The Bull Rider's Baby Bombshell

by Amanda Renee

  “Hi,” Jade said.

  “Hi,” Wes replied.

  “Oh, come on. Please tell me you two have progressed further than this over the past couple months.” Garrett placed a hand on both their shoulders. “I have an idea...try to com-mun-i-cate with one another. Take it from an old pro like me. It’ll get you places.” He winked and walked away.

  “How have you been?” Jade absentmindedly twisted the ring on her middle finger. “Emma and Belle told me about your surgery. I tried to call you, but I always get your voice mail.”

  “I got your messages and thank you.” Wes had wanted to return her calls, but self-preservation had come first.

  “Why didn’t you call me back?”

  “Because talking to you...texting you...looking at you now just reminds me of what I’ll never have. I didn’t want a family or to settle down, yet that’s all I can think about. You complicated my life.”

  Jade’s eyes blazed. “I complicated your life? Oh no, no. You did that on your own when you went along with my sister’s plan.”

  “Your sister’s plan didn’t involve me falling in love with you.”

  Dammit. He hadn’t meant to say the words. He tried not to even think them. But they were there, every day at the forefront of his mind.

  “Wes, I—”

  “I need to see Liv.” Wes purposely cut her off not wanting to hear that she didn’t love him in return. “I tried calling the treatment center, at least the one that I think she’s at, but she’s never called me back.”

  “They’re not allowed to talk on the phone. They have computer and email privileges along with old-fashioned snail mail, but most of their communication takes place in person and is supervised.”

  “Sounds more like prison.”

  “I wasn’t a fan of it myself at first, but I’ve gotten used to it over the past five weeks.”

  “I take it things are improving.” Wes kept hoping Liv would see that moving to California was best for all of them and leave Saddle Ridge for good. No Jade, no triplets, no heartbreak.

  “Definitely. She’d even had a few overnight visits with them and while they were difficult, they went well. She’ll be ready to come home soon, and then I’ll head back to California. Out of all the crap I’ve been through in my life, that will be the hardest. I never wanted children and now that I’ve been caring for them, I don’t want to give them up.” Jade held up her hands. “I know, I know. I’m perfectly aware that they’re not mine to keep, even though they are mine.”

  “They’re ours.” Wes wanted to hold her, to console her, but any touch would be too much to bear. “I want to talk to Liv. I need answers.”

  “I can tell you exactly what she said.” Jade’s tone flattened.

  Wes sensed an argument about to erupt if he wasn’t careful. “I need to hear them from her. We were each other’s confidants. She was my best friend and there were a lot of times I was closer to her than to them. We owe it to each other.”

  “I will call the center in the morning and see if I can get it approved. If they say yes, you can come with us on Friday.”

  “‘Us’ as in you and the girls?” How could she still not get it?

  “Yes.”

  “No. I can’t see them again.” His heart squeezed at the thought alone. “Please respect that. I appreciate you keeping me updated, I hope you never stop doing that, but I can’t continue to talk to you.”

  “So that’s how it’s going to be? You tell me you love me and then nothing. What is there, then?”

  “Nothing. There’s nothing. There can never be anything more than that unless...” Wes couldn’t say the words out loud. He couldn’t risk his heart turning to dust in case Liv refused to allow him to be a part of the girls’ lives. The chance was small, but he had to try. “I fly home on Saturday. Please let me know when I can see her.”

  “Fine.” Jade stiffened her spine, her face a bright shade of pink. “I’ll text you. Don’t worry, I don’t expect a reply.”

  She spun away from him and stormed across the dance floor, almost taking out a couple in the process. He’d rather she be mad at him than hurt. He’d take anger over heartbreak any day.

  * * *

  WES HADN’T EXPECTED Liv to meet with him so soon, if at all. After meeting with her counselor and physician, a woman named Millie escorted him to a sitting area that reminded him of his old living room at Silver Bells.

