“DADDY!”
With one word, I felt my entire world collapse. A little girl, likely five or six, catapulted herself into his arms. He caught her easily, lifting her up and kissing her forehead.
Grady Wilde has a kid. He has a fucking kid.
Oh god, I was going to be sick.
I didn’t know why I was surprised. He’d been married longer than I’d been to Thomas, so it made sense. Seeing their resemblance was almost more than I could take, though. It remindedme of long suppressed memories and broken promises between two kids who’d had no business dreaming of a future together.
“Hey baby girl, what’re you doing here?” Grady’s eyes briefly darted my direction. “I thought I told you to stay backstage.”
“Well, Momma said Uncle Ben needed your help, and she asked me to go find you.” The girl brought her finger to Grady’s nose and tapped it once. “And so that’s what I did!” She looked around at the table. Everyone had gone deathly still. “Daddy, who’re they?”
I couldn’t stop my hand from shaking, the plate I was holding nearly clattering to the ground. Lennox rushed around the table and took it from my grip before I dropped it.
“They own this ranch, honey. We’re here to celebrate this gentleman’s birthday.” Grady motioned toward Dad, but I felt his attention linger on where I stood.
“I love birthdays!” she said, throwing her little arms in the air. “They’re my favorite day!”
“You know what?” Dad chuckled. “Me too. Mine’s been pretty good so far.”
“Are you gonna listen to my daddy play?”
“I sure am.”
“Yay! He’s the best. My momma loves listening to him play, too. She says his music is pretty,” she said. Even though she was young, there was such pride in her voice as she spoke about him.
It was like a trainwreck I couldn’t look away from. Beautifully tragic in so many ways. He had everything I’d always wanted, everything we’d always talked about.
Just not with me.
“I like your dress. Blue is my favorite color.”
I blinked, coming to myself and staring at her little face. I offered a brittle smile, hoping like hell it came across as genuine. I’d taught kids long enough to know how to fakeemotion, but this was harder than the rest, and sometimes kids were too perceptive. “Thank you. It’s mine, too.”
“Mommy and Daddy did my whole room in blue,” she said, looking back at Grady for only a second. “It’s my favorite room ever.”
I felt the tear slip down my cheek before I could stop it. Why did I care? Why did it hurt my heart so much that this precious girl loved the color blue? Why did I ache at the sight of him holding her so close?
I wiped my cheek before the moisture could reach my jaw. “You’re so lucky to have them.” My voice broke on the last word, and I quickly turned my face to hide it. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I need to get back to work.”
Bishop reached out, gently touching my arm. “You good?”
My bottom lip wobbled. “Yeah, it’s just a lot.”
He didn’t know much about Grady or our history, but he dipped his chin. “It is. You know where to find me if you need me.”
I reached out, placing my hand on his shoulder. I didn’t consider myself the type of person who enjoyed or easily gave physical affection, but Bishop was the closest thing I had to a brother. He was family. Something about him spoke to a part of my soul. “Thank you,” I whispered.
I wasn’t sure if my family noticed I was heading in the opposite direction of Cook, but it didn’t matter. I took off, making my way through the throng of people. Everyone was crowded around tables—talking, laughing, and having a great time. Their smiles were genuine, and I wanted to be able to enjoy the celebration too, but I couldn’t.
All I could think about was him.
“I’m not leaving.”
I didn’t own Ashwood, but if I did, I would’ve made a rule that Grady Wilde was banned from coming within thirty miles of our town. I was being irrational, I could admit it, but all Icould think about was the audacity it took for him to not only move back home, but to then agree to do a concert atmyfamily’s ranch.
That bastard knew I’d be here. He knew how much I loved my dad. I wouldn’t miss his birthday for the world. What kind of game was Grady playing at? There was nothing for us to talk about as far as I was concerned. Anything that needed to be said had been long ago.
