneel down next to him, smoothing his hair. “Lookin’ mighty fine, little man.” He’s dressed almost identically to Jensen, right down to the crisp white shirt.

“He wanted us to match as a surprise for you,” Jensen adds, adjusting his cuffs.

Caleb throws his arms around my neck. “Are you surprised?!”

“Very,” I say with a smile. “You both look very handsome.”

He leans in and whispers in my ear, “Don’t tell Dad, but I like my comfy shirts better.”

I glance at Jensen who’s covering his mouth to keep from laughing.

“Tell you what,” I say to Caleb. “We’ll bring one with us and you can change when we’re finished at the courthouse. What do you think?”

He nods eagerly. “Can I bring Chompers?”

It was a big milestone when he finally shared the name of his beloved dino.

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