“And then you met dad…or…Owen…”
“You can call him dad,” I said. “He was your dad for eight years.”
“Okay, good. I have to get used to this. So then you met dad when he was going to operate on me and you married him.”
“Right.” Sadie had always known that Owen was her stepdad, but whenever she’d asked who her “real” dad was, I’d just told her that he was a kid that didn’t know how to be a dad. She’d never been satisfied with that explanation, but I’d stuck to it.
“And then he left and you didn’t have anywhere else to go so you came down here. But you didn’t want me to come with you because you thought that Colton didn’t want me, so you had me stay with Grandma and Grandpa.”
“Right.” I hadn’t even explained that to her, she’d just put it together. “My Papa Duke left me this house and I wanted to come down and get it ready to sell so we’d have money to start our new life.”
“How did his show end up being filmed here?”
Yesterday, when she’d recognized that this was the house they’d used for Claiming Colton, she’d been furious at me for not telling her they were filming here and for not going and getting her so she could’ve met all the girls and Colton. Since I hadn’t told her that he was her dad yet, I’d just let her be mad.
“I needed money and the production company’s offer was too good to pass up. Plus, the backhouse wasn’t rented out so I stayed there.”
“Was that awkward?” She furrowed her brow.
“It was fine.” I shrugged.
“Probably not as awkward as me showing up on the porch,” she chuckled. Then she let her head fall back and she really started laughing.
“What?”
“It’s just, if you could’ve seen your guys’ faces. It all makes so much sense now. You were so mad because you thought he knew this whole time and he was so shocked because he didn’t. It’s not funny, but it kind of is.”
I smiled, at least she was laughing. It was better than crying.
“So what happens next? Does he want to see me or…” she bit the inside of her lip. The way she always did when she was nervous at the doctor’s office or before a big test at school.
My throat clogged with emotion. “Yes! He wants to see you. He wanted to tell you yesterday as soon as he found out, but I made him wait. I told him that I wanted to tell you by myself.”
“Good! Do you know how embarrassing that would’ve been if I’d just kept saying over and over Colton McCord is my dad to Colton McCord?”
“I don’t think you would’ve done that,” I wagered.
She gave me a “come on” look and we both started laughing.
“You’re right. That’s probably exactly what you would’ve done.”
“But, now that that’s out of my system, when can I see him?” Her eyes shimmered with excitement.
“Now,” I was happy to finally give her some good news. “He’s just waiting for my call.”
“Oh my gosh, I have to go get ready!” She jumped out of the chair and started running for the stairs.
“Sadie, wait. Cara wanted to come meet you, too. Is that okay or do you want to do that another—”
“Leukemia Cara?! Yes that’s okay! I’ve always wanted to meet her!”
“Okay, but probably don’t call her that. Just stick with Aunt Cara.”
Her eyes bulged even wider. “Leukemia Cara is my aunt! I have to tell Natalie!”
She started running again and I called after her. “Sadie, you can tell Natalie, but tell her not to tell anyone.”
“Why?!” She spun back to me and there was pain in her eyes. “Does he not want anyone to know about me?”
“No,” I corrected her as I stood up. “No, he wants to take out a front-page ad in the newspaper.”
She looked at me sideways.
“He wants to post it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat.” I adjusted my references and she grinned. “I just think, right now, with all the attention on him from the show. I don’t want…I just don’t think it’s a good idea if the entire world knows just yet.”
She considered it for a moment, then clarified, “But I can tell Natalie?”
“Yes.”
“Okay!” She started running up the stairs but then turned and gasped in horror. “Mom!”
“What?” I had no idea why she looked like she’d just seen a ghost.
“I’m so glad that I never had a crush on Colton, like Natalie. How disgusting would that have been?!” She made a grossed out face.
I laughed and she continued back upstairs. I heard her squealing as she shut her bedroom door and it was music to my ears. She deserved some happy. She deserved all the happy.
Chapter 25
Colton
“Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockin’ chairs.”
~ Papa Duke
Cara could barely sit still beside me in my truck as we drove to Bella’s. And she’d been talking a mile a minute since I picked her up after I’d gotten the thumbs up, green light text. Literally, that is what Bella had texted me. A thumb sticking up, a stoplight that was lit green, and a smiling face with all the teeth showing beside it.
I’m trying to up my emoji game, she texted. But if you don’t know what that meant, it means you can come over now. She’s excited to see you and Cara, if she’s wants to come
Cara turned towards me and put her hands out. “You know I don’t have to come with you. I can meet her later. Like tonight or tomorrow.”
I thought it was sweet that Cara kept saying that. I appreciated the fact that she hadn’t insisted on coming. But, the truth was, I wanted her to.
Even though, I hated to admit it, I was nervous.
“Did I tell you that I called her Cara when I met her?”
That’s why I’d frozen when I saw her. She was the spitting image of Cara when Cara was young. It was more than déjà vu, it was like staring at Cara 2.0.
Cara swatted me playfully on my arm. “You did not.”
“Yes, I did. I was so in shock. She looks exactly like you. Seriously.”
