by Wilder, L.
“Take your time, and I have everything set up in the back pasture like we discussed.”
Before I had a chance to ask what he was talking about, Ross turned and walked away, leaving me alone with Jackson and the horses. “So, I take it we’re going for a ride today?”
“That’s the plan,” he answered as he led me over to one of the horses. “Have you ridden before?”
“Yes, but it’s been a long time.”
“For me, too.” He helped me on and added, “This pretty girl is named Lacey. She’s one of the smartest horses I’ve ever come across.”
“You’ve been around a lot of horses?”
“Not exactly,” he admitted with a smile. “But she’s easy to ride and not nearly as stubborn as Little Joe.”
I looked over to his horse, which was a good bit larger than Lacey and asked, “Little Joe?”
“He got his name when he was younger. Apparently, he wasn’t a healthy colt, and they didn’t think he was gonna make it.”
Once I was settled on Lacey, Jackson walked over and got on Little Joe. After he took a hold of the reins, he looked over to me and asked, “You ready?”
“As ready as I’m gonna be.”
He smiled as he gave Little Joe a nudge with the heel of his boot, and seconds later, we were headed towards the back pasture. We rode in silence, each of us quietly lost in our own thoughts, until Jackson turned to me and asked, “What do you think?”
“It’s really beautiful, Jackson, and you were right, Lacey is easy to ride.”
“I was hoping you’d think so.”
We continued forward, and it wasn’t long before we crossed a small stream with water clear enough to see all the different fish and multi-colored rocks. I was tempted to stop and dip my toes in the cold water, but Jackson was already well ahead of me. He’d gotten off his horse and was motioning me forward. When I finally caught up to him, I was surprised to see that he’d set up a picnic for us. There was a plaid blanket spread across the grass with a wicker basket full of food sitting in the center, and to the side, a small fire was burning, giving off just enough heat to warm my chilled fingertips. As I dismounted Lacey, I looked over to him and asked, “You did all this?”
“I had a little help.”
“Well, either way, I’m impressed.” I watched him take the reins and tie Lacey up next to Little Joe. Once he was done, we both sat down on the blanket. “This was very sweet of you,”
“What can I say? I’m a sweet guy.”
“Um-hmm,” I scoffed. “So, what’s in the basket?”
“That, I’m not so sure about.” He gave me a playful look as he opened the basket and studied each container as he spread them out onto the blanket. Once Jackson emptied the basket, he reached for one of the larger containers and pried open a corner. He peeked inside and smiled. “Looks like we’ve got cheese and crackers, a few sandwiches, and some grapes; for dessert, we have chocolate-covered strawberries.”
“Wow. You went all out.” I giggled.
“I was hoping to make a good impression.”
“Well, you succeeded.”
After we’d both made ourselves a plate, Jackson reached into the small cooler for a beer, and as he handed me mine, he said, “We really haven’t had a chance to catch up, so why don’t you tell me a little about your family?”
“There’s really not much to tell.”
“What about your folks? Is your dad still running his own construction company?”
I sighed at the mention of my father’s name. So much had changed over the last two years. I didn’t know how to tell Jackson that I’d gone from the apple of my father’s eye to the black sheep of the family, so I decided to keep it simple. “Yes. Not much has changed with his work. Mom is still his secretary, and he’s still driving her crazy by being so disorganized.”
“And your sister? Is she still working at the hospital?”
“She is.” Lillie had been working as a nurse at Le Bonheur’s Children Hospital for three years and was recently named the head pediatric nurse. “She really loves it there, and Thomas is interning at the Harrison/Jones Architect Company. The lead architect thinks he has a lot of promise, so who knows? My big brother could become famous for designing some fancy skyscraper for the city of Memphis.”
“It could happen.” After taking a sip of his beer, he said, “Your folks must be proud of themselves for having three successful kids.”
I shrugged as I mumbled, “Well, two out of three ain’t bad.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. I’m just thinking out loud.” I looked over to him and found myself wondering how he’d react after I tell him the news about Tate. There was no doubt that he would be angry, furious even, and that thought terrified me. For the first time in months and months, I was happy, really happy, and I wasn’t ready to let that go, even if that meant keeping him in the dark about Tate for a little longer. I glanced over at him and asked, “What about you? How are your parents?”
“My mother never stops. If she’s not working down at the nursing home, then she’s playing bunko or bridge. She’s also started some book club. They meet once or twice a month and pretend to talk about some book they read. I think it’s just a chance for them to get together and drink, but don’t tell her I said that,” he snickered. “My dad is still working at the electric company … climbing those damn poles. I’ve been trying to get him to retire before his knees wear out, but he won’t listen.”
“Sounds like they’re doing what they love.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“And your little brother?”
A disgruntled look crossed his face. “Lane is doing all right, I guess. He’s been bartending at one of the pubs on Beale Street. He’s hoping to get a full-time gig with his band, but I’m not sure that’s ever gonna happen.”
“You never know. He might become the next big thing.”
“Um-hmm,” he scoffed. “Somehow I doubt it, but we’ll see.”
