Chloe's little hand is in mine and we walk along the field, her eyes moving back and forth as she looks at the horses that come to greet us by the fence. She raises her other arm, pointing at the big bay mare who reaches her nose towards us.
“She’s a big horse, isn't she, Clo?” I ask her, scooping her into my arms.
“So big!” She exclaims, her infectious smile spreading across her lips. I take her hand in mine, holding it out with her fingers protected.
“Here, let her smell you first,” I say as the mare reaches towards us, inhaling the scent of Chloe’s hand before blowing out a breath through her nostrils.
Cade comes walking from somewhere behind the horses, raising an eyebrow as he sees me holding Chloe in my arms. “Since when do you have a kid?”
“You didn’t know about her?” I joke, chuckling and rolling my eyes at my brother. “This is Chloe, Ella's daughter.”
“Oh, shit,” he laughs, a smile drifting across his lips. “I mean shoot. Well, hello Miss Chloe.”
“Chloe, this is my brother, Cade.”
“Hi Cade.”
Cade chuckles, giving her a soft, tender smile. “It is so nice to meet you.” He looks back at me. “What exactly are you doin’ with her here?”
“I brought her to come see the horses,” I say with a shrug. I wasn’t really needed for anything today, since I was giving the horses the day off and Cade got the owners to reschedule. “We're going to head to the lake to collect some rocks after we're done here.”
Cade stares at me for a moment before walking up to the mare and pulling her away from the fence. He slides the rope halter over her head and leads her through the gate with the leadrope. I walk over to him with Chloe, letting her pet the mare.
Chloe’s fingers dance through the mare’s mane and she giggles as the horse turns her head, blowing a soft breath against Chloe’s cheek.
“I think she likes you, Clo,” I smile, watching carefully as the mare nuzzles Chloe’s neck. It’s a tender moment between a massive animal and the smallest little girl.
I keep my eye on her like a hawk, just in case. I have faith and trust the horses, but you never know. All it takes is one little thing…
Moving away from the mare, I adjust Chloe against my side, tucking her close to my body. She looks over my shoulder, pointing out to the pasture as she watches one of the other horses rolling in the dirt.
“You know, I never imagined you with kids, Cole,” Cade says quietly as Chloe pays no attention to us. “But now I think I can.”
“I never put much thought into them and honestly, I'm not even sure I need my own,” I say, adjusting Chloe in my arms. “I'd be perfectly content with having the two of them in my life.”
“You’re fallin’ for her, aren’t you?”
I stare at my brother for a moment and let out a deep breath. The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. I swallow roughly, over the lump lodged inside my throat.
I don’t know how or when it happened. All I know is it happened fast–faster than I thought was possible–and I know there’s nothing I can do to change the way I feel about her now. She’s nestled herself in my chest beneath my ribcage. She took my heart and made it a home.
“I think I am.”
A smile lifts his lips. “You deserve to be happy.”
I turn to look out at the mountains in the distance. “So does she,” I say softly, not only telling him but also myself.
Ella deserves everything good that there possibly is, whether I'm the one who gives it to her or not.
Although, I do hope she'll let it be me...
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
ELLA
Pausing outside the front door, I take a deep breath, my chest rising with my inhale before letting it out. Today started out rougher than I had imagined, but now that I'm home, I feel like I could break down and cry. The emotion is overwhelming, especially after the scare Iris gave us this morning. When Remi called me, I instantly went into panic mode. I was expecting the worst and wasn't sure how I was going to handle any of it.
I was terrified I was going to have to come home to my daughter and shatter her entire world. Iris is the only grandmother Chloe has. She’s the only person in her life who has assumed that role. Losing her would be devastating to all of us.
