AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shake my head with a smile. “This is a celebration that involves you too, baby, hop in.”
Nathan throws me a smile as he pulls open the back door and climbs inside. I glance at Sydney as she lifts herself into the passenger seat and I smile at the image, happy that my heart won out over my head. She looks at me for a minute and Nathan groans in the back, enough to tell me that I’m taking too long to get out of the parking lot, and I quickly back out with my hand on Sydney’s thigh.
I’m not sure anything could be better than this moment. Nathan won his first derby and the woman I have been waiting for confessed the love she has for me — which reminds me. “You moved, huh?”
She snorts. “And got a new job, something that won’t put you in harm's way this time.”
Why does it feel so much better knowing I didn’t have to beg her to do any of those things, that she went and did them on her own? She didn’t know where we would end up, but that didn’t stop her from choosing to be close to us in case we found our way back to each other.
Somehow, I know the peace that washes over me as we head down the darkened highway is Renee’s way of telling me she’s happy for me and it makes everything better.
I’ve got something I never thought I’d get again, and I’m more than ready to make the most of it with my two favorite people by my side.
Chapter 30
Brent
Two Years Later
Is it normal to be this nervous? I’ve done this before and don’t remember feeling like this when I did. Nathan is smirking at me as he sips a cup of coffee, waiting for me to tell him what he needs to do, but I’m overthinking everything at the moment. The ring has been burning a hole in my pockets for the last three months, but now I’m finally ready to do something with it — I think.
It’s not that I’m having second thoughts, not at all. I love Sydney more than anything and no one could ever tell me different, but what if I do everything wrong and screw it up? I’m not sure I could forgive myself, even though I’m fairly certain she’d love it either way.
She’s been getting the guest house cleaned out after the last couple who stayed in it left for their honeymoon and I finally have a moment to think about how I want to pop the question.
“Dad, calm down,” Nathan mutters, and I glare at him. He chuckles and throws his hands up in the air, then leans over and whispers something into my granddaughter's ear.
Her giggles make every ounce of nerves fly somewhere far away as I watch the two of them together. I have to admit, when Nathan showed up on my doorstep a few months ago with a tight grip on a car seat, I was worried what this would do to him. Being a parent isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but he’s doing an amazing job and I couldn’t be more proud of him.
The last thing I wanted was for my son to become a dad at such a young age, especially when his career is just starting out, but we agreed on a schedule that would still let him chase his dreams. I’m also convinced that Sydney would’ve followed Nathan everywhere around the country until he handed this little girl over, the two of them are like peas in a pod.
To prove my point, my granddaughter’s gaze finds Sydney’s as soon as she walks through the back door, and a toothless grin takes over her entire face. Sydney smiles brightly at her, not even bothering to pay me any attention as she strolls through the kitchen and lifts Tatum from her seat. Tatum pushes her lips out and shoves her face into Sydney’s, only to make the woman I’m madly in love with giggle uncontrollably, and I smile at their interaction.
“Love you, Tater Tot,” Sydney says before placing her back in her seat, then she walks over to me with the same smile. “And I love you,” she says before placing her lips softly against my cheek. “I’m beat after cleaning up this time, think you could handle dinner tonight?”
“I can do it,” Nathan says loudly from the other side of the room. He gives a look as if I’m an idiot and I nod in response. “It will just be me and Tatum tonight anyway, you and Dad are going to have a nice night out together.”
Sydney jumps up in surprise, excitement shining in her eyes. “Are you sure? You know we don’t mind staying here and helping you out.” What she really means is that she can’t stand being away from Tatum for more than five minutes, but that’s the last thing she’ll admit in front of us.
Nathan chuckles. “I think I can handle taking care of my daughter, Syd.”
If Sydney is upset that Nathan never seemed to get into the habit of calling her mom, she never lets it show and I appreciate that more than anything else. “Well, I guess I’m going to get all dolled up for you. Prepare to be wowed, honey.”
As soon as she disappears upstairs, I turn my attention to Nathan with a raised brow. “What the hell are you doing? I’m not ready.”
“Yes, you are,” he says with a smile. “If you keep waiting, you’ll never be ready. I’m going to make you guys a nice meal, then set up the barn and bring everything out to you.”
“Are you sure I shouldn’t take her to a restaurant?”
He shakes his head. “Trust me, okay?”
I’m not sure how much I can trust him when it comes to anything involving relationships, considering the only form of one he has at the moment is with someone who wanted nothing to do with her child. How could someone drop off this adorable, dark-haired, blue-eyed baby and not feel an ounce of remorse while doing it? It’s beyond me, but I’ll never get over being able to love on her all the time.
Ever since Nathan started his career he’s purchased extra land for the ranch and built a house of his own on the property, placing the house right outside the lake where we used to ice skate. It’s going to be fun trying to teach Tatum how to skate in the future.
I nod anyway, trying not to let my mind get off track. Tonight is the night — that’s all I need to keep telling myself. “Okay, yeah, sure.” What do we do though? Do I put her in the truck and just drive around until Nathan gives me the okay to come back to the house?
As if sensing the burning question, Nathan pats my shoulder and lifts Tatum from her seat. “Don’t worry, just take Sydney out and act like you’re going somewhere neither of you have been yet. You’ll know when to come back.” He heads out the front door and leaves me standing in the middle of the kitchen alone, wondering what the hell I’m getting myself into trusting him with this.