I’d just grabbed a handful of grapes when I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. Thinking it was probably work, I decided not to answer and popped one in my mouth. I wanted my focus to be on Jackson and our time together, but when my phone vibrated for the second time, I couldn’t ignore it. Worried something might be wrong, I grabbed my phone, and my chest tightened when I saw that it was Tate’s sitter calling. I quickly stood up and said, “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to take this.”
He nodded as I walked over towards the creek, and when I thought I was out of earshot, I answered, “Hello?”
“Hey, Reece. It’s Janice.” My stomach twisted into a knot when I heard Tate crying in the background. “I’m really sorry to bother you, but Tate just had an accident.”
“What kind of accident?”
“Well, he was … um … running after his little rubber ball when he tripped over his shoe. He stumbled and hit his head on the corner of the coffee table.” I could hear the panic in her voice as she continued, “I tried to stop the bleeding, but it just won’t stop. I was going to call your mother and see if she could meet me at the ER, but I wanted to check in with you first.”
“Yes. Call her, and I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
“Do you want me to wait for you to get here, or should I go on to the hospital?”
I was in no position to tell her to wait, so I answered, “Go on and take him. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can.”
“Okay.” Her voice trembled with worry as she said, “I’m really sorry about this.”
“It was an accident, Janice. Please don’t worry and be careful driving to the hospital.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
After I hung up, I put my phone back in my pocket, and as I headed over to Jackson, he asked, “Is everything okay?”
“No. No, it’s not.” My voice trembled as I told him, “I’m really sorry, but … um … something’s come up, and I’ve got to go. Like now.”
&
nbsp; “What do you mean ‘something’s come up’?” he pushed.
“I don’t have time to explain, Jackson.” I sounded like I was on the brink of becoming hysterical as I pleaded, “I just really need to get over to the hospital.”
“Okay. I’ll take you wherever you need to be.”
“Thank you.”
Without taking the time to clean up our mess, he got up and walked over to the horses. I could see the concern in his eyes as he brought Lacey over to me. I was overcome with guilt and worry. My son needed me, and I was off making my life even more complicated than it already was. Sensing my unease, Jackson assured me, “I’ll get you back to town as soon as I can.”
With that, we got back on the horses and raced back to his motorcycle. After helping him put the horses back in the stalls, I put on my helmet and waited for him to start the engine. When he pulled out onto the road, he asked, “Are we headed back to the clubhouse for your car or do you need me to take you straight to the hospital?”
Knowing it would take an extra half hour to go by the clubhouse, I replied, “To the hospital. It’s the one over on Popular.”
He gave me a quick nod before turning his attention back to the road. He pressed the accelerator forward, speeding towards the hospital, and ten minutes later, we pulled up to the main doors of the emergency room. Jackson waited as I got off the bike and handed him the helmet. I needed to tell him something, but I had no idea what. Feeling overwhelmed by it all, I simply said, “Thank you for this.”
“No problem.” He looked towards the door as he asked, “Do you want me to go inside with you?”
“No!” I snapped. “Um … that’s really not necessary. It will be fine.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.” As I turned to go, I looked back to him and said, “I’ll come by and get my car later tonight or in the morning.”
He nodded, then watched as I rushed inside. My nerves were completely shot as I hurried over to the counter and asked, “Can you tell me where I can find Tate Winters? I’m his mother.”
After typing something on her computer, she looked up to me and answered, “They’ve already taken him back. He’s in room 3.” She pointed to the two main doors at the end of the hall as she instructed, “Just go over and press the big red button. Once the nurse lets you in, it will be the second room on the left.”
“Thank you.”
My mind was reeling as I rushed over to the ER entrance and pressed the button. Once the doors opened, I took in a deep breath and tried to calm my racing heart. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to settle my nerves as I headed towards the exam room. I hadn’t made it far when I heard my mother’s high-pitched-baby-talking voice coming from the room across the hall. I walked in and found her standing in a small room with Tate cradled in her arms. He had a large white bandage on his forehead. Barely holding it together as it was, I completely lost it when I noticed that his little onesie was covered in blood. “Oh, my God.”
My mother quickly turned and gave me a scolding look as she mouthed, “He’s fine.”
I tried to keep myself from crying. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” She turned her focus towards Tate as she smiled and said, “Look who’s here, sweet boy. It’s your momma.”
As soon as he saw me, he reached out for me and said, “My momma.”
“That’s right. Your momma is here.” I took him in my arms, and he nestled his little head on my shoulder as I held him close to my chest, hugging him tightly. “Bless your sweet, little heart. I’m sorry you got a booboo.”
“Janice said he tripped and hit his head on the coffee table.”
“I know. I should’ve gotten rid of that stupid coffee table months ago.”
“Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself. It was just an accident. Lord knows, you had plenty of them when you were a kid,” Mom assured me.
“Where is Janice?”
“Poor thing was pretty shaken up, so I sent her home.”
“I’m sure she was.”
Mom ran her hand down Tate’s back as she explained, “The doctor just left. They put in a couple of stitches, and he’s just fine.”
“Stitches? Was it really that bad?”
“Yeah. It was a pretty deep cut, and the stitches will help keep it from scarring.”
