“Okay, now that we’ve got our shots in, I think it’s time for everyone to be civil, don’t y’all?” Jax says, trying to keep the peace.
“I will if he will.” I drop my arms.
“I will.”
“Good because I’ve been dying to share this news with you two.” I flounce into the chair I was sitting in earlier. “Rhett called this afternoon. One of the cowboy applications came through and looks promising. Although it sounds like we might be getting two new cowboys?” I glance at Jax for an answer.
“Are you sure you want me?”
I nod.
“Then, yes. You’ll be getting two new cowboys.” He pulls me from my chair, sitting down in it and dragging me into his lap as he presses kisses to my cheek and neck.
“All right! That’s enough.” Charlie shoots forward. “I may have been cool with you two being together, but I donotwant a front row seat to your physical displays of love, okay? It makes me sick.” He feigns a gag.
I grab a blueberry from the bowl I was snacking on earlier and toss it at him. “Grow up! This is what couples do.”
He plucks the blueberry from the ground before Bella can get to it. “My best friend and my baby sister don’t. In my mind, you two are merely special friends who hug. Please don’t ruin the image for me.”
Jax and I burst into laughter. I can’t believe how good it feels to have this out in the open, and Ireallycan’t believe Charlie has been this cool about all of it, despite us hiding our relationship from him for a while.
Charlie’s phone rings, interrupting our laughter. He picks it up, shrugging. “It’s Mom. I’ll be right back.”
When he steps out onto the front porch, Jax takes advantage of our privacy. “What do you think of all this?”
“I’m really glad you and Charlie talked. And it sounds like you didn’t need your cup, so that’s a plus,” I tease.
“Thank goodness. There were moments when I was worried.”
“Was he hard on you?”
“He wasn’t any harder on me than he should’ve been.” He scoops a handful of blueberries from the bowl on the table. “I feel relieved. I hated hiding it from him.”
“Me too.”
“I think this calls for celebration.” Jax shoves the last couple of blueberries into his mouth and gently brings me to standing. “Should I get the ice cream?”
He crosses the kitchen, not waiting for my response before he pulls the tubs from the freezer.
“Jax! It’s too early.” I giggle.
“Oh, come on, Freckles.” His cheeks are rosy with joy. They’re a stark contrast to Charlie’s pale face when he walks back into the cabin.
My stomach plummets. “What’s wrong, Char?”
“It’s Dad.” He stares at the ground, the shock apparent from the dead look in his eyes.
Fear curls around my body. “What happened?”
“He had a heart attack.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Lauren
Charlie leadsthe way down the hall to Dad’s hospital room, but I trail behind as my head spins with images of what I’m about to walk into. I imagine the pain he must’ve been in and all the scenarios that could’ve caused this. It’s not lost on me that I was taking over the ranch to prevent something like this from happening to Dad, and as soon as I took a little time off, he ended up in the hospital.
Jax’s gentle touch pulls me from the what-ifs, back into the brightly lit hallway. “Are you okay?”
