Page 33 of Love, Lies, and Whiskey

Tiny nodded toward the window. “The boys are back.”

Juliette’s pulse quickened as she followed his gaze to Lucas leading his horse into the barn. “Thank God.” Seeley was outside the barn, climbing off his horse. She’d know that horse’s markings anywhere. Romeo.

“That’s our cue to leave.” Wynnie took Juliette’s hands in hers, gazing compassionately into her eyes. “You’re a good mother, honey. It’s easy to forget that when you’re in the thick of things, and I’d bet you haven’t been told that often enough. You and Lucas and Doc will get through this, and we are here for you, anytime, day or night, for whatever you need.”

Tears welled in Juliette’s eyes again as Wynnie embraced her. “Thank you. I really appreciate both of you.”

Tiny hugged her and said, “We look forward to getting to know you and our grandson when you’re ready.”

Our grandson.

She soaked in the warmth of those words as they headed for their truck. Lucas and Seeley were making their way up the lawn. Lucas’s eyes were trained on the ground, his expression surly. Seeley was walking his horse, his gaze moving between Juliette and Lucas. She wanted to hug both of them, to know what had been said and what they were thinking and feeling. But she focused on Lucas, closing the distance between them.

“You scared the crap out of me. Thank God you’re okay.” She hugged him. He didn’t reciprocate, which stung, but it was to be expected. “I love you, but don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

“Whatever,” Lucas grumbled, kicking the grass.

Her fraying nerves snapped. “It’s not whatever. Anything could have happened to you out there. Don’t you understand that you mean everything to me?”

Seeley cleared his throat. “I’m going to give you some privacy and get out of here.”

“Can you give me a second?” she asked. “Lucas, please go inside. I’ll be right in, and then we’re going to talk.”

Lucas scowled and stalked into the house.

“What a horrible night.” She looked at Seeley, beyond grateful that he was there. “I hope he wasn’t too awful to you.”

“He wasn’t, but you should know that I found him at Devil’s Bend.”

“Are you freaking kidding me? He is in big trouble.”

“He’s confused, Jule, and he’s hurt.”

“Are you saying he shouldn’t be punished?” she asked incredulously.

“No. I think he needs boundaries. I’m only reminding you because he makes it really easy to see his anger and rebellion instead of his pain, which makes him appear strong. He comes by that naturally to some extent. As you’ve seen, I can be an angry bastard, but my guess is that he’s also watched you hold your chin up for years. He seems like a quick learner, but he’s still only fifteen, and the world as he knew it is never going to be the same. So maybe he needs to be cut a little slack.”

“I know he does. I’m just upset. I hate all of this, and even though I was protecting him, it’s still my fault. I did this to him.”

“We all did, but we’ll get through it.”

“The question is, will he hate us afterward?” The thought killed her. “Did he say anything that I should know about?”

“Not really, but I might have overstepped. I told him everything. He knows what your father did to both of us, and about the letters, and that I confronted your father. The whole shitshow.”

“I don’t know if that’s good or bad,” she said honestly. “Did he actually listen?”

“I think so.” He glanced at the house and raked a hand through his hair. “Is it okay to give you a hug?”

She looked at the windows and didn’t see Lucas. “Yes, please. I need one, and he’s probably locked in his room planning his next escape.”

Seeley held the horse’s lead in one hand and opened his arms.

She embraced him, soaking in his strength and surety.

“Nobody warned me how hard it was to be a parent.” She pressed her cheek to his chest, holding him a little tighter. “You give birth to this tiny baby who’s completely reliant on you, and you build your entire world around them, teach them to be strong and independent, to stand up for themselves and others. I’ve always prided myself on that with Lucas, because of how my parents tried to control me. But tonight, the way he looked at me like I was the enemy, makes me want to tie him down and force him to adore me the way he did when he was little.”

Seeley pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I get it.”