  When she walked in, he was surprised by how great she looked. He hadn’t known what to expect, but based on what Jade had told him, he assumed she’d either be in a hospital gown or some sort of a uniform.

  “You look fantastic.” Wes took a step closer to give her a hug, then froze when she crossed her arms. “No? Okay. I gotcha.” He cleared his throat. “So, um how does this work?”

  “You talk to me like I’m a human being.”

  Liv’s words smacked him like a hot tuna on a grill. “Haven’t I always?”

  “I thought you moved to Texas. What are you doing here and what happened to your arm?”

  “Harlan and Belle renewed their wedding vows so I’m here for that and I had to have rotator cuff surgery.”

  Concern flashed in her eyes. “What does that mean for your career? When will you be able to compete again?”

  “Hopefully by next season. I’m being cautiously optimistic and realistic at the same time. I may be forced to retire early.”

  “What are you going to do?” Liv sank onto the couch across from him.

  “I have a few options.” Wes sat in the chair in front of her. “The rodeo school I work at in Texas offered me a director position that would still give me the time to compete if I’m able to.”

  Liv’s shoulders dropped slightly. “That sounds like a nice opportunity.”

  “It’s not the only offer on the table. My brothers asked me to partner with them again.” Wes watched Liv’s left eye twitch ever so slightly as she white-knuckle-gripped her thighs. Now it made sense. She wasn’t concerned about his well-being. She wanted to make sure he wasn’t moving home.

  “So you haven’t decided yet?”

  “I’m leaning in one direction, but I promised my brothers and my job in Texas that I would take the next couple of weeks to think it over. It’s a big decision.” Wes inhaled deeply. “I didn’t come here to talk about that. I came here because when I agreed to father your children, you told me you were using an anonymous egg donor. I would like to know why you didn’t tell me the truth.”

  “I told Jade all of this.”

  “I haven’t spoken to Jade other than asking to meet with you. You and I were best friends. I think I’m owed some sort of an explanation.”

  “And I was owed a goodbye.”

  Hurt registered in her eyes. He had known their friendship would end, but he never meant to hurt her in the process.

  “I couldn’t say goodbye to you, Liv. If I saw you...pregnant with my children, I was afraid I’d want to be a part of their lives. It was better for both of us if I just left and told you afterward.”

  “Now that you’ve seen them, you do want to be in their lives?”

  “Most definitely.”

  Liv inhaled sharply at his admission.

  “But I know I can’t be, despite my love for them. Unless for some reason you’ve changed your mind.” He had hoped to ask her more delicately, but no matter how he chose to do it, he feared she’d see him as a threat.

  “Why, because you’re dating my sister? That was inappropriate. You knew she was the biological mother and you put the moves on her.”

  “For starters, I did not put the moves on Jade. Second, your sister and I are not dating, and third, my attraction to her grew out of the bond we have over those children and the concern for your well-being.”

  “You’re telling me the kids and I are the reason you’re attrac
ted to my sister.” Liv rolled her eyes, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

  “I’m telling you it was an impossible situation. I’m not blaming you. I just want to know why you didn’t tell me the truth.”

  “Because I was afraid you’d say no. I had an anonymous donor picked out. He was perfect on paper. Except he was as cut and dry as Jade and I are, meaning there was no family to fall back on in case my children got sick one day.”

  “I don’t understand, you mean if something happened to you and Jade?”

  “No, like if they needed a kidney or bone marrow transplant. I know it sounds illogical, but I’ve read so many things about donors being hard to find and children who die because they were on a waiting list for years. I wanted to make sure my daughters were covered for everything so they can have the best possible life. And if that time ever came, God forbid, I would have told the girls and your family the truth.”

  Wes leaned forward. “I just wish you had been open and honest with me. I wasn’t just an anonymous donor from the fertility clinic. I was your friend and I had a right to know who I was creating a child with, even though I signed my other rights away, I did still have that right.”

