Page 19 of His Secret Wish

Except, he hadn’t realized that by doing that, by shutting her out, he was essentially turning into his father. Which had always been his greatest fear.

Calvin Callahan had been a hard man. One who’d loved the ranch and the land even more than he loved his family. That wasn’t to say he hadn’t loved them, they just hadn’t been his number one priority. Growing up, he’d often wondered how Mama could stay with him once he’d showed her who he was. Not that he’d been a bad man. He’d never been physically abusive or emotionally abusive, but apathy wasn’t all fun and games.

Owen had always thought his dad treated him and his brothers more like his colleagues than his children, even when they were little. They’d all been expected to work the ranch from the moment they could walk. Mama had done the best she could, but dad had been adamant they develop a relationship with the land, a respect for it. Only Mason and Declan had bucked the old man’s wishes and chosen their own paths.

He shook his head, trying to dislodge the trip down memory lane. There were more important things he should be focused on. Like the woman snuggled against him. She was more important than anything else in his life, including the ranch. It was just too bad that the revelation may have come a bit too late.

Izzy gave a muffled snore and then turned over to face him. His heart swelled so big, he was afraid it was about to crack a few ribs. She was so beautiful. And kind and generous and loving. It broke his soul that he couldn’t give her the family she so desperately wanted.

Maybe he should let her go.

It would be the best thing to do. That way, she could find someone else, someone who could give her the baby she so desperately craved. Clearly, after all these years and so many tries, it wasn’t meant to be for them.

Just the thought of letting her go felt like he was being chopped in half. And imagining her with someone else, falling in love with them, getting married, having their baby, made every cell in his body ache.

But if she rejected him after this weekend, it could very well happen. He couldn’t drag his feet on signing the divorce papers forever. It wasn’t fair, to either of them. And he wouldn’t do that to her.

If she was done with him after this, he would let her go. Even if it killed him.

He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “I’m so sorry, mi cariño. For everything. And I promise, if you give me another chance, I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you just how much.” His voice was nothing but a hoarse whisper in the silence.

She shimmied over until she was against him, her face pressed against his chest. She could probably feel how hard his heart was banging against his ribs. He pulled her tight against him. No space between them. As usual, they fit together like a perfect match. They always had.

Now he just needed to remind her of the fact. Because if he didn’t, he was going to lose the best thing that ever happened to him. And it would be all his fault.