Levy and Bram look at each other and shrug. Levy answers, “Of course. Also, just letting you know, I’m taking off a few days to fix up my little trailer next door, so I might stay a few nights there as well.”
Erik walks into the kitchen. “Did you say Javier could stay in the bunkhouse?”
“Yep.” Levy takes one of Ant’s tostadas, cracks it in half, and dips it into my salsa. Crunching on it, he looks supremely satisfied with his thievery.
“Do you see that, Tío?” Ant asks in Spanish. “Levy totally stole breakfast.”
“Rude,” I respond.
“I’m not being rude. I’m appreciating,” Levy says in English. Turning to Erik, he pops his brows. “We all know your grumpy ass doesn’t like company, so we’ve already invited him to join us.”
“Thanks,” Erik says stiffly, glancing at Ant before leaving the kitchen.
Now that everything has been cooked, we pull Levy into our assembly line, with Ant placing the fried tostadas on a plate, Levy adding two eggs to the tostada, and me pouring the warm red salsa on top of everything, following that up with a couple of avocado slices.
Levy’s care for Ant makes him special, but the ink on his arms is intriguing, as was his moment of vulnerability before getting on the call with my family. Now, his eyes dart to me every few seconds, and I don’t hate it.
Once we’ve served everyone, we all go to the living room, sitting around the generous coffee table, some on the couch, some on the floor.
Seeing Ant surrounded by so many people who would protect and love him fills me with a relieved sort of shame. Not only was I barely involved in Ant’s life until it was too late, but the people I spent my time with while avoiding my family were the ones responsible for his fate. I didn’t realize it until it was too late, but that doesn’t make me any less culpable.
Now, I can hardly believe that the consequences of my actions weren’t deadly, and while it’s a miracle that the long nightmare has finally ended, the real work of forgiveness and putting my family back together has only just begun.
5
LEVY
Imoved all my sessions from yesterday to today, so I’ve been busy from sunup to sundown. Ant spent the day with Javier, showing him the ranch, taking him into town to check out the Broken Oak and a few other favorite haunts.
By the time I finish the last of my paperwork, Ant walks in to care for the horses with Javier trailing behind him. I wave Ant into my office.
“How did it go today?”
His eyes light up. “It was so cool! Like you said, I kept it easy, didn’t trauma-bomb him, and I took him on a bluebonnet tour after lunch.”
I’d been a little nervous for them to spend so much time together all at once, but his happiness is undeniable.
“Sounds like a perfect day, dude.”
“It really was. Hey—do you think Charlie would mind if Javier helps me with the horses?”
I shake my head. “Tell you what, I’ll join you.”
Shutting down my computer, I accompany Ant to the training arena, where Javier is already introducing himself to the horses.
“Are your horses named afterMy Little Pony?” he asks, smiling.
He’s got a beautiful smile, even with the sadness behind his eyes.
“Yes, and what do you know aboutMy Little Pony?” I ask, teasing him.
“I’m a child of the eighties. I coveted the My Little Ponies my sister had.”
Just as I start laughing, Erik opens the back doors to the space and walks in with Cupcake, a glossy bay from the Rebel Sky stock. Cupcake is his favorite horse, and I’ve seen him take her on rides after difficult days.
He’s been thrown for a loop by Javier’s arrival, and I’m guessing he needed to ride it out. Given the disgruntled look on his face, I don’t think the ride did what he needed it to.
Ant bounds up to him, grinning as bright as the sun. “I’ll put up Cupcake for you.”
