He hoped that too.
Would Baylee keep her word and leave him and Maverick alone? Just because she signed those papers didn’t mean she was going to adhere to them.
That could be part of the reason he overreacted when Jocelyn showed him the land she was buying two hours ago, dropped the bomb on him she loved him, then sped away.
He couldn’t even chase after her because he was wrong and knew it.
Maybe everything had been building in his mind for months. The differences they had, how they lived their lives, spent their money, or thought of things.
He always wanted to be the one who could provide for a family.
He didn’t want to see a woman work harder or make more than him. He’d seen it enough with his grandmother.
Maybe he had these old-fashioned beliefs in his head and couldn’t knock them out.
“I’m sure she will,” he said. “Not my problem either. The further away Baylee goes the better.”
“Well, if it’s not Baylee, then how is my great-grandson doing? Is everything okay with him? I’ve got to say he looks it every time I see him. So happy and excitable. You weren’t a happy kid, but you had energy that kept me running.”
“Things are going well. We have our moments and I’m reminded he’s two. He’s stubborn.”
Like when he didn’t want to stop playing and go to bed and shouted out his frustration.
“Got to be hard looking at yourself in the mirror minus decades.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re doing a great job with him, Chance.”
“Considering I never had a role model, I suppose so.”
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” his grandmother said, smacking his arm.
Great. Just what he needed. Two women giving him shit over it.
“I’m not.”
“You are. You rarely said it or showed it, but I know it was there. I’m sorry I couldn’t do better by you.”
This was thelastthing he wanted.
For her to feel as if she wasn’t enough for him when she gave him everything.
Which was no different from him thinking it about his life either in terms of Jocelyn.
Why hadn’t he thought of that before?
That Jocelyn had given him everything he wanted and never thought he’d have and his damn pride was the wall that kept growing no matter how much she chipped it down for him to see clearer.
“You did great,” he said. “If you hadn’t, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“You did it yourself. Not me. I knocked your head a few times to see the bigger picture, but that didn’t mean you had to listen.”
She had a point.
“I wanted to be here.”
“That’s right. Youwantedit. My grandson puts his mind to things and goes after them and nothing gets in his way. What I can’t figure out is why you’re back here sulking before we open when you should be so proud of everything you’ve accomplished.”
