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“Fine.” If Brand wanted to mother-hen him he wasn’t going to complain.
“First, let’s do a field sobriety test. Recite the alphabet backward.”
“Fuck you, I can’t do that when I’m sober.”
Brand snickered. “Walk five paces heel to toe.”
Jackson did and nailed it, not a single wobble in his steps. “Want me to close my eyes and touch my finger to my nose, too, Officer Woods?”
“Nah. But if you so much as swerve onto the shoulder on the way back, I’ll blind you with my high beams until you pull over.”
“Understood.” He started to turn and walk to his truck, then paused. Brand had been a terrific friend tonight and Jackson hadn’t even asked. “Did you and Hugo talk about things yet?”
“A little bit, but then I got the call to come check on you. We’ll talk again when I go home. One thing I learned from my parents and their marriage is never go to bed angry or upset. We’ll get through this once the shock wears off.”
“I’m glad. Thank you, boss.”
“It’s what friends are for, Jackson.” Brand offered his hand and Jackson shook it.
He blasted the radio on the drive back home, using the noise and the chill from a half-open window to keep him awake. Dog was barking up a storm when he finally parked and got out of the truck. Brand idled nearby, and Jackson didn’t hear the engine moving away until after Dog raced outside and Jackson shut the door.
He inspected the room but didn’t see any wet spots on the carpet. When he let Dog back inside, he gave her a handful of treats from her special stash to say sorry. Sat on the carpet and scratched her ears the way she liked while she panted and watched him with soulful eyes that seemed to say she knew her daddy was upset.
Animals know.
“At least I’ve got you, girl,” he said. “Don’t ever change.”
Dog licked his hand. Jackson continued to pet her and tried not to think for a long time.
Wyatt was a hot mess and then some on Monday morning, and he tried to contain himself to his room so he didn’t irritate Ramie too much. His days off had taken on a beautiful routine of a late breakfast with Jackson, and today he wasn’t doing that. He was sipping coffee he probably didn’t need and practicing what he’d eventually say to Brand later today, when he finally talked himself into driving to the ranch.
As much as he wanted to put this off, to simply ignore it and hope it went away, he couldn’t. Jackson had given him an ultimatum last night: tell Brand today or Jackson would tell him tomorrow. And while the idea of telling Brand still scared him a little, the thought of Jackson being the one to do it scared him more. Wyatt wasn’t that sort of coward; he wouldn’t let someone else tell his truths for him.
He did waffle for hours on when exactly to do it, until Ramie said his pacing was driving her nuts. After a quick “shit or get off the pot” pep talk from her, he finally called Brand.
“Hey, what’s up?” Brand asked, answering after only two rings.
“Hi, um, are you around the ranch right now or out in the pastures?”
“Doing some office stuff today so I’m around. Everything okay?”
“Yeah.”No, not at all.“I was just, uh, hoping to have a chat with you in private this afternoon. About my progress and stuff.”
“Sure, if you want. We can talk tomorrow, too, when you’re on the schedule.”
“No, today is better. Um, one o’clock?”
“Yeah, that’s fine, I’ll be in my office. Is everything okay, Wyatt? You aren’t quitting, are you? Because Alan isn’t supposed to be back for another week or so.” The touch of humor in Brand’s tone kept Wyatt from overreacting to the comments.
“No, not quitting. See you at one.” He hung up without giving Brand a moment to reply. Wyatt stared at his phone. Part of him wanted to call Jared for advice about all this, but they hadn’t exactly been on the best of terms since the whole car break-in thing, and Wyatt still needed to mail that stupid roadside kit back to him. Whatever, it could wait until Wyatt figured out his private life and career.
Two things he was about to blow up in a few hours.
He typed and deleted several texts to Jackson composed of every possible combination of apologies and pleas for forgiveness. Nothing sounded right or like enough to properly express how he felt. He’d hurt Jackson on a soul-deep level, and Wyatt didn’t know how to apologize or atone for such a thing. Not in a way he thought Jackson would truly appreciate and embrace. If Wyatt didn’t do this right, he’d lose Jackson forever.
Jackson’s comments about Wyatt still being young, about relationships at his age not necessarily lasting filtered through his mind over and over while he waited. Wyatt sneered at the idea that this couldn’t last, that just because Wyatt was young he didn’t know his heart. He knew his heart. He loved Jackson, and he wouldn’t let the older man go without a fight. Maybe Wyatt was a kid compared to some of the men he worked with but he was no child.
Wyatt knew who and what he wanted. He just had to confess to his bio dad first.
