Page 229 of Josephine and Clay

Even so, my gaze drifts back to the dent her head left in the pillow.

The room carries traces of her everywhere. Her shampoo lingers faintly on the sheets. A coffee mug sits abandoned on the dresser.

One of the decorative pillows has somehow ended up on the floor.

A smile tugs at my mouth before I can stop it.

A little bit of this still feels like a dream.

My mind circles the same impossible facts: twins, a future I hadn't planned for, and Josie somehow deciding I deserved another chance despite every reason not to.

I scrub a hand down my face and let out a long breath.

The fear's still there.

Hell, I think it always will be.

Every time I picture those babies, my stomach attempts a full rodeo routine. Twins. Actual twins. Apparently, I'm the kind of man who wakes up one morning and discovers he's getting two babies instead of one.

The thought is still ridiculous enough to make me laugh.

I push myself upright and glance toward the nightstand.

My phone sits beside my wallet.

A new message waits on the screen.

Josie: Didn't want to wake you. Eat breakfast. That's an order.

I stare at the screen longer than necessary before answering.

Clay: Bossy.

The house is quiet when I limp into the kitchen. Dawn hasn't fully arrived yet. Pale blue light spills through the windows while the coffee pot gurgles away on the counter.

I pour myself a mug and stand there staring out toward the pastures.

I still can’t get over the fact that I’m back here. Willingly. Happily. I used to treat Buckhorn like the end of the road.

Every time I came back, I was already thinking about leaving again. The next rodeo, the next town, the next place where nobody expected anything from me.

The circuit made sense because it kept me moving. If I didn't stay long enough to put roots down, I never had to worry about whether I belonged.

I take a sip of coffee and stare out across the ranch.

Funny thing is, every time I left, I ended up missing the same people. Boone calling to check in even when he pretended he wasn't. Dallas acting like he didn't care what I was doing while somehow keeping track of all of it. Nash blowing up my phone with stories nobody asked for. Mama worrying herself sick every time I disappeared.

And Josie...

My mouth curves before I can stop it.

Maybe that's why leaving never felt as good as I wanted it to. No matter where I went, part of me kept looking back here.

Back to the ranch.

Back to my family.

Back to the woman texting me reminders to eat breakfast like she's already figured out I'm incapable of managing basic survival on my own.