Wade keeps talking, telling me small, ridiculous stories about ranch life, stories he probably wouldn’t bother retelling under any other circumstance. But he shares them with me to keep my mind off the distance that’s still between me and my child.
It’s only when we cross into my old neighborhood, we both fall quiet. The houses are small and tired-looking, with thin yards and peeling fences. My heart twists in my chest. I’m closer to my son than I’ve been in days, and somehow the fear only intensifies. Will he remember me? Will he come to me? Will he resent my absence?
Wade stops at the curb in front of Janey’s house and turns toward me fully. My eyes blur instantly and I grab for the door handle, biting down on a sob as I climb out of the truck.
Janey’s curtains twitch, and then the door swings open before I even knock.
And there he is, riding high on Janey’s hip. My baby. My little Caleb.
His arms reach out, his face bright and flushed with excitement, a joyful cry of “Ma-ma!” bursting from him in that wild, high screech that shakes something loose inside my chest.
My knees almost buckle with relief as I reach out for him, arms closing around his small, warm body as the tearscome fast and unrestrained, pouring down my face while I bury him against my neck. I’ve imagined this moment a hundred times since I left him here, but the reality breaks me open. I breathe him in—his soft hair, his warm cheek, the faint scent of milk and baby—and the pressure I’ve been ignoring for days releases in one sweeping burst of emotion.
Wade stands behind me, the steady warmth of him like a shield at my back. He observes everything in his usual, reserved way. Janey smiles at the scene, wiping her hands on her jeans.
“You Wade or Caleb?” she asks, holding her hand out as she gives him a thorough and unembarrassed once-over.
“Wade, ma’am,” he replies, offering his hand. “Thank you for taking care of the boy while Joelle came to find us.”
“I can see why she wanted to,” Janey says with a grin.
Despite the shadow of his hat, his reddening cheeks are clear as day.
She turns to me, wickedness brewing in her blue eyes. “Girl… you’re glowing.”
I let out a watery laugh, sure it isn’t true, adjusting Caleb on my hip. “It’s just relief,” I say. “I’ve missed Caleb so much.”
Wade moves up beside me, resting a hand on my lower back. “Let’s get your things packed up,” he says quietly. “We’ll have you back at the ranch before sundown.”
“Efficient, too.” Janey shoots me a wink. “Looks like that drive into the unknown was worth the gas and the risk of heartbreak.”
“You have no idea,” Wade says gruffly, surprising us all.
Packing doesn’t take long. Wade carries every bag, every box, every stuffed animal to the truck without complaint. He moves through the house politely, careful witheverything he touches, but with a sense of determined purpose, like getting our things into the truck is the most important job on earth.
Janey watches him carry out the final box.
“Alright,” she whispers near my ear, “you gonna tell me what’s really going on?”
Heat crawls up my cheeks. “It’s… complicated.”
“Well,” she says, giving me a quick hug, “complicated looks good on you for once. And that man handles you like you’re made of something he values more than his own damned life.”
My throat tightens again. “I’ll explain soon. I… can’t yet.”
She nods, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “You take care of that boy, and yourself. And I’ll come visit. Try to figure out this whole ranch romance you’ve gotten yourself tangled in.”
Wade appears in the doorway, his arms finally empty. “We good?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I whisper, shifting Caleb on my hip, looking back at the home Janey opened to me when I needed it most. I’ll miss living with my friend, but she’s ready for some space to live a single life. I hook a hand around her neck and pull her into me. “Thank you, Janey. For everything. I’ll never forget your kindness or your generosity.”
Her breath hitches and we both pull away, wiping tears and laughing with emotion.
Wade opens the truck door for me and Caleb, his posture straight and proud, and my chest throbs. I buckle my son into his car seat, then climb into the cab. Wade settles behind the wheel, reaching behind to adjust Caleb’sblanket and blue rabbit, and my tears come again.
This time they’re happy.
As we pull away from Janey’s house, waving like crazy, and head back to Grayswood, I close my eyes and press my cheek to my son's soft curls. Wade glances over his shoulder, his warm gaze flicking between us.
