He gave me a half-hearted thumbs up and his eyes drifted closed. I leaned in, keeping my voice low.
“Get some sleep, brother. We’ll be back to check on you.”
He barely nodded, but he was already drifting off to sleep. Staring down at him, I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t shown up when I did. Would Jeff have made it there in time? Would he have been able to get Liam out on his own?
The timing was pure luck.
Or some kind of fucking miracle.
“Ma!”I called out.
Shutting the door behind Blake, we headed into the house to share the good news. Ma came running out of the living room with a bright smile on her face, nearly shoving me out of the way to get to Blake.
“A baby! I mean, I know we already sort of knew, but now we really know! It’s so exciting!” she laughed, wrapping Blake in one of her warm hugs.
“Hey, I’m over here, too,” I teased.
“Oh, go check on the horses. This is Blake’s moment.”
“Really? I get no say in any of this? No joy to spread?” I asked, following behind them as they headed for the living room.
“You just donated sperm. Blake is going to carry this child and push her out of a very tiny hole at the end of nine months. Tell me how you matter.”
I stood there, mouth gaping as she practically pushed Blake down and helped her prop up her feet. And she completely ignored me. I was just chopped liver.
“Get used to it, son,” Pop said, striding up behind me. “This is her first grandchild. No way is she going to let Blake do a single thing. Guess you’d better get ready for a laundry list of chores.”
“Did she do that to you?”
“Are you kidding?” he laughed. “Your mother did everything. It wasn’t until Jeff was born that I even realized how much she actually did. Then I made the mistake of mentioning it to her one day.”
Shaking his head, he sighed. “That was the end of my reign as king of the castle. She’s run the damn place ever since.”
Frowning, I looked at Blake, wondering if she would be a tyrant around the house. I just couldn’t picture it. We had a good balance between us, and it worked.
“Come on. Guess you’d better pick your cabin before she chooses one for you.”
“Shouldn’t I do that with Blake?” I asked as he dragged me out the door.
“Trust me, son. This is the last thing you’re gonna have a say in for a long time. Take the win.”
I drove around with him, checking out the various cabins on our land. He was being awfully generous, letting me choose from cabins they’d already built and newer ones that had just been finished. Considering our less-than-stellar relationship, it honestly took me by surprise.
Pulling down one of the gravel roads closer to the falls, he stopped just outside the one-story cabin.
“Well, this is it. She’s a beauty.”
“Nice property.”
“Come on. Let’s take a look inside.”
Following behind him, my eyes naturally drifted to the horizon where the peaks filled the landscape. It was absolutely beautiful out here. It reminded me of when I was a kid, when I’d be out working at the crack of dawn with Nelly, my horse at the time.
Back then, there was nothing but the early morning light and the sounds of nature. But then I’d gone off to war and everything changed for me. I’d had a difficult time finding peace after my DD, and nothing could fill that hollow feeling inside my chest.
Not even home.
It all felt right to me now. I took a deep breath, savoring the mountain air that surrounded me. The sounds of the river filled my brain, reminding me of better times.
