Page 25 of Sudden Summer

“Birdie, I⁠—”

“I have some money saved away. Tell me how much you need. You can take it as a loan. And when you do come out to the ranch, or stop by my house sometime soon, we can figure out the terms of you paying me back. Right now, I’m just excited for you and this opportunity. So, tell me how much you need to get going.”

“Twenty-five hundred dollars.”

Shit. That would be tight. I’d meant what I said about having savings, but between the house and the small town midwife salary, I wasn’t swimming in money. I could make it work, though. To give my sister a sense of financial freedom? That was worth spending all my savings.

“Done. Send me the details on your business account when you open one, and I’ll deposit the money straight in,” I promised.

“Can you transfer it to my personal one?”

“No. I can’t.”

“Why not?” she whined.

I hated to be harsh, but I wasn’t taking any chances when it came to the money being used by my sister…and only my sister. “Because I don’t want Greg to have access to it. That money is yours for your business. I want it in a business banking account, with only your name on it. You need to be smart, Lane. You love him, you trust him, but as a woman, you have to be watching out for yourself, too.”

“Fine, I’ll figure something out. Can I text you when I have it all situated?”

“Yep,” I smiled, “just send me the information and I’ll happily transfer it then.”

“Thanks, Birdie.”

“That’s what sisters are for.”

“Maybe we could…” She hesitated. “Maybe on your next days off, I could meet Juniper and we could hang out.”

“I’d love that so much.” The way my voice wobbled gave away just how true of a statement that was.

“Okay. I’ll text you about the bank, you text me about your time off.”

“I love you, Lane.”

“Love you, too, Birdie.”

I slid my phone into my back pocket and scooped Juniper up off the floor. The purple monkey song continued to play as we walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. A complete look of betrayal crossed her cute little face as I put her down in the playpen Beau and I had set up for her, but as soon as her eyes landed on a little bee that rolled around encouraging tummy time, she forgot all about me.

I found Beau sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee gone cold and the same face Juniper had just made at me etched across his.

“Hey, I didn’t realize you were back. I was starting to worry you might not make it in time for her appointment.” I waited for him to huff at me, or sass me, but it was almost like he didn’t even hear me. “You okay in here?” I asked, placing my hand on his arm. He was staring so intently at the piece of paper in his hand, he jumped when I touched him.

“I didn’t even hear you come in,” Beau said as he wiped his hand over his face.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’ve got Juniper all ready. Fresh diaper, the cutest Daddy’s little cowgirl outfit on with a big, ridiculous bow. I put her in the playpen, but we should probably be putting her in the car seat now. Don’t want to be late for her first appointment.”

Beau shook his head. There were very few times in our friendship where I saw him with tears in his eyes. But every time I’d seen him get emotional, something big and scary threatened to take down my cowboy.

“What’s going on?” I slipped the piece of paper out of his hands and looked it over.

He’d been staring at Juniper’s birth certificate.

“I don’t even remember what I was doing that day,” Beau whispered.

“What day?” I asked.

“The day she was born. I can’t remember. My life is so predictable for the most part, I know I had to be doing ranch duties. Maybe I put in an order for feed? Or had to vaccinate some of the cattle? Maybe Dad had gotten pissed at me because I missed moving the herd on time? But I can’t remember the little details about the day my daughter was born. She came into the world, and I didn’t even know.” A tear slipped down his cheek. “She’s lived in this world for almost five months without me having a single clue. I feel fucking angry, Birdie. Every time I look at her, I feel so angry at Rosa for not reaching out to me.”

My hand settled on his shoulder. “What you are feeling is completely valid, Beau. You did the right thing that night. She had your name. Your number. She even remembered your middle name! The fact that she didn’t reach out is something we have to live with forever. But it doesn’t make it a reflection on you or your character. Those were her choices. Juniper is here now, and you’ve already made her the priority in your life.”