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“Thank you.”
Joey put Finn next to J.T. and took the seat next to Sawyer as he pulled it back for her.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
While they ate, J.T. told them all about the trail ride with some help from Finn. Joey was quiet, and he assumed she was feeling a little overwhelmed being with the whole family. He knew she still felt they all hated her.
But they’d all been quite understanding and accepting of her. Which he was thankful for. It’d make getting to know Finn a lot easier. But that’s how his family was. And Joey should know that. Although none of them approved of what she did. They’d never let it interfere with the relationships they were all trying to build with Finn. He supposed it’d take time for Joey to realize they were willing to move on and let the past be the past. He knew they could all do it. He just wasn’t totally convinced he could.
After dinner, J.T. walked Joey and Finn to her car.
She smiled at him when they reached it. “Thank you for a really special day.”
“My pleasure.”
“Your family is as great as I remember them.” She put Finn into the backseat, then opened her car door. J.T. put a hand on her arm.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said all afternoon. About almost turning around the day you left.”
She nodded.
“I wish you had. I would’ve opened the door.”
“Even after all the horrible things I said to you?”
“I said some pretty horrible things to you, too.”
She looked at him for a moment. “Are we going to be okay, J.T.? We can do this, right? Work together to raise Finn.”
“Yeah. We can.”
She stepped toward him and hugged him. “Thank you.”
He took a step back. “I’ll see you in a few days. Sage has volunteered to help you out at the house. So, maybe I’ll bring her by when we get done checking the fences.”
“I’d like that. And I’d appreciate the help.”
“Well, I want to get you up and running as soon as possible. I think it’ll be better for everyone.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out some folded bills. “I almost forgot. Here’s five hundred dollars. It should keep you in food for a few days.”
She shook her head. “I really don’t feel right taking this from you.”
He took her hand and put the money into it. “Consider it back child support. The way I see it, I owe you about five years’ worth.”
“Thank you.”
“I don’t want you working at the bar to support yourself. Not that I have a say in what you do. I just think your time will be better spent working on the house.”
“I agree. I actually hate working at the bar.” She smiled. “I’ve gotten pretty good at darts, though.”
“Hmm. I’ll have to see that to believe it.”
“I probably still can’t beat you. But I could definitely beat Sage. And probably Sawyer.”
“When he gets back from Missoula, we’ll have to go out and give that a shot.”
“Do you think your dad and Ember would babysit?”