  “It wasn’t the perfect plan I thought it was. It’s taken me a while to realize how selfish my actions were.” Liv pushed her shoulders back and stared directly at him. “I realize I was wrong. I apologize, and I hope one day you can forgive me.”

  “Apology accepted. That doesn’t change how I feel about Audra, Hadley and Mackenzie.”

  “They’re my children and I decide who is and isn’t in their lives. You were so determined to move away from Saddle Ridge, I knew you were leaving when I chose you. I always knew Jade would be a part of their lives. She’s their aunt. But I can’t have both of you involved or involved with each other.”

  “Why not?”

  Liv ignored his question. “I thought you were dead set against having children.”

  “I’ve changed my mind.” Wes stumbled for a way to explain it to her. “It’s like the couple who has the wild hookup and the woman gets pregnant. Just because the guy never planned on having kids doesn’t mean now that he has one on the way that he doesn’t love his child.”

  “You’re conveniently leaving a few factors out. You knew what you were doing at the time, so the fact that I was carrying your children wasn’t a surprise. And then there’s Jade. What do you think it does to me knowing the biological mother and the biological father of my children...the children I carried and gave birth to, are in love with each other?”

  “Who said anything about love?” Wes couldn’t believe for one second that Jade had emailed her sister and told her what he said last night.

  “Sometimes you really are clueless. My sister’s in love with you. I can see it in her eyes. I can see it every time she mentions your name, which thankfully isn’t all that often. Your involvement with my sister makes me feel like an outsider with my own children. I can’t have that. I’ve worked hard to recover from my postpartum depression. I haven’t told my sister this yet, but they’re releasing me tomorrow. I’m going to go home to my children and resume my life at my house. Not Silver Bells. I’m sorry, Wes, but I need you to honor our agreement. I don’t want you in my daughters’ lives.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Sunny Southern California had never seemed so gloomy. Jade had been home for a month and despite trying her hardest, she still couldn’t shake her Montana routine. She constantly checked her watch to see if it was time for the girls’ feedings. She carefully listened to every sound in the middle of the night thinking one of them had woken up. And she hugged her pillow tight as she lay alone in her bed, wishing Wes was by her side.

  She wanted to fly to Texas and tell him how much she loved him. She should have said it the night he told her, but she had been so scared. She’d never said the words to anyone except her sister. Loving Wes meant hurting Liv. And her sister had been hurt enough.

  The day Liv came home had been one of her proudest moments. Saying goodbye to Wes and leaving the ranch had been one of Jade’s saddest. After two weeks with her sister and the girls, Liv sent her packing...in the nicest way possible. She had hired a full-time nanny and was receiving outpatient therapy. Jade had no doubt her sister would be a wonderful mother to the girls. It didn’t make missing them any easier.

  The doorbell rang and Jade forced a smile on her face as she crossed the cold marble foyer of her Hollywood Hills home. She had everything she’d ever wanted. Turned out it wasn’t what she wanted, after all.

  “Hello, love,” Tomás said as she answered the door. “You look simply smashing tonight.”

  The epitome of tall, dark and handsome, her new business partner kissed both her cheeks and offered her his arm. “Shall we? I still can’t believe Margot Schultz invited us to one of her parties.”

  “I still say she’s up to something.”

  Jade had promoted her longtime assistant to partner when he began snagging Hollywood’s wealthiest clientele. Despite losing some clients in the beginning, in the two months she had been gone, he took her business to immeasurable heights. Nobody deserved a promotion more than him. With the addition of their three new employees, Jade had a chance to step back and breathe a little.

  “I think tonight’s the night we’ll find you Mr. Right,” Tomás giggled as they slid into the limousine waiting at the curb. “Listen to me. I’m a poet.”

  “There is no such thing as Mr. Right.” The only man who came close was gone forever. Jade’s clutch vibrated in her lap. She pulled out her phone and tapped at the screen. “Liv sent me a text message.”

