by K. C. Crowne
“You’re fine,” I said. “Come here.”
Christopher leaned back toward me and we embraced. I was sobbing now, so thankful he was there for me.
“I’m shocked you’re here.”
“I may still be hurt, but you’re my best friend, Molly. And nothing will ever change that.”
“You mean you don’t hate me?” I asked, pulling back to stare into his teary eyes.
“I don’t hate you. I love you, silly. I just needed some time to process everything.”
“It’s…a lot to process,” I admitted.
“Hush. We’ll talk about it later. For now, let’s just focus on getting you well.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. “That’s more than I deserve.”
“No, it’s not, Molly. You’ve been there for me through everything these past seven years. We’ll figure it out.” Christopher kissed the back of my hand. He looked at the blonde man and motioned for him to step forward. “Molly, I want you to meet Tyler. Tyler, this is my best friend, Molly.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I couldn’t help but smile at the way the two of them looked at each other. It was clear they were smitten with one another. I’d never seen my best friend look at anyone that way. I knew they’d be getting married at some point. I wasn’t sure how they’d work out the distance, but I knew they would find a way.
“And you,” Tyler said. “Christopher’s told me so much about you. I can’t wait until you’re all better and we can spend some time together. You can give me all the dirt on this one here.” He looked at Christopher and smiled.
“Oh, if it’s dirt you want, it’s dirt I’ve got,” I chuckled.
“All right, you two,” Christopher said, pretending to pout while Tyler and I laughed.
I looked past them at Silas, wondering if he could see what I did. It was almost hard to miss it, honestly. And when Christopher reached out for Tyler’s hand, holding it right there in front of all of us, I knew Christopher no longer cared if his dad knew.
And I was happy for him.
“Alright, I think it’s time to let you two talk,” Christopher said, his face pained at the idea of leaving my side. “We’ll be in the waiting room.”
Christopher and Tyler left the room, hand in hand. If Silas noticed, he didn’t make a big deal out of it. He didn’t even stare.
His eyes were on me and only on me.
As soon as they left, Silas moved to my side, dropping down in the seat beside me. He leaned forward and kissed me before I had a chance to say anything.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered. His voice cracked and tears shone in his hazel eyes. The big, bad tough as nails rancher was crying. I was crying too, and he cradled my face in his hands, kissing every inch of my face. “I can’t lose you, Molly. I just can’t.”
I let out a deep breath. “I can’t lose you either, Silas,” I said. I’d had a lot of time to think in recovery. The way he’d jumped in to save me, the gentleness and care he’d had with me. I remembered most of it, and I saw the look in his eyes - that fear of losing me.
And I realized that my biggest regret had I died was that I didn’t have more time with him.
That I didn’t give us a chance.
“At the restaurant, I had another surprise for you but didn’t get a chance to tell you about it,” he said.
I cocked my head to the side. “What are you talking about?”
“I bought you a store.”
“I know, in Houston. I can’t accept it, Silas. I already told you—”
“No, not in Houston. In New York City. I found a small space in Manhattan, and I had the savings to put down on it. It’s yours. I only ask for one thing in return.”
My breath caught in my throat. A store. For me. In the city. Everything I always wanted, yet, I couldn’t just take it.
Silas didn’t give me a chance to say no.
“I only ask that you split the time between New York City and Texas. I’ll get us a place in the city, somewhere I can stay too. We’ll be together no matter where you go, Molly.”
“Silas, I—”
“Please, don’t say no right away. Think about it. I realized there’s no way I can lose you. If you asked me to, I’d up and move to New York City to be with you, but I’d rather not. I want our child to know the ranch and the plains and the clean country air.”
“And he or she will,” I said softly. “Because I want the same thing, Silas.”
“You do?”
“Yes,” I giggled. “Yes, I want to be with you, Silas. I don’t ever want to lose you either, and I would never ask you to give up everything you have here. We can split the time between both places, but I can’t accept the property you bought.”
“You can and you will. Just wait and see,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose, then my forehead before resting his head against mine. “I’d give you the moon, Molly. Anything you ever want, it’s yours. Just stay with me, please.”
I ran my fingers down his jaw, stroking the scratchy beard as I stared into those hazel eyes. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Silas Walker. I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me now.”
“Good,” he said, kissing me again. “Because I couldn’t imagine my life any other way.”
Silas
“How is she?” Christopher asked, hopping up from his chair in the waiting room. His hand had slipped from Tyler’s when he stood up. Tyler stood beside him.
“She’s doin’ good. She fell asleep, and I wanted to let her rest a bit,” I said. “I also wanted to talk to you.”
Christopher’s face hardened immediately, as if he was preparing for an argument. But I wasn’t about to argue with him.
“I’ll give you two a moment alone,” Tyler said, stepping out of the room.
“Dad, if you’re going to—”
I held up a hand to stop him. “Listen, son. I just wanted to get somethin’ out in the open. I’ve been waitin’ for you to tell me, when you felt the time was right, but I feel like you think I don’t love you for who you are.”