I hated that I wasn’t there for him, especially for his first big accident. My heart ached as I walked over and sat down in one of the rockers. I propped Tate up on my knee as I said, “I love you, sweetie. I’m so sorry you bumped your head.”
As I kissed him on his rosy, little cheek, my mother asked, “Where were you anyway?”
“I had this thing I needed to do for work.” I lied.
I could tell from the expression on her face that she was about to press me for more, but before she could ask anything, Jackson appeared in the doorway. He looked at me in utter shock as he asked, “Reece?”
“Jackson?” I gasped. “What are you doing here?”
He took a step towards me, and as he looked down at Tate, he said, “I didn’t want to leave until I knew everything was okay.”
“Jackson?” My mother asked with surprise. Her eyebrows furrowed as she studied him for a moment, and then it hit her. “Oh … Jackson.”
“Yes, Mom. You’ve heard me mention him before.” I motioned my hand towards my mother as I said, “Jackson, this is my mother, Lauren Winters.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Winters.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Jackson.” Her cheeks flushed red as she mumbled, “I’m … um … I’m give you two a moment. I’ll be down at the cafeteria if you need me.”
Once she was gone, Jackson walked over to me and asked, “What’s going on, Reece? Who’s the kid?”
I almost laughed at the question. I’d spent months imagining how I would tell Jackson about his son, but I never dreamed it would come out like this. It was almost comical to think that some random accident had brought my secret to light. As I sat there staring at Jackson, I was actually relieved. For so long, I had been on my own. I had made the sacrifices for our child. I’d put my hopes and dreams aside so I could give him the life he deserved. I was tired—tired of keeping secrets and pretending that I didn’t need Jackson’s help. I was done pretending, done being a single parent. Be it good or bad, I was ready to say the words. I just prayed that Jackson was ready to hear them. I looked down at my precious son and smiled as I said, “This is Tate. He’s my son … He’s our son.”
CHAPTER 11
Riggs
Surprise wasn’t something I handled well. I was a guy who liked to be in the know. I wanted to be prepared for anything and everything, and I’d go to extremes to make sure that I was never caught off guard. Maybe it was because of my line of work or maybe it was engrained in me as a kid, but I was like that with every aspect of my life. So, needless to say, hearing that I had a son wasn’t an easy pill to swallow. Some might say I was in shock, but to me, it was more—much more than that. I felt like every molecule of air had been knocked right out me, making my lungs seize up and burn. I struggled to take in a simple breath, like I’d forgotten how to fucking breathe. I was a damn mess, and Reece didn’t look like she was doing much better. She looked up at me, her eyes desperately searching mine, and I could see that she was anxiously waiting for my response. I knew she wasn’t lying. Hell, I could tell just by looking at the him that the kid was mine, but I just couldn’t make myself believe that I had a son. The whole thing seemed unfathomable, and the longer I stood there trying to make sense of it, the more confused I became. I knew I should say something, but I couldn’t will my lips to move. I could only stand there and stare at Tate—my son, Tate. Damn.
Just as the silence was becoming unbearable, she finally asked, “Did you hear what I just said?”
“I heard you.”
“Well, aren’t you going to say something? Anything?” she pushed.
“I don’t know what to say.”
> “You don’t have any thoughts at all?”
“What do you want from me, Reece? You expecting me to jump for joy or something? I mean, come on. You’ve kept my son from me for years. How am I supposed to react to that?”
“I wasn’t trying to keep your son from you, Jackson,” she snapped.
“Then, why am I just finding out that I’ve got a kid!”
“It’s hard to explain, but … it’s not that I was trying to make things harder.” Her voice quivered as she continued, “I tried calling you. I even went to the clubhouse to find you, but you had already hooked up with someone else. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.”
“You were supposed to come to me and tell me that you were pregnant … that you were having my son. That’s what you were supposed to do!” he barked. “It wasn’t like you didn’t have an opportunity last night!”
“I tried! You know that!”
“Well, you didn’t try hard enough!” I roared. “And just so we’re clear, I wasn’t hooking up with some other woman. You would’ve known that if you’d just asked!”
“Maybe I would’ve asked if you ever returned my calls!”
“Maybe you should’ve …” I started, but quickly stopped. My frustration was bubbling up inside of me and I was about to lose it when I looked down at Tate. When I saw how he was clinging to his mother and the fearful look in his eyes a wave of remorse swept over me. Fuck. I’d let my emotions get the best of me, and I’d scared both Tate and Reece. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to wrap my head around all this.”
“I’m really sorry that you had to find out this way.” She held Tate close to her chest as she whispered, “I know you have questions and there’s lots we need to talk about, but this isn’t the time. He’s been through enough tonight.”
“You’re right. I wasn’t even thinking.” I motioned my hand towards the bandage on Tate’s head as I asked, “Is he going to be okay?”
“He’ll be fine. He took a little tumble and hit his head on the coffee table.”
“So, it’s nothing serious?”
“No. Not at all.” She gave him a quick kiss on the temple before she said, “The doctor gave him a couple of stitches, and we’re just waiting on him to be released.”