Page 116 of Before You Can Blink
Bumping shoulders with her, I chimed in, “Probably because he’s still his mama’s bay-bee.”
Never in a million years could I have imagined the type of carefree, joking relationship I now shared with not only my son, but his wife. But we’d all grown closer as result of me roping them in on the business operations, treating them as equals versus employees. They were the future of this ranch, and I had to admit, their youthful enthusiasm was an incredible asset.
Tripp rolled his eyes, dusting his hands on his jeans. “Well, as much fun as the Gang Up on Tripp show has been, I’ve got to get back to it.” He bent down to kiss the top of Cash’s sandy head as the boy shoveled away. “See ya later, buddy.”
“Bye, Dada.” Cash flashed him the cheesiest grin, his blue eyes sparkling.
A lifetime of regrets rushed to the surface, and I blurted, “Stay.”
My son stopped dead in his tracks. “What?”
“You should stay. I’ll go.”
Tripp sighed. “Dad, you’re supposed to be stepping back.”
“This isn’t about me ceding control. This is me wishing I could have these moments back with you and your sister. I missed so many of them, and I refuse to steal them from you.” I jerked my chin toward where Cash sat playing, gazing lovingly at the little boy who had stolen my heart, along with his cousins. “Enjoy them while they’re little, because before you canblink, they’re grown and you’re sitting there wondering where all the time has gone.”
Forehead wrinkling, he looked at me, then back at his own son, like he was torn on what to do.
I clapped him on the shoulder. “The whole point of me working myself to the bone was so that you kids didn’t have to make the same sacrifices me and your mama made. You have the advantage of a full crew, and you have me to share in the burden of running this place. I would have killed to have someone to delegate to so I could enjoy dinner with my family and put my kids to bed every night.”
Cocking an eyebrow, he challenged, “I remember someone barking up my ass that being the boss meant there was no time off.”
“That’s the funny thing about getting older. With age comes a heavy dose of perspective. I can see now that while I gave my employees days off, I never allowed myself to take a single one, for fear that they wouldn’t feel compelled to match my work ethic. But beyond that, our situations are very different. I was driven by the fear of what would happen if this ranch didn’t succeed, while you’ve inherited a fully functioning operation. You should be able to enjoy the benefits of my hard work, and nothing would make me happier than for the biggest advantage to be that you’re able to give your children the kind of attention I wasn’t able to give you and Aspen.”
Tripp swallowed, and his voice came out rough. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. Go play with your boy. Work will be waiting for you when he goes down for a nap.” I turned to Penny. “Same goes for you. I know how to get in touch in case of an emergency.”
Penny failed to keep her emotions in check as twin tears rolled down her cheek. Rising on her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Thank you, Jett.”
I hummed. “You don’t need to thank me for doing what’s right.”
Sniffling, she shook her head. “Well, too bad for you, I’m gonna do it anyway.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll catch up with you two in a bit.”
Turning on my heel, I began to stalk toward the barn, but not before I caught sight of Daisy out of the corner of my eye, sitting in a deck chair beside Aspen, who had Bentley bouncing on her lap.
Eyes glistening, she mouthed,I love you.
Tipping my hat and smirking like I did that very first night on her doorstep, I mouthed back,Love you, too.
This was the future we always dreamed of—our family all living on this big piece of land and a bunch of grandchildren running around, as we handed over the reins to the next generation.
There wasn’t a single thing I would go back and do differently if this was the end result.
Chapter 28
Jett
Age 60
August
Irappedmyknuckleson the front door, but with the sound of squealing children on the other side, it was doubtful that anyone had heard my knock, so I pushed inside without an invitation.
Stepping into the entryway, I chuckled at the sight of my favorite blond hellions chasing each other from the living room to the kitchen and back again.
