Page 77 of Flawless

She rolled her eyes. “I know what that means. A guy gets a girl knocked up and leaves her holding the bag. Just like your daddy did to me. It’s a story as old as time, honey. So, don’t think your man’s special.”

I was clenching my teeth so hard my jaw hurt when I said, “Don’t compare me to…” I was going to say ‘the losers you hooked up with’ before I remembered we were talking about Rylee’s daddy and she might take offense. “Anyone else. You don’t know me. You don’t know the kind of man I am, or how much I love your daughter. How much I want this baby. I can assure you; I would never leave them.”

“If you say so,” she said, leaning back and crossing her arms as she sized me up. “I guess time will tell. But I gotta admit, you’re tough. Rylee needs that.”

“Excuse me?” Rylee asked.

“You need a strong man,” her mama said to her. “Someone who can hold his own with you. You’ve always been so damn headstrong and independent⁠—”

“Because I had to be,” Rylee said, narrowing her eyes. “I didn’t have the luxury of being soft or this life would have chewed me up and spit me out.”

“I guess you’re right about that,” she conceded, before hooking a thumb in my direction. “But this is just the kind of guy you need… if he sticks around.”

“Believe me, I’ll stick around,” I said, between clenched teeth. “I don’t abandon the people I love to fend for themselves.”

Instead of appearing offended, she tipped her head to the side, studying me. “If you’re the real deal, respect. I didn’t even think guys like you existed anymore. I thought they all died with my daddy and grand-daddy’s generations. Men who lived up to their responsibilities and did right by their families.”

I made a mental note to ask Rylee about her grandparents and why they hadn’t raised her. I wanted to know everything about her and all the people who’d come before her. Because they would be a part of our child’s story now too.

“I’m not here to prove anything to you,” I said, my voice softening. “And I don’t need permission to love and take care of your daughter and grandbaby, but I promise you, I will.”

She swallowed a few times before nodding. “Good, glad to hear it.” She stood, before looking at me, then Rylee. “Congratulations to both of you. I hope you’ll bring my grandbaby to meet me sometime.”

Rylee pinched her lips together and nodded. “We will.” We watched the guard hustle her through the door and down a long hallway before Rylee whispered, “What the hell just happened here?”

I laughed, nudging her shoulder with mine. “I think we just came to an understanding with your mama, sweetheart.”

“You, Sheriff, are a miracle worker.”

If that were true, all of my carefully laid plans would go off without a hitch.

Leaving Rylee was torture, but I hoped the next time I returned, I wouldn’t have to leave.

I’d already started laying the foundation for my new life, and keeping it a secret from the woman I loved was hard, but my mama had been right. Rylee had to know it was my decision, and whatever happened between us, she wasn’t responsible for the choices I’d made.

Driving down the highway as more miles separated me from Ry and our baby was putting me in a bad mood. So, when my sister called, I answered without hesitation. “Hey, sis.”

“Hey, yourself. I heard you were in town this weekend. And you didn’t even have time to stop by and see your little sister, huh? Thanks for nothing.”

Austin texted me this weekend and I mentioned I was with Rylee. I should have known Eden would call me out for not coming to visit.

“Sorry about that. We had a lot going on. A doctor’s visit⁠—”

“Oh my gosh, how did that go? I know Rylee was kind of anxious about it.”

“Mama and baby are good.” I said a silent prayer of thanks. “I gotta tell you, hearing the heartbeat for the first time was surreal.”

She gasped. “I can imagine. I know how long you’ve wanted this. I’m so happy for you guys.”

I laughed. “Yeah, it happened a lot sooner than we planned, but I can’t be mad about it.”

I curled my hand a little tighter around the steering wheel, fighting the urge to turn my truck around.

“I feel like this was meant to happen. It’s just what I needed to light a fire under me. I’ve been talking for years about how having a family is a priority for me, settling down with someone I love, and if Rylee hadn’t gotten pregnant I probably would have been half-assing it for a few more years, until the end of my term, even if we hadn’t broken up.”

“When you say this lit a fire under you,” Eden said slowly. “What, exactly, does that mean?”

“It means our mama still gives the best advice.” I chuckled. “She basically told me it was time I put up or shut up.”