Page 86 of Broken Boundaries

“I know… It’s just, it feels like I just kind of got him back. I mean, he’s been texting more. We even went to lunch last week. I’m just worried this is going to set us back again.”

Harper gives me a sympathetic look. “Yeah, it probably will, Brooks. Zach hasn’t been quiet about wanting to get Aspen back, and now he’s essentially being blocked by his own father. I don’t see any way for you to come out winning from his perspective.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s the worst part about all this. I don’t want to lose him.”

“I think you kinda made that decision when you slept with his ex-girlfriend, don’t ya think?” Harper slaps Beck’s shoulder. “Ow. What? It’s true!”

“I know, but you don’t have to say it like that. He’s our friend,” she says.

“Yeah, and as our friend, he deserves for us to be frank with him. He made a decision, and now he’s got to deal with the consequences. Is Aspen worth the risk?” Beck asks.

“I’ve never felt this way about anyone,” I admit. We haven’t said the L word yet, but I feel it. I know it’s there. She’s all I think about. When I’m not with her, I wonder what she’s doing. I love watching her sleep in my bed. I love cooking breakfast and dinner for her. I love how she smiles at me when she finally gets to see me at the end of the day. I love the way her body fits with mine. I love the way she cares about me and the ranch. She’s my dream woman. It’s just unfortunate that my son got to her first.

“If you’re going to pursue this with Aspen, then you know there’s a very good chance you’re going to lose Zach. Are you ready for that?”

“I don’t fucking know.” I pick up my beer and take a huge swig of it. This feels like the hardest decision I’ll ever have to make.

“I will say… I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy, Brooks. Zach gave up on your relationship a long time ago. He pushed you away, and no matter what you did, he didn’t seem to care. I know he’s your son, and I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you, but you deserve to be happy too.”

Beck nods along to everything Harper says.

“Maybe he’ll be ok with it?” Even as I say it, I know it’s not true. When we met for lunch last week, he mentioned Aspen at least five times. He wanted to know if I knew if she was dating anyone. If she’s been going out. If she’s planning on staying in Blue Haven. I felt terrible lying to him, but I just couldn’t get the words to come out. I didn’t want to hurt him, even though I knew I hurt him the moment I caught feelings for her.

“Brooks…”

I rub my hands down my face. “Yeah, I know. I’m gonna tell him.”

“You should probably tell him soon so that he can hear it from you and not someone else. I love Jazz, but she’s not one to keep her mouth shut.”

I nod because she’s not saying anything I don’t already know. I don’t want to lose Aspen, so I need to just suck it up and tell Zach. He might be pissed off for awhile, but hopefully he’ll understand that we didn’t do this to hurt him.

“I am happy for you, though. It’s about time you found someone. While Aspen is younger and the circumstances aren’t ideal, you two seem good together. She fits in well on the ranch, which is what you need,” Harper says.

“I agree. Aspen is really great. It’s not hard to see how you fell for her,” Beck adds.

“Thanks, guys. It means a lot to me to have your support.”

“Were you expecting something else from us?” Harper questions with a cocked eyebrow as she sips her beer.

“I don’t know. I guess I expected you to give me a hard time.”

“Oh, we’re still gonna give you a hard time, but we’ll do it with love.”

The three of us laugh. “I guess that’s all I can ask for.”

“Alright, let’s get another round of beers.” Harper raises her hand to get our server’s attention. I sit back and realize how fucking lucky I am to have two best friends who genuinely care about me and a woman who has made me feel like I deserve to be loved without having to change who I am. Now all I need is to figure out a way to not lose my son completely.

CHAPTER 32

Aspen

“Have I died and gone to Hell?”

I turn around at the sound of Brooks’s voice. He’s standing by the kitchen entrance staring me up and down.

“Oh, do you like it?” I ask, posing to show off the Halloween costume Jazz let me borrow. It’s a black and silver witch costume, but the dress is extremely short, and the top definitely does not hide anything.

“Oh, darlin’. I more than like it. Please tell me I get to take this off of you later.” He walks toward me and runs his fingertip along the top of my breasts.