  “I hope it’s another picture of those adorable girls.” Tomás leaned closer as she opened the message.

  Need you here...please come now.

  “Oh my God.” Jade covered her mouth and quickly dialed her sister.

  “Driver,” Tomás called up front as he typed wildly on his phone. “Turn the car around.”

  Please answer the phone, Liv. Please answer the phone. Voice mail. “She’s not picking up.”

  “I’m booking you on the next flight out of here.” Tomás gave her hand a quick squeeze before returning to his phone.

  Jade frantically dialed Maddie. Again, voice mail. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Driver...take us to LAX. It looks like there is only one flight and it’s leaving in an hour. You’re going to be on it.”

  Jade looked down at her black evening gown. “I’m not exactly dressed for the occasion.” There was nothing like trying to get through airport security with strappy four-inch Christian Louboutin stilettos.

  “At least they won’t accuse you of concealing any weapons in that dress.”

  “Give me your jacket,” Jade said as she tried her sister again. “Where can she be? She just sent me a text message.”

  She called Delta next. No answer. By the time she got on the plane and had to turn off her phone, she’d exhausted her Saddle Ridge contacts. “Something’s not right.”

  * * *

  EIGHT HOURS LATER, she swiped her credit card on the cab’s handheld reader in front of her sister’s house. “Thank you for getting me here so fast.” She palmed him a fifty-dollar bill. It was the only cash she had left in her small clutch.

  Gathering the hem of her dress in her hand, she climbed the porch stairs, careful not to break her neck. Just as she reached for the doorknob, Liv swung the door wide.

  “It’s about time you got here.” Liv’s eyes widened. “Wow! Where were you coming from in that dress?”

  Jade pushed past her and down the hall to the first-floor nursery. “Where are the girls?”

  “They’re upstairs sleeping.” Liv sucked in her lips. “Um... I need you to come into the living room.”

  “No.” Jade stomped past her. “I need to see them.” As she flew past the living room archway,
a familiar cowboy hat caught her eye. She spun on her heels, twisting her ankle in the process. Before she had a chance to hit the hardwood floor, Wes wrapped his arm around her and pulled her hard to him. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

  Wes stared down at her, his mouth inches above hers. “That’s what I’d like to know.”

  “The girls...” Jade whispered, her mind reeling from the man holding her upright and the pain in her ankle.

  “I’ve already checked on them. They’re sleeping peacefully.”

  “You saw them? You physically saw that they’re okay?”

  “Yes.”

  Jade turned her head to demand answers from Liv, only her sister was gone. “What is going on?”

  “I don’t know.” Wes helped Jade into the living room and eased her onto the couch. “I got a text message last night telling me to come right away,” he said as he unlaced her shoes. He held her calf as his eyes trailed up her thigh, exposed by the high slit in her gown. “That’s some dress.” He stopped just shy of her cleavage, closing his eyes and cursing under his breath. “I tried calling Liv and then Maddie, but no one answered.”

  “I even tried calling your sisters-in-law, but there was no answer there, either. I was about to call Harlan when I had to board the plane.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t call the police,” Liv said from the doorway, holding an ice pack and a towel. “That would have been awkward to explain, even though your family is well aware of why you’re here.”

  “They’re what?” Wes sat back on his haunches as Liv handed him the ice pack.

  “Sorry about your ankle.” Liv wrinkled her nose. “That wasn’t part of the plan.”

  “What plan?” Jade and Wes said in unison.

  “After you both left and I started getting out more with the girls, a lot of people came up to me and told me how you two made a lovely couple. Maddie had already been singing both of your praises, but she filled me in on all Wes had done for the girls. And then Delta came over, and Emma called.” She nervously laughed. “And then it hit me...the family that I wanted was much bigger than me and the girls. It was you.” She pointed at Jade. “And all of the Slades, including you, Wes.”