Page 4 of Unexpectedly Falling
BODHI: He made snacks
ARCHER: Good news, I’m in your driveway
JENSEN: Fuckers
MONTANA: See you soon (kiss face emoji)
Chuckling,I shove my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and drag my hands down my face. Idoneed this, as much as it pains me to admit it. The last several weeks had been a whirlwind, the guys helping me transform the guest bedroom into a nursery. Diapers, sleepers, and an absurd amount of bows had been gifted from Montana’s fiancée and Archer’s girlfriend. Mason had talked me through the pros and cons of different travel system car seat-stroller combos, and after showing me how to properly install it, I’d scheduled all my deputies to take the certification course because that shit was not for the faint of heart.
Remi’s guardian, Nessa, hadn’t been at any of the meetings or visits, opting to go through the case worker instead of being present.
But she’d surprised everyone when she announced that she’d be the one bringing my daughter here.
It didn’t make sense—being absent throughout this whole ordeal but then demanding she be the one to make the final handoff.
Archer honks and I shake my head, the horn loud but not unwelcome as I grab my coat and Stetson from the hook by the door and step out into the night.
It’s cool, even for November, and I pull the collar up on my jacket as I round the hood of his truck and open the passenger door.
“You’re a horrible date,” I start, climbing inside. “Can’t even open my door for me.”
He snorts and throws the truck in reverse. “I haven’t had a girlfriend long enough to remember my manners.”
I chuckle because the man is completely full of shit. At least on the manners part. I know his mama would tan his hide if he wasn’t treatin’ a lady right. Bea had been the surprise of a lifetime for my shy friend. The bubbly soap maker had landed in Blackstone Falls and turned his world upside down. He’d gone after her in a veryArcher-likeway, finally landing a date with Bea, and they’d been inseparable ever since.
I liked seein’ my friend happy, and Montana too. All that just had never been for me. I enjoyed the company of a woman when the mood struck, but for the most part the only mistress I had time for was the sheriff’s department.
“Seriously, though—how are you feeling?” Archer asks quietly. His tone makes it clear I can answer or not and that he’s just making sure I know he’s here for me.
Blowing out a breath, I look out at the darkened sky and give voice to the thoughts rattling around my head. “I’m scared. I’m scared I’ve already failed this little girl and that even though I’ll fight like hell, I’m terrified I won’t be enough.”
It barely registers that Archer has pulled off to the side of the dirt road about a mile from Montana’s field.
“We won’t let you fail,” he says confidently. The statement echoing around the cab is louder than the idling engine.
“How can you love a person so emphatically when you’ve only been gifted mere hours with them? But also know that love isn’t everything.”
“I think you let yourself love them and then trust your gut on the rest. Remi is going to grow up knowing that you fought to get her the second you found out she’s yours. Everyone makes mistakes, Jensen, but that baby isn’t one of them. I’ll say it with my dying breath, but that little girl is meant to be here with you in Blackstone Falls.” Lowering his voice, he says, “You won’t fail because you’ll never be alone. Not now and not twenty years from now.”
I blink back the tears that threaten to fall as his words hit me harder than Miss Thelma’s Moscow Mules.
“Thanks,” I croak out and he nods, putting the truck in gear and easing back onto the road.
We drive the rest of the way in silence, until the bonfire comes into view. It’s massive—well beyond what we normally do, the flames licking at the night sky as Montana and Mason stand with signs as they whoop and holler.
Bodhi stands off to the side, stoic and closed off even after being in Blackstone Falls the last couple of years. Mason had shared stories about being raised in foster care with Bodhi and how they came to be here, but I knew from experience with the sheriff’s department that the information we had barely scratched the surface.
It was part of the reason I’d taken this entire situation so damn hard. Finding out I’d fathered a child after a one-night stand was one thing, but knowing my daughter could have ended up in the system was something else entirely.
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I mumble as I push out of the truck, Archer’s chuckles following me as I walk across the flattened grass to where Mason and Montana hold signs that say, “I Love Hot Single Dads” and “You can be my Baby Daddy” respectively.
I shake Bodhi’s hand, and his gaze bounces over to the two still causing a ruckus as he says, “There were other poster ideasso you’re welcome for these…” His voice trails off and I can only imagine the level of fuckery leading up to this.
“I appreciate it,” I say before Montana tosses his sign to the side and wraps me in a hug.
“Happy almost Daddy day!”
“You’re an idiot.” I laugh.