“Really?” Cara clutched her hands to her heart. “She looks like me?”
“Yeah, it’s uncanny.”
“What else did you say to her?”
Cara must’ve asked me a thousand questions over the past day. Some of them I knew the answers to, some of them I didn’t. This one I did. “Not a whole lot.”
She was quiet, and since that was unusual for Cara, especially when she was excited, I looked to the side and found her looking at me but not saying anything.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“You’re a dad,” she said quietly.
“I know.” I nodded and looked back on the road. “I’m a dad.”
Those were words I thought I’d get around nine months to get used to saying beforehand. And I thought then it would be a baby not a pre-teen.
“You’re going to be a great dad.”
I wasn’t so sure, but again, I appreciated her support. “I hope so.”
“I know so.” She patted my arm.
“You’re going to be a great mom.”
“I hope so.” I thought she was just repeating what I said to be a smart ass, but when I looked over at her, she was looking down at her belly which she was covering with her hands.
“I know so.” I repeated earnestly as we pulled into the driveway.
I hit the same pothole as I had yesterday and it hit me how much had changed in the past day. Yesterday I was just driving Bella home, today I had a daughter.
I pulled the truck to a stop and we both got out. She followed me to the kitchen door around the side. My heart was pounding so loud I could hear it in my ears as I lifted my hand to knock. Before I did, the door opened.
“Hey.” Bella smiled brightly. “Come on in.”
She stepped to the side and Cara pulled her into her arms for a quick hug.
“Where is she?” Cara asked as soon as
she let Bella go. “Where’s my niece?”
“Upstairs.” Bella called out. “Ladybug, they’re here!”
I heard footsteps running on the hardwood upstairs and they were almost as fast as my heart was beating. I didn’t know why I was so nervous. This was a good thing, but I felt like I was going to throw up. Even Bella’s presence wasn’t calming me down.
Shaking my head slightly, I let out a huff of breath.
Bella must’ve noticed, because her fingers wrapped around my forearm and she leaned close and said quietly, “It’s okay. She already loves you.”
I nodded just as Sadie appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
“Hi.” She lifted her arm in a small wave as she stepped into the kitchen.
She seemed smaller, younger than she had the day before. Yesterday when I’d seen her, I’d been in shock. But today, today I knew I was looking at my daughter. She was so beautiful.
I felt a sharp elbow my side from Cara. She’d been doing that since we were kids, and I hated it, but it did snap me out of my momentary muteness.
“Sorry,” I shook my head again and smiled. “You’re just so beautiful.”
“Of course, she is. She looks just like her aunt. Hi, sweetie, I’m Cara.” Cara stepped forward and like she had with Bella, pulled Sadie into her arms. Sadie smiled from ear to ear and hugged her back.
When they parted, Cara studied her face as she said, “It really is like looking in a mirror.”
Sadie smiled even bigger and then turned to me.
I stood there, silent, wishing I knew what to say. But, I had no idea where to even start. So instead, I held out my arms. Large teardrops formed in her eyes right before she ran the few steps to me and threw herself against me.
Yesterday, I’d thought that Bella was going to suffocate her, she was hugging her so tight, and today I understood why.
As I held her in my arms, all I could think was that when Cara was born, I thought that I could never love anyone as much as I loved my baby sister. Then I met Bella and thought there was no way I could love anything as much as her. But now, having Sadie in my arms, I understood that I hadn’t even begun to understand the love my heart was capable of.
She owned me.
Chapter 26
Bella
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, they might bite ya’.”
~ Papa Duke
“I don’t know what to say, Mr. Spratt.”
“Well, say yes. That’s what you say.” His tone was gruff, but I knew that he was all bark and no bite.
“Can I give you an answer after I speak to my daughter?”
“Well, now. I suppose. But, I’m old, I don’t know how long I’ll be around so don’t make me wait too long.”
“I won’t. I’ll talk to you soon.” I hung up the phone and took a deep cleansing breath, and sneezed. A lot.
Dust was everywhere. I was in the barn, trying to clean it out. If we stayed I wanted to be able to use the space for animals. And if we left, I wanted it to be ready to show.
I brushed my hands down my dress and immediately regretted my decision to wear a sundress to clean out a barn. I’d thrown it on this morning and didn’t change because I thought, how messy could sweeping be? Very messy, I found out.
Leaning the broom against the post, I wiped some stray hairs that had stuck to my forehead and this time instead of inhaling, I exhaled. This past week had flown by and Sadie had been spending all of her time with Colton. From the moment she woke up, until she went to bed at night, she was at Circle M. She’d milked a goat. She had a favorite horse; his name was Cinnamon. She’d been riding every day.
Colton was trying to spend as much time with her before he left tomorrow to go on the two-week vacation for the show. He’d tried to insist that he not go, but Sadie talked him into it. She said Natalie would “kill” her if he didn’t, so like all good parents, he did what he didn’t want to do to make his daughter happy.
If she wasn’t with Colton, she was with her “favorite” aunt. I didn’t feel the need to point out that it was her only aunt. She and Cara were like two peas in a pod. They finished each other’s sentences. They practically had a secret language.