“What do you mean?” Christopher’s face blanched.
“Christopher, I know you’re gay. I’ve known since you were fifteen and moved in with me,” I said. “I walked in and saw you moonin’ over that Twilight poster on your wall. Whatever the werewolf was called, that guy—”
“Jacob,” Christopher said softly, his eyes turning downward.
“And when you told me you were takin’ a friend to homecoming, what was his name? Nick?” Christopher nodded sheepishly. “I knew he was more than a friend. When I came to pick you up, I saw the two of you kissin’ out front of the school. If I was ashamed of my son bein’ gay, don’t you think I’da thrown a fit about it that night? But no, what did we do?”
“You took Nick and me out for ice cream,” he murmured, his face coloring.
“And gave you time alone too, didn’t I? Because I knew a date when I saw one, and I didn’t want to intrude.”
Christopher lifted his head and met my gaze, and there were tears in his eyes. “Dad, I— I just always thought with you being a big tough rancher, there was no way you’d be okay with your son dating other men. I figured I’d be a disappointment to you.”
“Christopher, I didn’t even know I had a son until you were ten years old. I had no preconceived notions about what your life would look like. Nor should I. You’re your own person, and as long as you’re happy - I’m happy for you.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “All I want is for you is to find happiness in your life, wherever that might be. And from the looks of it, Tyler brings you a lot of happiness.”
“He does,” Christopher said, a smile pulling at his lips.
“Then I like him already.”
I wasn’t sure what to expect at this point - maybe Molly had been right about my approach to things, maybe I shouldn’t have just ripped the band-aid off here either. But the look on Christopher’s face proved to me that I’d made the right choice.
He wiped the tears away and came forward, hugging me again. I patted my son on his back and hugged him hard.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me, Christopher. Not right away. But I do hope we can repair our relationship in time.”
He backed away and eventually nodded. “I think so. I just need some time to get used to the idea that my best friend will be the mother to my sister or brother.”
“Take all the time you need,” I said. “I promise that we never intended to hurt you. We were gonna tell you soon. But we had to figure out the best way. I went about it all wrong, and I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, Dad. No one’s perfect. Not even you.” He offered a sly grin, and I felt closer to him than I had in years. I knew it would take some time, but I hoped that maybe we could come together and be a family.
“Well, except Molly, of course,” he added. “She’s as close to perfect as you can find. I think she’ll be good for you.”
“Yeah, I think so too.” He was right. Molly was as perfect as they came - and she was all mine.
Ooo000ooo
A banner across the doorway said, “Welcome Back, Molly.” It was all Emily’s doing; I knew my sister’s handiwork.
Molly’s smile lit up the room when she saw it. She’d spent about a week in the hospital and was finally cleared to go home. And for now, the ranch was home. We weren’t pressing our luck with her flying just yet, even though the doctor said she’d probably be fine.
Or perhaps I just didn’t want her to go.
It was impossible to keep the news from everyone, since they had questions about why she was back in town and why I was spending so much time at the hospital. We had to tell them eventually.
Christopher and Tyler were also at the house, along with my brothers Chase, Travis, and Wyatt. Mama G had, of course, baked a cake and made enough food to feed half the state of Texas. Any excuse to put together a special meal.
My mother was the first one to greet us.
“Wow, all this food. It looks amazing,” Molly said, grinning from ear-to-ear.
“Well, you know, we have to make sure you’re good and fed. You’re eating for two now, and I want my next grandbaby to be healthy and strong.”
Molly seemed surprised that Mama G and the others took it so well, but I had an amazing family. None of them had believed she was with Christopher anyway, and the age difference wasn’t that big of a deal when you thought about it.
Not when two people were good for each other.
“Please tell me you’re gonna stay awhile,” my mother said, taking Molly’s hands in hers.
Molly looked at me. We’d barely talked about what we were going to do. She agreed that splitting her time between the two places sounded like the best idea, but that was right after the accident. Perhaps she’d had a change of heart.
“Actually, yes. I talked to Christopher about it, and we’re going to open our boutique in Houston to start out,” she said. She winked at Christopher. “We both have reasons for wanting to spend a lot of time here, after all.”
That was news to me. I had gifted Molly with the deeds to both properties; I had told her it was her choice.
“And eventually,” she continued, “we’re going to open a bigger store in Manhattan, but not for a while. Let us get our footing here first, in a smaller market.”
“I think that’s a fantastic idea,” Mama G said.
Molly reached over and took my hand in hers, giving it a firm squeeze. “Me too.”
After everyone greeted her, I pulled Molly aside. “So you and Christopher, everything is all good there?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “He stopped by one morning while you were here, and we had a long talk about everything. We still have some work to do, but we’re going to be just fine.”
“Well hello there, partner.” Christopher’s voice took us both by surprise. “And by that, I mean business partner. Not cowboy partner.”
