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He snarls, stabbing a Brussels sprout with his fork. "Fine, but I'm giving Payton a little talkin'-to."
I roll my eyes with a smile, then pat his shoulder. "Sure, Dad. Go ahead."
"How do you think your brothers are gonna react to you livin' there?" Mom asks.
“Oh, I'm sure they'll give us shit just like everyone else, but oh well."
By the time we get to dessert, Dad has calmed his uncertainty and even asks about helping me move.
"Sure, the more, the merrier. Shouldn't take too long, though. I’ve already packed half of my room, and the rest is just furniture."
Mom smiles at me as she takes our empty plates from the table. "I can help you with the rest tonight."
"Thanks, Mom. There's actually one more thing I wanted to talk to y'all about."
My stomach twists as I prepare to share the news of Payton's horse rescue idea.
"There's also another reason we want to live together. We want to start a new venture on the ranch, and being roommates will help us plan it better."
Dad lifts a brow, looks at Mom, then back at me. "So what is it?"
I explain everything Payton and I have discussed so far and how we've been working on the business plan since last week. They listen to every word I say, and even though I don't have the research we’ve done in front of me, I've memorized most of it.
"Well?" I ask nervously once I'm done, wishing my heart wasn’t racing so hard.
Mom's smiling wide as Dad processes it.
"I love it, kiddo. That's an amazin' and selfless idea. Plus, I can't think of two better people to run it."
Saturday morning finally arrives, and I work faster than I ever have to get my tasks done. Mom spent the past two nights helping me pack, and although I could tell she was sad, she wore a smile and told me how happy she was for me. On the other hand, Dad kept walking past my doorway and grunting.
"You're his baby girl," Mom reminded me as she added another folded pair of jeans onto the stack. "Mine too. You were always the perfect mixture of us. I'd put you in a pretty church dress, and minutes later, you’d be out in the yard runnin' around and tryin' to keep up with your brothers. When I'd ask you who told ya you could go play in the dirt, you always smiled up at your daddy."
I laughed, remembering many times playing outside in my nicest clothes during my youth. Mama wanted a girly girl, but instead, she got a tomboy who wrestled with her twin brothers more than she played with dolls.
"We're gonna miss you, so you better find time to visit, okay?" Mom said as she taped up the final box.
"Of course. I'll be less than ten minutes away and will see y'all at the training facility every day." I smirked at how they acted like I was moving across the state.
Last night, before bed, I kissed my dad on the cheek and reminded him how much I loved him. He held me so tight that I could barely breathe. We've always been close, and they're the reason I love horses as much as I do, but it's time I branch out on my own.
"Ready, kiddo?" Dad startles me as memories of my final night at home surface. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me in for a hug as I stare into my now empty bedroom.
"It somehow looks so much smaller in here," I say.
"Big enough for my new man cave, though."
"Dad!" I gawk, and he bellows a laugh.
My brothers’ old rooms were being used for storage until the first grandchild arrived, and then they became a nursery and a playroom. Mom continuously reminds Kane and me that she has plenty of room for more babies to visit.
"Just giving ya a hard time. You know your mom won't let me touch it."
Moments later, Payton arrives and greets everyone. Butterflies surface in my stomach when our eyes meet, though I don't know why. We see each other a lot, but today’s much different.
Today, we officially become roommates who are trying for a baby.
CHAPTER EIGHT