It was more than I could’ve ever hoped for her. A family.
The only negative had been that Owen wanted to come see her. He’d called and said that even though he wouldn’t push for custody, he did want to have a relationship with her. He said that he loved her and he wanted to be a part of her life.
Sadie was still upset about his new fiancée. She was angry and said that it was way too soon for him to be dating anyone, much less getting married. But it had made me feel better knowing that the man I was married to for eight years couldn’t just walk away from the girl that he’d raised, the girl whose life he’d saved, without a second thought.
“Hey, there.” His deep voice startled me and I jumped up.
“Colton,” I put my hand over my stomach. “You scared me. I didn’t hear your truck.”
“I walked,” He winked.
“Nice. Were you planning on saying that the entire walk over?”
“Yes,” he admitted shamelessly.
I smiled and my heart jumped. I’d missed him this week. Of course I was so happy that he was getting to spend so much time with Sadie, but I missed seeing him. I missed talking to him. I missed doing a lot of other things, too.
“Sadie’s not here. Cara picked her up and they were headed to the mall in Parrish Creek. They probably won’t be back for a few hours.”
“I know.” He stepped closer. “I asked her to.”
“You did? Why?”
“Because, I’m leaving tomorrow morning and I didn’t want to leave things unsettled…between us. I thought we should talk.”
We hadn’t had a chance to talk since before I told Sadie that Colton was her father. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking or feeling.
“And,” he brushed the stubborn hair that kept falling in my face off my forehead, “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” I let myself lean into his touch for a brief moment before straightening away from him. “But, you’re right. We need to talk.”
He dropped his hand, but his smile remained in place.
“What are you smiling about?” I asked.
“I’m just happy. That’s all. I’ve been happier this past week, than I ever have in my life.”
I knew exactly how he felt. “She’s amazing, isn’t she?”
“She is, and so is her mother.” He stepped forward again and I took a step back.
Lifting my arms, I warned. “If you keep that up, we won’t talk.”
“I think I can live with that,” he continued his pursuit.
As much as I wanted to give in to him, to let him take me to places only he could take me, I really did think that we needed to get a few things straight. Starting with the phone call I’d just had.
“Did you lease The Best Little Hairhouse in Texas?”
That stopped him mid-stride.
Wearing his most innocent, choirboy expression, his brow furrowed. “Why would you ask that?”
I did take note that he didn’t deny it. Very clever. “Because I just got a call from Mr. Spratt saying that he heard I was interested in the property.”
“Maybe Tami Lynn told him.” He shrugged.
My eyes narrowed. “How did you know I told Tami Lynn that I wanted to lease it?”
His face tilted to the side and he gave me the same exact “come on” look that Sadie did. It was surreal seeing them together this week and realizing how many mannerisms they had in common. They both ate with their left hands, even though they were right-handed. They both stretched their hands over their heads when they yawned. And they both cracked their middle finger knuckle. Not any others just the middle finger.
“Fine. Tami Lynn told him. Did Tami Lynn also offer to pay the real lease amount for two years if I decided to take Mr. Spratt up on his offer to rent the place for a hun
dred dollars a month? Did Tami Lynn think that I wouldn’t figure out that there was no way Spratt would be that generous, even if he did like me as a kid?”
His mouth turned down at the corners and his brow lifted. “You should probably ask Tami Lynn.”
Again, I noted that he didn’t technically lie to me.
“Give it up, McCord. Spratt told me that you signed all the papers this afternoon, contingent on me wanting the space.”
His lips curled in the irresistible half-smile that had always melted me. “Well, if you already knew, what’s with the twenty questions?”
“I wanted you to come clean.”
He stepped up closer to me and I had to bend my head to look up at him. He was so close I could smell his aftershave and feel the heat radiating off his body. I could see the specks of gold in his eyes and feel his breath fan my face as he asked, “Is that what you want? For me to come clean?”
I opened my mouth to answer yes, but my vocal chords had apparently gone on vacation. So instead I just nodded because I definitely wanted whatever he was offering.
Chapter 27
Colton
“If love finds you, don’t play hide and seek.”
~ Papa Duke
The musty smell of hay and dirt filled my nose as I brushed my finger along Bella’s jaw. “I love you, Bella Connor. I love you and I love our daughter. I’m not a kid anymore who thinks he’s doing the right thing because he can’t protect you and take care of you. I’m a grown man and I know I can protect you and Sadie. I know I can take care of you and Sadie.
“You’re both it for me. You two are the most important things in my life. And I will do anything, anything to make this work. Yes, I leased out the beauty salon, because I want to give you every reason for staying here. But if you don’t want to, that’s fine. I’ll follow you both anywhere. I’ll move anywhere. I don’t know how I survived losing you the first time, but I know I wouldn’t be able to do it again. I can’t lose you again and I can’t lose her.”
She pressed her palms to her face to stop the slow trickle of tears that were falling down. A gnawing emptiness opened up inside my chest. I hated to see her cry, it was like a knife in my heart.
Claiming Colton (Wishing Well, Texas Book 5) Page 17