Page 112 of Before You Can Blink
Voice gone thick, I asked, “Did you have a rough go of it?”
“Not sure it’s ever easy,” she teased weakly.
Humming my agreement, I conceded, “You might be right about that.”
“Um, hello? I made something crazy cute, and you blew right past her.” Mac’s pout was audible from behind me.
“Go.” Aspen jerked her head in the direction of her husband. “He’s about to wilt like a flower without water if he doesn’t get some attention soon.”
Leaning in closer, I said low, “Today’s not about him.”
“Don’t go tellin’ him that. He’s pretty damn proud he contributed to the creation of something so perfect.”
A corner of my lips turned up. “Perfect, you say? Guess I’d better get a look for myself, then.”
Squeezing my daughter’s hand, I turned around to face Mac. “Sorry, bud. I had to check on my girl first.” My gaze dipped toward the baby he held. “I’m sure you’ll understand that soon enough.”
His brown eyes bulged. “Oh, hell no! No man is getting anywhere near my precious princess for at least thirty years.” Shaking his head, he corrected, “Make that forty.”
I wasn’t about to burst the man’s bubble on one of the happiest days of his life, so I let it drop.
Daisy extended her arms toward our granddaughter. “May I?”
Mac pulled the baby closer to his chest, and for a second, it almost looked as if he would deny my wife’s request to hold her. Heaving a heavy sigh, he let out a weary, “All right.”
When he carefully transferred the bundle containing our granddaughter to Daisy, a serene smile crossed her beautiful face as she swayed from side to side, her gaze firmly fixed on the infant in her arms.
“What’s her name?” I could hear the emotions welling up within her.
Extending a hand to stroke the tuft of dark hair at the top of the baby’s head, Mac announced, “Reagan Lily Blaze.”
Blue eyes filled with unshed tears lifted. “A beautiful name for a beautiful little girl.”
I stepped to my wife’s side, peeking down at the miracle she held. Face slightly bruised from her trip down the birth canal, she had her eyes closed, and her pink lips were pursed. Even with the dark hair, she looked exactly like her mama had when she was born. They had the same button nose, and I wondered if she, too, would develop freckles over the bridge of it.
Heart swelling with love and a heavy dose of nostalgia, I dusted a kiss over the top of the baby girl’s head. “Hello, Reagan. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Life had come full circle, and I’d never been more glad to have lived long enough to see it.
Chapter 26
Jett
Age 56
August
Dazed,Isippedmysecond cup of coffee, still reeling from my conversation with Tripp.
Honestly, I might’ve believed I had imagined it if it weren’t for the picture now pinned to the fridge.
Finding him passed out this morning, slumped over the kitchen table, had shocked me to high hell. And that was before he dropped several bombs on me in quick succession.
First, he admitted that I was right about him not being prepared for the strain that outside forces in life would inevitably put on his brand-new marriage. Then, he begged me for any role that would keep him on the ranch permanently, putting the needs of his pregnant—yes, pregnant—wife first.
Aside from the obvious physical resemblance, today was the first time I saw myself in my son. He was simply a man, stripped bare, willing to do anything for his family—one that was an extension of my own.
Our chat, which included a discussion on how it was long past time for me to begin training him to take over the ranch fully, concluded with an embrace, and my heart went out to him. Kid had been put through the wringer.
