Rowan met his gaze. “Yes, sir, I plan on doing just that.”
For a second, he thought Camden might tell him that Enya wasn’t his to keep. Or that she had a life, a home, and a father who’d spent the last twenty-odd years making sure she was safe. If he did that, Rowan wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop himself from clapping back with, ‘until you didn’t.’ Thankfully, it didn’t come to that as Camden just nodded, turned, and followed Birdie-June out of the house. The screen door slammed behind them, and within minutes, the truck engine roared to life. Gravel crunched under tires, and then they were gone.
Silence settled over the kitchen, and Rowan exhaled.
Does this count as surviving the meet-the-parents thing?
If not, it totally should.
He reached for Enya’s hand under the table. Her fingers were cold. “You okay?”
She swallowed. “I don’t know.”
Fair enough.
Rowan tugged her hand until she turned toward him. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her lashes damp.
That was a stupid question.
He jerked his chin toward the hallway, and Gael took off, giving them some space. The second his brother was out of the way he pulled Enya onto his lap, her legs straddling his thighs, and held her there while she buried her face in his neck. She smelled like cinnamon and hay and something uniquely her. He breathed her in.
“Talk to me,” he murmured against her temple.
Enya shook her head. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything.”
She laughed, a broken little sound. “You’re a walking contradiction, you know that, right?”
“Yeah.” His hands found the hem of her hoodie, his fingers tracing the warm skin of her lower back. “But it turns out, I’myourwalking contradiction, so there’s that.” That got her, and she pulled back just enough to meet his gaze, her brown eyes dark with something he didn’t have a name for. Not yet. But he wanted to. He wanted to learn every damn shade of her, every flicker of emotion, every unspoken thought.
“Yep, there is that,” she whispered. “Rowan.”
“Right here.”
“Did, um.” She stumbled over the words. “Did everything go okay?”
“Yeah, we did what we had to do and more.” He wanted to tell her the man who haunted her sleep was gone, but he also didn’t want to shatter the moment.
It can wait.
“Come on.” He hugged her for a second, soaking her in. “What’s this I heard about a new foal at the barn?”
“Dusk had a colt earlier. He’s so dang cute I can’t stand it.” She scrambled off his lap. “Seriously, Rowe, wait until you see him.” She caught his hand and almost dragged him toward the door.
It’s damn good to see her this excited about something.
By the time they made it to the barn, Rowan already knew the newborn foal was no longer his. From the way Enya’s eyes lit up and happiness radiated from deep inside her as she filled the evening air with chatter, he knew that baby had her name on it.
Let’s just see how he grows first.
But damn, look at that smile.
Dusk nickered softly from her stall, and her ears pricked forward as they approached. The foal stood pressed against his dam’s side, his tail switching like he was already annoyed at the world.
Enya made a soft sound, something between a laugh and a sigh, and stepped forward, her hand outstretched. Dusk snorted, but she didn’t pin her ears or shift away. Enya’s fingers brushed the foal’s forehead, her touch light, sure.
“Hey, little man,” she murmured. “You’re gonna be a handful, aren’t you?”
