“I thought so.” She smiles into her cup. “It’s obvious by how you two work, how you look at each other. I don’t think my husband’s looked at me like that in a long time.” She gives a soft, wry laugh.
“I do love her. I want her and Phoebe to know they’re safe here. That it doesn’t have to be just the two of them anymore.” I’ve said it to Chloe, but saying it to you feels like I’m laying it down in wet cement—like she deserves to hear it until it finally sticks.
“I know she’s grown and all that,” she says, leaning forward, “but I’m asking anyway. I still have a few days here, but I want to be a nosy mother-in-law tonight. Have you two talked about what happened back then?”
Heat crawls up my neck. “Some of it,” I admit. “Not the parts that still hurt to say out loud.”
“Which means ‘not all of it’. So I’m asking for what’s left, because if you don’t talk about it, you’re headed for a crash, and I’ll be cleaning up some of it.”
I don’t want to think about that. Things feel good with the three of us. Busy, stretched thin, but good.
Still…she isn’t wrong.
And the truth is, Chloe’s been carrying the hard parts for so long, I’m not sure she knows what to do when life goes quiet.
“There’s something I’ve never told another soul, not even Chloe.” The words feel heavy, but she has Chloe’s best interests at heart. If I ever screw up, I want her on my side.
“Go ahead.” She rests a hand on my knee, a simple motherly gesture, and grief pricks hot behind my eyes. For a second, I imagine my mom here, giving me the same look. Or advice.
Maybe she sent Chloe’s mom to do the job.
“I went to Texas after we broke up,” I say. “A couple of months later. Should’ve gone sooner, but I was proud.”
Her mouth parts, but she stays quiet.
“My dad told me I had to choose—the farm or Chloe. Said I wasn’t pulling my weight. At least not what he expected. He wanted to leave me the farm someday. Neither of us knew how soon that would be, but I felt obligated.” I spread my hands. “It was an impossible choice. I couldn’t replace this place, but I couldn’t replace Chloe either. I still can’t believe I thought I could live with that choice.”
“What happened in Texas?” she asks softly. “Chloe’s never mentioned it.”
“She doesn’t know.” I meet her eyes. “I went to surprise her on campus, and saw her with another guy. She looked happy.” Even now, it still feels like a knife to the chest. “So I left. If she could find happiness without me, I wanted her to have it.”
Mrs. Brooks closes her eyes and breathes out slowly. “And you’ve both lived with those decisions ever since.” When she looks back, her eyes shine. “She didn’t start dating Trevor until later. To this day, I don’t know what she saw in him, but we got Phoebe, so it wasn’t all bad.”
“She’s said the same.”
“What about your dad?”
“Before I left, I told him I’d made a mistake. If I had to choose, I’d choose Chloe. I didn’t want the farm if it meant losing her. He and Mom made it work; why couldn’t I?” My mouth goes dry, but I keep going. “He said they were the exception. It was hard, but they were in the same town. It would be impossiblewith us so far apart. He said the farm means sacrifice—crazy hours, choosing people willing to make the same sacrifices.”
I never asked Chloe to do that, and that wasn’t fair. Especially when I know now she would have.
“I assume that was hard for him to hear.”
“We fought about it a lot. He stayed angry for a while. Maybe my coming back alone helped—I don’t know.”
Our relationship never quite healed. Honestly, I was surprised he left me the farm. I earned it, sure, but some part of me expected he’d leave it to Owen out of spite.
“I wish I had the exact words you need,” she says. “But I can tell you this: no matter what was said, he still loved you. He left you the farm.”
Emotion clogs my throat. I didn’t expect to bare my soul to Chloe’s mom, but somehow the weight sits easier in my chest.
“Thank you,” I manage, clearing my throat.
“Now, about my daughter.” She tips her head. “She needs to know all of that. Tell me to mind my business if you want, but if you want this marriage to last, put the cards on the table. Old woman’s advice before bed.”
“I’ll take it under consideration,” I say, and we both know I mean it.
“That’s polite forwe’re done here,” she teases, pushing to her feet. “My sleepytime tea’s kicking in. Think about it, Aiden. You two make each other happy. And Phoebe would do well with a daddy like you.”
