But, Liz, Jovi is the only one I trust to care for you.
Lethim.
Love, Lena.
JOVI
I didn't tell Liz, but I have a hunch I know who got Tammy to drop the custody suit, and it wasn't Ryan.
After my mom filled me in on the Penny family history, I shared more of the current events with her. She didn't say much at the time, but her silence spoke volumes. As did the tight line of her mouth and the tension of her locked jaw.
My mother makes me crazy sometimes when it comes to the business, but at the root of all her efforts to control things isn't just her desire to protect my father's legacy, it's a need to protect us all. Our whole family. And for her, that includes Liz and the kids now.
I'd like to think years of friendship allowed my mother to sway Tammy. That the occasion involved coffee and kind words and shared compassion between two women who've known grief more deeply than anyone should. But I know my mother. She's not the soft sort. She's the scary sort.
So, I find myself smirking as I sit at my laptop at eleven o'clock at night, searching the Edible Arrangements website for their most elaborate bouquets. My mother deserves some chocolate dipped fruit.
I'm finishing my order, complete with a 'glad you're on my team' note, when there's a knock at my door. I turn around to find Liz peeking inside.
"Is everything okay?" I jump out of my chair so fast it tips over. "Have you been crying?" It's a dumb question. Her eyes are bloodshot and her eyelashes are still sticky with tears. "Are the kids okay?"
She just nods, takes my hand, and starts leading me back the way she came. "Everything is fine," she croaks out as she pulls mecloser, cuddling into my side as we walk out of the barn and into the chilly night air. It’s instinct and primitive need when I wrap my arms around her to keep her warm.
"Where are we going?" I ask, trying not to trip her while I move her to my front. Walking this way is still awkward, but at least I can offer her maximum body heat this way without dragging her sideways while she's trying to walk forward.
"The house," she says, voice still scratchy. Like she's been crying. A lot. "I want to show you something."
"Is it going to piss me off because it made you cry?" I grumble.
"No," she chokes out a laugh. "You'll like it. I promise."
I take her word for it. Trust. It's a big thing here. And I don't want to give her any reason to think I don't have it when it comes to her.
When we reach the house, she veers toward the back door, and we sneak inside, careful not to make any noise and wake the kids. At least they're sleeping, so that's a reassuring sign.
She peels herself out of my embrace and I have to fight the urge to drag her right back to me, but I manage, focusing on the part where our bodies are still linked. Our hands. Twining our fingers, she leads us down the short hall and into the living room. Where we stop. And my brain and heart both stall out.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
LIZ
Maybe I should have put more thought into it. Taken more time to plan. But once I knew—really knew—I couldn't hold it in another second. I needed to tell him. Needed to show him what he's shown me countless times in the last few months.
So, I did it the only way I know how. I printed photos I took. Moments I captured of him since we've all been living out here.
The day he planted those apple trees, and we ended up in a mud fight. He didn't know, but I grabbed my camera up in my room when I went to clean up, and I took pictures of him and the kids from my window.
The trail ride and picnic he took us on. I got the feeling he thought most of the pictures I took were of the kids. But he was in them too. Too many times to count.
Rodeo nights when he was in the zone. The times he felt me watching and turned to me with that teasing smile.
The day he surprised me with the studio space.
The photo shoot he helped me with.
Only a fraction of the times I captured his beauty. And I don't just mean his handsome face or is godlike body. I mean his heart. The way he loves the kids. The way he loves those horses.
The way he loves me.