“Of course not,” Molly giggled. “Because you’ll never completely be a cowboy.”
“I’m trying to change that,” Tyler announced, speaking up from behind him. “But we’ll see what happens.”
“I’m going to make a city boy outta him yet, Molly, just you wait and see.”
“Why do you have to choose one or the other?” Molly asked, and my ears perked up. “Life is too short to just have one or the other. Both have their advantages, don’t you think? Imagine the property you could buy out here, Christopher. All the space, compared to our dinky little studio in the city.”
“Hey now, I love our studio.”
“We literally both sleep in the kitchen.”
Christopher sighed and waved off the comment, but then laughed. “Yeah, yeah, Tyler has mentioned us buying a house out here. I told him I’d think about it.”
“He said he’d do more than think about it,” Tyler added. “He’s already started looking.”
Christopher patted him playfully. “Love makes you do the craziest things, I swear.”
“Cheers to that,” I said, raising my glass.
All four of us raised our drinks, clinking the bottles and glasses together.
The rest of the family joined in.
My family.
All of them, together.
I had never been happier.
Epilogue
MOLLY
Nine Months Later
“Everyone, welcome home Violet Walker,” I announced as I stepped into our home. We were surrounded by family - Mama G, all the uncles, Aunt Emily, her husband Logan, and of course, Violet’s half-brother, Christopher. Everyone had been waiting for us to get back from the hospital, just like the last time. Except this time, there was a sign with Violet’s name hung across the door.
And, of course, we were in our own home. We were still on the ranch property, and the main house could have held us all, but it was nice having our own space. Grandma was never too far away, though, and we’d have dinner at the ranch several times a week. Her food was to die for, and while I was learning the family recipes, there was something special added to Mama G’s meals.
Emily and Mama G were cooing over the baby, with Christopher standing not too far behind. Tyler was still at his side. A few days earlier, they had shared their own special news - they were getting married. Christopher was slowly getting Tyler to come around to spending half the time in the city.
And I was, not surprisingly, spending more and more time in Texas. It was starting to grow on me. I’d come to appreciate the quieter life.
I was glad Violet would grow up knowing the best of both worlds.
Silas would often go with me to New York, and we had our own apartment. Tyler and Christopher had taken over our studio. The traveling could sometimes get exhausting, which was one reason I was grateful for our cozy cabin in Texas. A cabin Silas had built himself, just like his father had for Mama G all those years ago. It wasn’t as large as the main house - yet - but mostly because we didn’t need the space. Maybe one day, if we managed to have five kids, as Mama G had.
“I have somethin’ for ya,” Silas said, nudging me toward the door.
Emily reached for Violet, and it was hard to let my baby girl go, but Emily said, “We’ll be right behind you.”
Everyone was watching us.
Everyone was smiling.
They knew something I didn’t.
I followed Silas out of the cabin and onto the porch.
“Wait, right here,” he said.
I cocked my head to the side and chuckled, watching as he ran behind the house. A second later, he re-emerged with a beautiful, solid white mare. My eyes nearly popped out of my head at the sight of the horse, one that was new to the ranch because I’d never seen her before. But as the horse turned, I caught sight of something written on her saddle.
“Come here,” he urged with a grin. “Get a good look at her.”
I walked down the steps toward the beautiful horse. She was larger than Martha but seemed just as calm. S
he was younger too, which might give her a little more pep in her step. I hadn’t been riding since that first time with Silas - I didn’t want to risk a fall while pregnant. But Silas knew I’d been looking forward to another chance.
As I got closer, I could see the words written on the saddle. I covered my mouth as I kept walking, not sure if I could believe my eyes.
Silas dropped to his knee, and the tears started flowing.
He pulled out a ring.
The words on the saddle spelled out: “Will you marry me?”
He didn’t even have to ask. As soon as I saw the ring, I answered the question.
“Yes, of course!”
He stood up, and I was in his arms a moment later. He picked me up off my feet and swung me around, kissing me on the lips. I heard our family on the porch, cheering for us.
Even Christopher.
The last year had been a whirlwind, and I never imagined I’d have ended up out here. We had our Houston shop opening a month later, and hopefully the Manhattan shop not too long after.
Who knew that a simple favor for a friend could turn out like this?
“I told you I’d make a country girl out of you,” Silas whispered, our faces pressed together.
“And you did,” I giggled. “I never thought it was possible, but you did.”
Christopher’s voice cut through the giggling. “If Violet gets to be the flower girl, I get to be ring bearer - it’s only right.”
Silas laughed so hard, he had to put me down. We were both grinning from ear-to-ear.
Our family wasn’t conventional by any stretch of the imagination.
But it was ours and it was perfect.
Cowboys Baby
The beauty needs me to heal her wounds.
She may have lost her memory - but she won my heart.
Now I'll protect her and the baby she’s carrying...
Even if it's the last thing I do.
For the first time since my divorce