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He laughs back at me. “What’s up?”

“I need to ask a favor of you,” I start, flicking on my blinker as I make my first turn.

“I don’t know, Easton. I’m a busy man. Mayor duties, running a business, and all that.”

“This is serious, Owen.”

I can tell he understands my tone in his reply. “Got it. What do you need?”

“I leave Monday for that Blossom Peak job, and I need you to look after Lennon for me.”

“Uh, last I checked, she was a grown woman who could look after herself, Easton.”

I blow out a breath. “I know. I’m not asking you to fucking babysit her, Owen. Just check in. Make sure she’s resting and help if she needs something lifted. Hell, what if she has a craving and I’m not there? Or…she slips in the shower…”

“Calm down, Easton,” he says as I feel myself start to spiral. “Fucking breathe.”

“I’ll lose my fucking mind if something happens to her.”

He clears his throat. “I get it, but you can’t prevent everything from fucking happening.”

That protective instinct of mine is rearing its ugly head, even though I know my brother is right. “Just promise me that if she needs anything or something happens, you’ll go to her. No questions asked, Owen. Got it?”

“I promise, Easton. I’ve got her.”

A sigh of relief leaves my lips. “Thank you. I’ll make sure she has your number and knows to reach out.”

His laugh is low, but I don’t miss it through the line. “You’re really freaking out, aren’t you?”

“You have no fucking idea how much.”

“Is this just about leaving, or is there something else going on?”

I search for the words. “Everything feels so perfect with her right now, Owen. I don’t want anything to mess it up.”

“You know you have no control over that.”

“Trust me, I’m aware. It doesn’t make it any easier to accept, though.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, your worry tells me you’re going to be the kind of dad every kid deserves. And I guess one of us has to be, since ours was shitty.”

My brother’s words stir up the thoughts that have been plaguing me. “What was Dad like, Owen?” My grip tightens on the steering wheel. “I don’t remember him much, but I know he wasn’t present.”

Owen sighs. “There wasn’t much to remember, Easton. When he was home, all Mom and Dad did was fight, or he would sit in front of the TV and drink. Meanwhile, Mom was trying to figure out how she was going to pay the bills because he gambled away his paycheck before he ever brought it home.”

“Fuck,” I mutter.

“Yeah. He wasn’t exactly a role model—or anyone I would have looked up to, for that matter. Truth be told, I think our lives were better without him.”

“But it was hard. I remember Mom crying a lot…”

“Yeah, but we got through it. Hell, part of the reason I’m here on this ranch is because I didn’t want Mom to ever feel alone again.”

His words resonate harder than they should. “Fuck. Really?”

“Yeah, but I love it too. The horses, the land…” I can hear him tapping a pen against his desk. “I didn’t just stay for her though. I stayed for myself. And if Lennon feels the way you do, she’ll come to that conclusion as well.”

My voice drops. “I don’t want this baby to ever feel like they’re not enough, though. They deserve two parents who love them.”