Page 51 of Owned By The Cowboy
“Baby…
“I’m just saying. Kids bounce back from disappointment, but Annalise has been through enough already.”
“I know that, sweetheart.”
“Good… you guys just be careful, okay?”
And with that piece of sage advice, she gets up and heads back to her room, leaving me sitting in my kitchen wondering when my life became so complicated.
And why, despite all the complications, I’ve never been happier.
Fifteen
Blayne
I wake up in my own bed and it feels wrong as hell. Too big, too cold, and it doesn’t smell like Reggie. I’ve been staying at her place so much lately that my house feels like a hotel room.
That should probably worry me more than it does.
My phone buzzes with a text as I’m making coffee.
Reggie:Heading to Monterey for fabric shopping. Back tonight.
Me:Want company?
Reggie:Sweet, but no. I need to focus.
Me:I wouldn’t distract you.
Reggie:Right…
I grin at my phone like an idiot. Three weeks of this arrangement and I’m still acting like a teenager with his first crush.
Me:Drive safe.
Reggie:Always, handsome. See you tonight. ??
At work, I keep checking my phone even though I know she’s just shopping. Something about my woman being two hours away makes me antsy.
Around noon, Tommy calls me over to look at a foundation issue, and I’m elbow-deep in concrete problems when my phone rings.
“Hi, baby.”
“Blayne?” Reggie’s voice is filled with panic. “I’m so sorry to bother you, but…”
“What’s wrong?” I step away to give her my full attention.
“The school just called. Nia fell at volleyball practice. They think she sprained her ankle.” Shit.
“Where are you?”
“Monterey with my mom. We’re already turning around, but it’s going to be an hour before we get there, and she’s hurt and scared and…”
“I’m already on my way,” I say, opening my truck door.
“Are you sure? I know you’re working, and I hate to ask, but Daddy isn’t…”
“Reggie. Stop. I’m going.”
