Page 93 of Broken Boundaries

And of course, his mother has never said one good thing about me. I’m sure I’ll hear from her the moment he runs home and tells her what happened.

I lean back in my chair and drag my hands down my face. How did I get here? How did I let myself fall for Aspen when I knew it would rip me away from my son?

Fuck. I need to get out of here.

I spend the better part of the afternoon with my horse. Beck asked no questions when I stormed into the stables and silently tacked her up and left. I rode through my favorite trail on the ranch and spent some time by a small creek that I used to ride to when I was younger and needed a break from my parents.

I didn’t gain any more clarity, but I do feel more sure about my decision.

I love Zach. He’s my son, and that will never change. But I’ve given so much of myself to other people over the years, I think I forgot how it feels to be happy.

I worked hard at the ranch to continue on my family’s legacy in Blue Haven. Despite what Zach and his mother think, I didn’t take over the ranch for myself. Moonlight Ranch has been in my family for almost a century, and I’ll be damned if it goes under because of me. My parents worked hard to keep this place going, and they trusted me to continue it. I take pride in that.

Also, despite what Zach and Lacey think, I did the best I could to be the dad I always hoped I would be. But Lacey made it extra difficult by whispering terrible things about me to Zach. I never had a chance to have the family I’ve always dreamed of.

I give everything I can to the ranch and Blue Haven. I fund every town event I can. I employ as many people from town as I possibly can. I’ve always put the people of Blue Haven before myself.

The one thing I want for myself is Aspen. Every scenario I run through my head, she’s always my end game. She’s only been in my life for a few months, but I already know that I can’t imagine a life without her. I feel truly happy around her. She’s given me purpose again after I felt lost for so long.

Which is why I’m frustrated when I get home and don’t see her. I should’ve found her as soon as Zach left my office, but I needed a minute to digest everything that had happened. I didn’t want to take out my frustration on her, and I know I always think better outdoors.

I pull out my phone and don’t see any missed calls or texts from her. There are a few missed calls from Harper and a text from Lacey telling me what a scumbag I am. I’ll ignore that one for now. I’ve got bigger things to worry about.

I call Aspen, but it goes straight to voicemail. I walk back to my room to change out of riding clothes and notice all of her stuff is gone. Her phone charger is gone from by the bed, along with the vanilla lip balm that she puts on every night before she goes to sleep. Her Kindle is missing.

In the bathroom, her face wash, curl cream, and toothbrush: all gone.

What is going on?

My heart is racing at this point. Did she leave? After everything?

I call her again. Nothing.

I finally scroll to Harper’s contact and call her.

“Hey,” she answers quickly.

“Hey, have you seen Aspen by any chance?”

She sighs into the phone. That can’t be a good sign.

“What?” I ask.

“I’m guessing things didn’t go well?”

“That’s putting it lightly.”

“Listen, I was at the front desk with Aspen when Zach came out of your office. He said some pretty terrible things to her. She was very upset. And then she came to find you, and your office was empty.” Fuck. “I tried to reassure her, but she kept saying she needed to go.”

“Do you know where she is?”

“Not exactly, but I would check with Jazz. Are you ok, Brooks? It sounded pretty heated. I’ve never seen Zach so angry before.”

“I’m fine,” I lie. “But I’ve got to go. Thanks,” I say quickly and hang up before she can try to deep dive into all my issues. The only thing I need to do right now is to find Aspen.

I quickly find Jasmine’s contact in my phone and call. She takes so long to answer that I’m certain it’s going to go to voicemail. She finally picks up my call, but I can barely hear her.

“Hello?” she whispers.