Page 106 of Before You Can Blink
Seemed nice enough. Mac and Aspen were sitting on the steps of their back deck, my daughter wrapped up in her husband’s arms. Written across the top were the words:Happy Holidays from the Blazes.
“What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?”
Daisy’s hands landed on my shoulders, and her head dipped beside my ear. “Flip it over.”
My annoyance bubbled over. “Why? Is there a treasure map printed on the back?”
Smacking my bicep, my wife huffed, “Just do it.”
A rumble vibrated through my chest, but I did as she asked.
There was another picture on the back. This one featured three pairs of shoes in a row—Mac’s pull-on structural fire boots, Aspen’s riding boots, and teeny tiny, crocheted booties.
It took my mind a minute to process what I was seeing, but when the pieces fell into place, my lungs seized, and my eyes snapped up to look at Aspen.
“Are you . . .?”
Biting into her lower lip, my daughter went bright pink as she nodded in confirmation.
Well, no wonder Daisy had been overcome with emotion. She’d been waiting for this day since Tripp was still in diapers.
The next generation was on the way.
We were going to be grandparents.
Mac looped one hand around Aspen’s waist, extending the other toward me. “Can I get a high-five for putting a bun in this oven?”
Aspen quickly spun on him, shoving his shoulder with a shrieked, “Mac!” before burying her face in her hands and groaning.
Shaking my head, I muttered, “Wasn’t a visual I needed, son.”
My son-in-law’s lips pursed into a pout when I left him hanging on that high-five, and he pulled back his hand. Hurt filtered into his tone when he grumbled, “Didn’t need to make it weird, Jett. It’s not like I went into detail about what position we used.”
“Okay! That’s enough!” Aspen cried, tugging her husband toward the door. Over her shoulder, she said, “It’s not personal, Daddy, but don’t expect me to be making eye contact anytime soon.”
The minute they were gone, Daisy burst out laughing, and I couldn’t help but join in.
Sucking in a few deep breaths as she began to calm down, she mused, “Girl’s got her hands full with that one.”
“That she does, Daze.”
Mac might be a little off the wall, but he would make a good father. Kids naturally gravitated toward him, drawn to his goofy personality. There was no denying our grandchild would have the “fun dad.”
A grandchild.
That was still sinking in, but damn if it didn’t make my heart soar.
April
My almost thirty-year-old son was throwing a hissy fit in the middle of my kitchen, and I’d just about had enough.
It had come as a surprise to us all that while attending Penny’s birthday party earlier today, the man she’d been dating only a couple of weeks dropped to one knee and proposed. And that was before Tripp showed up unannounced when he was supposed to be managing the road team with rodeo season in full swing.
My temper had spiked when Tripp came storming intomyhouse and began screaming and swearing in his mother’s direction. After snapping at him to watch his mouth and show some respect, he turned on me, spouting off some nonsense about moving off the ranch if Penny and her soon-to-be husband were planning to settle down on this land.
The kid had proven over and over again that he was all bark and no bite, so I decided to call him out on it.
“Where was this fire when it came to fighting to make the girl yours before someone else did?”
