“Agreed. Same goes for you.”
“Agreed.”
The connection falls silent, and I find it amazing we have nothing to say to one another. I was by her side both times she gave birth, fed her ice chips and encouraged her, and here we are now with very little to say to each other. The dissolution of marriage, the unraveling of lives, is the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever experienced.
A light turns on in the distance. It’s Tenley, stepping from her back door. Her blonde hair shines in stark contrast to the dark brown log walls, and above the tree line, the sky is streaked with hot pink and purple-blue.
I say goodbye to Anna and slip the phone back into my pocket, fighting the urge to stride across the small expanse of Hayden land that separates us. I want to pull Tenley into my arms and finish the kiss we started in my kitchen. But I don’t. My kids are home, and they come first.
I wave to Tenley, hoping to somehow convey all my thoughts. She waves back, then goes back into her cabin. I wonder why she came out at all? Maybe it was just to check on me.
23
Tenley
It’s notthat I’ve been avoiding Warner, exactly, it’s just that it’s been three days since Charlie walked in on us in the kitchen and I haven’t gone out of my way to see him. We’ve exchanged text messages and talked every day, but I’m treading lightly. I’ve never dated a man who has children, and I need Warner to lead.
Tonight, there won’t be any not-exactly-avoiding Warner because Juliette has invited me to dinner at the homestead. With ‘the whole fam damily’as she put it. I finished up on the set a little later today than previous days, because I’d had a later call time. I’m even more behind because afterward, Ari pulled me aside and asked if I could talk to the Haydens about letting a drone onto their property, for the sake of getting good aerial shots. What the empty Circle B ranch gives us in terms of setting, it’s missing in an actual herd of cows. I told him I’d ask, but not to expect much. Beau doesn’t strike me as someone who wants a tiny recording device flying over his land. Or Wes either, for that matter.
I have approximately thirty minutes before I’m due at the homestead and I’ve just stepped from the shower. I keep going over the conversation I had earlier with Morgan, on my drive back to the ranch from the set.
She called to tell me my plants were healthy, that Tate had brought by a box of my things, and that I was a dirty rotten scoundrel for making her learn about Warner through the gossip rags. I’d explained to her the timing of events, how quickly everything had happened, and she said she only partly forgave me. We ended the call with her promising to send me a picture of all my happy plants, and me vowing she wouldn’t have to learn about her best friend’s love life secondhand.
Warner’s truck is out front when I pull up to his parents’ house, so I park alongside him. I walk inside and see Juliette wasn’t kidding when she said the whole family would be here. Wes, Dakota, Wyatt, Warner, Peyton, Charlie, and Gramps. They’re all in the huge living room. A young woman I’ve never seen before sits in an armchair, and when I walk in, she leaps from her seat. She comes closer, and I know right away she’s Jessie, the youngest Hayden. If the eyes hadn’t given it away, the confident swagger would. The Haydens come at life with a sure foot.
“Ahh!” She throws her hands in the air. “I can’t believe it’s you. Wait until I tell Marlowe. She’s going to lose her shit.” She says the last word with so much emphasis it sounds more likeshii-iiit.
Juliette’s stern voice cuts into my smile. “Jessamyn Hayden, watch your mouth, young lady.”
“Sure, Mom,” Jessie says, with the ease of someone who’s been placating her mother her entire life.
Just behind Jessie, I see Warner. He’s shaking his head slightly, his eyes on his sister. He may be embarrassed by her reaction, but it doesn’t bother me.
Jessie sticks her hand out for a handshake, but I do her one better and pull her in for a hug. “It’s nice to meet you, Jessie. Who’s Marlowe?”
“My best friend. Her dad is the mayor.”
“Mayor Cruz. Right.” I nod my head. Mayor Cruz was more accommodating than any other public official I can remember. Not that I’ve had a lot of dealings with them, but people talk, and I’ve heard some horror stories.
Juliette steps in. “Jessie, give Tenley some breathing room, for Christ’s sake. Come with me to check on dinner.” She tugs on Jessie’s arm, pulling her away from me. Jessie rolls her eyes at her mother, but allows herself to be led from the room.
Dakota ducks from under the arm Wes has over her shoulder. “Tenley, do you want to help me pour wine?”
“You can’t have wine,” Wes says quickly. Every head turns to him.
Dakota gives him an exasperated look, and he mouths the wordsorry.
Warner is the first to react. He grabs his brother, pulling him in for a hug and a solid thump on his back. “Congratulations, man.”
“What the hell am I missing?” Wyatt asks, a confused look on his face.
Warner smacks the back of his head. “Dakota’s pregnant, you half-wit.”
Wyatt lands a playful punch in Warner’s side. “You’re not supposed to assume shit like that about ladies.”
All heads swing to Dakota. There’s no way for her to avoid the spotlight now. “We’re pregnant,” she confirms, a wide, beaming grin taking over her face.
Juliette and Jessie reappear. “Did I hear that correctly?” Juliette asks, her hands cupping her mouth in excitement.
