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Boone accept the bottle again and drank back a shot “Just let this storm ride out and settle Not all surprises are bad And a baby can’t ever be a bad thing”
Rhett’s gut churned as he set his gaze on the water It was barely ht, al to be still Before theshe needed and ed, and he couldn’t ever go back And he didn’t think he wanted to Besides, he couldn’t even picture himself as a father He worked, all the tiave him a life outside that, but without them, he’d spend his time either at the station or at a bar to find hiht But Rhett couldn’t run from the blame that he’d caused all this He turned to Boone “I never meant to—”
Boone raised his hand, giving Rhett a hard look “Passion is passion Let’s not have that conversation Kinsley is her own person She’s been that way since she o years old I know you would have done your best to avoid her out of respect for me, but I also have no doubt in my mind that if Kinsley wished it, she would have ave a kind smile “You’re as close as a brother to me, Rhett I trust you”
Rhett envied Boone’s solidness He had it all together and then some Rhett kne to fuck, how to hunt, how to kill, and even how to protect Beyond that, he was a ghost, floating through life, unsure exactly how to interact with his world And that wasn’t fair to someone like Kinsley
Again, Boone frowned at Rhett’s expression “You don’t need to be perfect for her You don’t need to be anything you’re not She knoho you are She won’t expect anything froive”
God All these people were so fucking good Rhett never should have come back to Stoney Creek
The flas in the firepit The warht on his chest With every ember that sparked up into the air, the reality of the situation sank in He needed to take this one step at a tih it, like he’d done with every mission And with that settled, the truth hit hi to be a father,” Rhett finally said aloud
Boone grinned “Let’s hope it’s a girl Another Rhett running around town is the very last thing anyone needs”
Rhett laughed A full belly laugh
The sugary icinginto the cake It was a banana cake, her absolute favorite She sat on her queen-size bed with fluffy pillows at her back and vintage linen wrapped around her Her roo special She had a bed, an oak dresser beneath athat was covered in long white curtains, and an old cedar blanket chest at the foot of the bed But this room had been her home since her randparents’ house That ti for everyone, but there was so much love in this house, it eased the absence of her mother
She wondered what her grand into her bedside drawer and taking out the box there She opened the lid, revealing her grandmother’s handmade cards She passed over a birthday and a Christ for The card had a drawing of a wineglass in the rain She flipped the card open and brushed her fingers over her grand that read: L
ife isn’t fun if it isn’tSome days are terrible, but those days are few and far between Chin up Tomorroill be a brand-new day Love you dearly, Grams
Kinsley couldn’t rerand for today Her grandmother always see that seemed bad so much better She’d been the mom when her mother left theht when her dad had to work, and tucked her in tight
She randparents and their love terribly She shoved another bite of cake into herat how delicious it was, and slowly, she began to feel better Her twenty-ninth birthday…sucked
A part of her lit up at the idea that she would have a baby before she turned thirty She’d long ago given up on that idea, considering she’d fallen for Rhett, a man who had become entirely unavailable The truth was, she wanted it all—the guy who adored her, the hot romance, and the happily-ever-after And she wanted Rhett to be that guy