Page 97 of Broken Boundaries

You name it, Zach yelled it.

It hurt more than I care to admit. Up until that point, I was hoping he’d handle it better than that. I should’ve known that was wishful thinking. Obviously, I knew he’d be mad. I even understand his anger. But shouting at me in my place of work in front of people I don’t even know? That was unexpected.

At least it’s out there now. He knows, which means everyone else will know soon enough.

Brooks grabs my bags. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”

I hug Jazz and thank her for letting me stay the night. She waves me off and tells me I’m welcome anytime.

As we’re walking out of the house, Brooks tells me, “We’ll talk about what Zach said to you later.” He takes my bags and throws them in his truck.

“I’ll follow you,” I say, pointing to my car parked on the curb.

“No, ma’am. I’m not letting you out of my sight today. You’ll ride with me, and we’ll come get your car later on.”

He opens the door, and I don’t hesitate to climb in and let him take me home.

CHAPTER 35

Brooks

This morning is a complete one-eighty from yesterday. Instead of my stomach being in knots, I’m calm and relaxed. Most importantly, I’m not alone. I pull Aspen closer to me, grateful that she’s here. The past forty-eight hours were a nightmare, but having her back with me is the outcome I was hoping for.

She wiggles in my arms.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

She grunts in response. She’s never been a morning person.

I nudge my nose against her cheek. “I’m gonna make you pancakes. You want blueberry or chocolate chip?”

“Chocolate,” she mumbles into the pillow.

“Coming up.” I give her a quick kiss before I slide out of bed, leaving her cocooned in our blankets.

I put on a pot of coffee and look out toward the ranch. The sun is rising over the mountains, indicating a new day and a new future for me. For most of my life, I thought I’d end up here alone. That I’d have no one to share this with. But now, it feels like my life is starting all over again. I’ve done the hard work, and now I finally get to enjoy it. And with the woman of my dreams.

I get to work on the pancakes, cooking them slowly so they get nice and fluffy and also so Aspen gets a little bit longer to sleep.

When I’m flipping the last one, she saunters into the kitchen with a yawn. I turn to look at her and can’t help but smile. Her curls are a mess. I didn’t go easy on her last night. And she’s wearing one of my Moonlight Ranch sweatshirts. It comes down to her upper thighs, giving me a nice view of her long legs.

She makes herself a cup of coffee while I plate up our breakfast.

“If you keep making me breakfast like this, I’m going to get used to it.”

“Good,” I tell her, taking the seat next to her at the island. “I want you to get used to it. My woman gets whatever she wants.”

I’ve barely cut into my first pancake when there’s a pounding knock on the front door.

I look at Aspen. “You expecting anyone?”

She shakes her head, and I let out an annoyed exhale. An intrusion this early in the morning is never good.

But I can, with full certainty, say I was not expecting to see Lacey standing on the other side of the door.

“Lacey. What are you doing here? Is Zach ok?”

Her face twists into a look of pure disgust. “Is Zach ok?” she mockingly repeats. “No, he is not ok. He just found out his father is dating his ex-girlfriend.”