I would’ve told you if they’d mentioned him. You deserve to know who your dad is.
You really think so?
You have a right to know where you came from.
Emerson doesn’t seem to think so.
She probably just feels threatened by the idea of you having other family.
I’m sure that’s part of it. Sometimes I feel guilty for wanting a relationship with them.
It’s perfectly normal to want to know your family.
Says the man so filled with wanderlust he has no connections at all.??
Wanderlust?? There’s a word you don’t hear every day.
If the shoe fits.
You’re not wrong.He didn’t want to think about his lifestyle right now. He’d rather help her strategize. After a moment he typed out another message.If you’regonnaget an oil change, maybe you should make an appointment for the end of the day. Then you could leave your vehicle and we’d have to return to pick it up.
That would give me two opportunities to talk to him.
But you’d have to be brave enough to ride on my bike with me.
Bring it on, buddy.
He smiled. As long as she was game. He wouldn’t complain about having her arms wrapped around him on the ride. Kyle probably wouldn’t love the idea, but they couldn’t be that serious. Besides, that wasn’t Gunner’s problem. And it wasn’t as if his relationship with Charlotte could go anywhere.
He glanced at his phone. Never mind that it was after midnight and they were texting each other. He sent her another message.I should probably let you get to bed. Tomorrow’s my day off, not yours.
Those darn horses are so needy.
The nerve.
Would it kill them to go a day without food?
He sent a laughing emoji.
Good night, Gunner.
Good night.He set his phone back on the charger and settled in bed. But it was a long time before he drifted off.
Twenty-Seven
Surely her heart was going to explode. Charlotte shut off the engine and set her palm against her chest as she glanced around the gas station’s exterior. The garage door was pulled shut, but there was movement inside. Her father? In mere minutes she might find out.
Was she ready for this? What if he wasn’t anything like what she’d hoped? What if he was gruff or rude or weird? What if he wasn’t her father at all? Her mind had spun off in all directions on the long drive over. She wished Gunner had been in the truck with her. He would’ve served as a nice distraction.
The sound of Gunner’s bike roared closer as he pulled alongside her. He removed his helmet, then his gaze flitted toward the building and homed in on the garage.
She stepped from the truck, her legs wobbling like a three-legged table.
He came around his bike. “There’s an entry door to the garage. Still want me to come with you, or would you rather do this alone?”
“Oh, you’re coming with me.”
The corner of his lips quirked up. “It’s gonna be fine. You’ll see. If you get stuck, I’ll fill in the gaps.”
