He doesn’t laugh this time. “Aiden.”
The way he says it makes my stomach tighten.
“I’m serious,” I push. “This is a lot. Really fast.”
“It’s not about fast.” He points at me as though he can see straight through skin and bone. “It’s about you being scared.”
I don’t answer because he’s right.
“There’s more to life than this place, brother.”
“Watch it,” I warn. “This place is important.”
It’salwaysbeen important. I effectively chose the farm over Chloe. At the time, I believed Dad when he said I couldn’t know she was it for me, that we were too young.
I half-believed I could replace Chloe, even though my heart strongly objected to the lie, because I couldn’t replace the farm.
And I was devastatingly wrong.
My blood, sweat, and tears are tied up in this place—in every crop, every acre of land we own and care for. I don’t know anything else.
All I have to show for it is a Chloe-shaped hole in my heart and looming deadlines.
That’s what she meant, isn’t it?
I gave her up to keep the farm, and now I need her to keep it.
The irony sits heavily in my chest.
“That’s it, isn’t it?” he says. “The bottom line.”
“What is?” I scoot toward the opposite end of the couch.
“The farm.” He drops beside me.
“Maybe,” I mumble.
“I should’ve known. It’s always the farm when you’re broody.” He rubs the spot above his right eyebrow and gets the quietest he’s been all day.
“It’s notjustfinances with the farm,” I begin, unsure of how much to say. “The farm is the reason Chloe and I split.”
He opens his mouth like he wants to say something, then closes it again.
“I thought it was the long distance.”
This is it. The part where I finally level with Owen and tell him everything I’ve kept close to the vest for years.
And I’m not sure how it’s going to land.
“That was part of it, but we were making it work,” I pause to gather more courage. “But when push came to shove, I picked our trees over Chloe, and I think it’s the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.”
Owen leans forward on his elbows.“So then fix it.”
“If I couldn’t balance the farm and Chloe then, what makes you think I can do it now? Especially with her daughter involved.”
The farm itself is a ton of work, especially this time of year. Early mornings, long days. Deliveries, keeping up with customer purchases, and the shop. Working harder than ever to make an impression so I can recoup as much of my personal money as I can afford. I’ve spent more than I wanted to get us to Opening Day.
But it’s worth it.
