Page 100 of Broken Boundaries

Her shoulders slump, and she throws the hot dog back on the plate. “You’re no fun.”

“I know. I know.”

Brooks chooses this moment to walk in from the back door. “Ladies, is the meat ready for the grill?”

“Oh, the meat is definitely ready,” Jazz declares.

I laugh, but Brooks looks unamused. That’s what he gets for inviting all of the ranch staff over for a cookout. Apparently, it’s something his parents used to do, and he continued it for a little while until it got too overwhelming for him with everything else he had to handle.

Last week, we were sitting outside at sunset, and he started telling me about it. He has so many great memories from these cookouts. I could see by the dreamy smile on his face that he missed them. I immediately suggested we do it again. We decided to do a potluck to make it a little easier. He’d grill burgers and dogs while everyone else brought their favorite sides or desserts.

He was worried no one would come. Honestly, I would’ve called it a success even if it was just the two of us, Jazz, Harper, and Beck. But it turns out, people at Moonlight Ranch do actually like Brooks (I don’t know why he’s surprised by this), and now we have a full house of employees sharing stories and food out back.

Brooks has been beaming all night. This is just what he needed after everything we’ve been through the past few weeks.

Brooks rolls his eyes at Jazz, which makes us both laugh. “Can you bring it out here, please?”

“Yes, sir!” Jazz grabs the plates of burgers and hot dogs we prepped and heads outside while I finish cleaning up in the kitchen.

I’m not even alone for two minutes when someone says my name. I look over my shoulder to see Harper taking a seat at the kitchen island.

“Hey, Harper. Having fun?” I ask.

“Yeah, I’m so glad Brooks decided to start these up again.”

“I know. It’s great having everyone here together. I hope it’s not too cold, though.” The Calloways used to do this during the spring, but Brooks didn’t want to wait. So we bought some portable heaters and made sure to have a nice big fire going outside.

“I think everyone is super comfortable.”

I nod in relief.

“You know I don’t think I’ve told you this, but I’m really happy you and Brooks are together.”

“Really?” So far, it seems like all our relationship has done is cause issues.

“Yeah. I’ve never seen Brooks this happy. I think he’s been going through the motions for so long, and everything has always been about the ranch. But then you walked in, and his face lit up again. He came alive. He’s genuinely happy for the first time in a long time.”

“Thanks for saying that, Harper. That means a lot coming from you.”

She smiles and nods. “So, how has he been holding up with the whole Zach situation?”

I sigh. “It hasn’t been great. I think he’s at the point now where he’s trying to give Zach some space. He’s texted him a few times but hasn’t gotten anything back.”

“It’s probably going to take some time.”

I nod in agreement. “I just… I just hope we didn’t make the wrong decision.”

“About what?”

“Us being together. I hate that I’m the reason they had a falling out.”

“Aspen, honey, this has been a long time coming. Zach has been looking for an excuse to cut Brooks out of his life for awhile. All you did was help speed that up a little. I know Brooks wants that relationship with him, but it was never gonna happen. Zach made up his mind years ago, and all he’s done is drag Brooks along. I hate to say it, but I’m glad this happened. I’m glad Brooks is finally thinking about himself.”

“I know. I kind of agree, but I know Brooks is hurting.”

“I’m sure, but hopefully he’ll get over it eventually. What about you? Have you heard from Zach since his little outburst? I still can’t believe he said those things to you.”

I shake my head. “No, I haven’t. I’m sure he’s blocked me, which is fine. I have nothing to say to him.”