I watch as he leads Copper over to one of the fence posts to tie his reins. Baker flicks his eyes between Jett and me as if he can sense a storm brewing.
With one foot in front of the other, I can’t look at anyone else. Not when he’s standing there, cigarette hanging between his fingers, watching me, cataloguing my movements. Smoke drifts around him, curling into the sunlight.
Levi claps Jett on the shoulder. “We’re gonna head out. What do you want us riding back?”
“Everything but the horse,” Jett says, his eyes never straying from mine.
The guys exchange a look, but they don’t question him. They help gather the tools scattered across the yard from a hard day of fence repairing.
Heath brushes past me, tipping his ball cap. “Princess.”
I shudder at his mocking tone. Levi doesn’t spare me a glance, and I could crumble from the cold shoulder. It’s at that moment that I know Jett told him about this morning. I want to shrink until there’s nothing left, but that’s what LA Wren would do, and I’m not her.
The sound of engines firing causes the ground to rumble beneath my boots. But all too quickly the rumbling fades, leaving us in heavy silence.
Jett scrapes the cigarette against the sole of his boot before tucking the butt in his pocket. “Why’re you here?”
I flinch at his tone and swallow hard, taking a tentative step toward him.
“I couldn’t let this morning be the last word, not without you hearing the whole story.”
His jaw tightens. “The whole story? There’s fucking more?”
“Yes.”
He crosses his arms, watching Copper munch on some grass. “I’ve got a question for you.”
“Ask it,” I say eagerly.
“Have I been walking around this town with everyone knowing about my baby?”
“No one knew.” My voice trembles.
“What do you mean?” he snaps.
“I mean,” I sigh, wiping a loose tear. “No one knew about the baby. They didn’t know I was pregnant, and they didn’t know about the miscarriage.”
“How the hell is that even possible?”
“I was in a dark place after you abandonedme.”
“And if you would—”
I raise my hand, silencing him as he drags a hand down his face. “I went to college, lived in the apartment we were supposed to share. I found a part-time job and buried myself in schoolwork. For the first month of college, I was a goddamn zombie. I didn’t make friends, and I couldn’t blame people for not wanting to be around me. I didn’t take care of myself; no makeup, frumpy clothes, blank expression.”
“Wren—” His throat bobs as anger fades into something softer—something like pity.
“I’m not telling you this for your pity. It’s the truth.”
Silence stretches between us, both of us processing.
Playing with the hem of my crotchet tank, I keep my attention locked on my movements. “I’d order takeout when I could stomach eating. I lost weight and barely answered the phone. My parents tried to talk me into moving home, but I told them I needed time. I’d get sick from time to time, but I assumed it was from heartache. It wasn’t until after Thanksgiving that I realized I hadn’t had a period. Again, I chalked that up to stress. But when I noticed my jeans were tight, even though I was barely eating, I knew deep in my bones I was pregnant.”
“How’d you not tell your mom? You two were thick as thieves.”
“Everything changed when you left. I was angry with everyone. I started cutting them off. Mom tried to talk to me, and looking back, I should’ve heard her out. But I wasn’t ready. I begged for answers the day we were supposed to leave. I was worried sick you were dead in a ditch somewhere. All I was told was that you were fine but needed to leave town for a while. No one would give me anything else, so whenever they’d bring up the farm or mention your family, I refused to hear it. I didn’t want to hear anything that reminded me of you, and that meant them too. I know it was childish, but I can’t change how I acted.”
He swallows roughly at my honesty, but I don’t stop.
