Page 21 of Love, Lies, and Whiskey

“That’s great. The way he stood up to me was admirable. You two must be close.”

“We are. I’m lucky we get along so well. Although, teenagerhood has its challenges, and he definitely has a lot of you in him.”

Seeley grinned. “Why do you say that?”

“Because you’re alike in so many ways. You saw him. He’s got your build, your height, your hair and nose. Sometimes the way he smiles or stands catches me off guard, and my thoughts stumble for a minute.”

“I noticed he’s an arm drummer. Did Josh do that, too?”

“No. That’s been Lucas’s go-to defensive stance since he was eight or nine. As if that barrier makes him untouchable. The first time he did it, my heart nearly stopped. I thought I was seeing things. But he’s like you in other ways, too. He’s got your confidence and riding skills, and from the time he was little, nothing was fast or dangerous enough for him. He loves roping cattle, barrel racing, and bull riding. He’s good, too.”

“Bull riding, huh?” He couldn’t stop a prideful grin from breaking free.

“That’s why we were at the hospital. He fell off a bull. He was wearing a helmet, and they checked him out at the competition, but he seemed a little off right after, so I took him to the hospital. He was fine. He didn’t have a concussion or anything. Let me tell you, there’s a huge difference between cheering you on when you were bull riding and watching my son out there. I’m terrified every time he climbs on a bull. Do you still ride?”

“No.” He watched the flames flickering in the firepit, rubbing one fist with his other hand, his chest tightening. “I haven’t ridden since that summer.”

“Oh. That’s too bad,” she said compassionately. “You were good. Why did you stop?”

“It was too hard to focus.” He cocked his head, meeting her gaze. “I kept picturing you cheering me on, and I knew I’d end up hurting myself. Better to focus on schoolwork and helping at the ranch when I was home.”

“I’m sorry I ruined that for you.”

“You didn’t, Jule. Your father did.” He sat up, holding her gaze. “I know we’ve got years to catch up on, and we’re not the same people we were back then. But I want to be in your and Lucas’s life.”

“Seeley—”

He held up his hand. “Please let me finish. We obviously still have feelings for each other, and I’d like to see where that takes us as time allows. We have a lot to deal with, and of course Lucas has to come first, and if you don’t want to see what’s still between us, that’s okay. I mean, I’ll fucking hate it, but…”

She laughed softly.

He smiled, but he was worried. They had explosive chemistry, but they had something so much bigger and deeper. He hoped to hell she wasn’t going to say that having sex had been nothing more than years of repressed desires breaking free and pleaded his case. “You need to know that even if you decide you don’t want to pursue anything with me, it’s not going to change my wanting to be in Lucas’s life. I’m here for him whether or not you want anything more with me. And as the mother of my child and the woman I’ve never stopped loving, I’ll be there to help you from this day forward, even if you don’t want there to be an us. No hard feelings.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but he held up a finger, quickly adding, “But for the record, I think that would be a big mistake on your part. I’ve got issues, like anyone else, but I’m an honest, loyal man, I’m easy on the eyes, and you know I’m great in bed,” he said playfully, earning another smile. “I’m not the cocky, carefree kid I was when you knew me before, and you might not like that about me, and I work a lot.” He realized what he’d said. “Shit. I’m not doing a very good job of selling myself, am I?”

“Seeley, stop,” she said with a laugh. “You don’t have to sell me on who you are. I’d like to see if there’s more to us, too, but Lucas has to come first.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“I know. I should probably go.”

He wanted her to stay and talk all night, but he knew better than to put that out there. “I’ll walk you to your truck.”

As they headed around the side of the house, he put a hand on her lower back and said, “You know, nobody calls me Seeley anymore.”

“What do they call you?”

“Doc. It’s my road name.”

“Doc. I like it. It makes sense. Do you want me to call you that?”

“No. I like hearing you call me Seeley far too much.” He opened her truck door and then took her hand and pulled her into an embrace, breathing her in. “I can’t believe you’re back.”

She tipped her face up, those baby blues drawing him in.

“Can I kiss you good night?”

“Yes,” she whispered.