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"If a girl sends you a pink heart, what does it mean?" I ask Joey as I walk into the bunkhouse and Mariah's message comes through.
Joey looks up from the boot he's polishing. "I dunno, man. Maybe she likes pink?" He chuckles, clearly joking.
I shake my head, a small smile playing on my lips. "No, it's gotta mean something more than that."
He sets down his boot and brush to give me his full attention. "Well, Clarky-boy, I'm no expert in those emoji things, but I reckon it means she's smitten with you. But after what I witnessed out in the field today, I'd think you already know that part." He goes back to start polishing, then freezes with just the brush in his hand. "Unless you've got some other girl on the hook, too?"
"What? No. Hell no! Why would you even ask me that?" I scoff, grabbing a beer from the fridge.
Joey takes a moment to observe me, as if he's studying my reaction. "OK, OK, man. No need to get your feathers ruffled. Just checkin' so I know what girl we're talking about."
"Mariah. There's only Mariah."
"OK. So if this pink heart came from Mariah, then it means she likes you plenty." He lifts his boot and starts buffing the tip. "Why're you overthinking it so much?"
I sit across from him and stare at the single heart again. "Because it was in response to me saying, I love you."
The brush clatters to the ground and Joey gapes at me. "Damn, son. You said it already? Andfirst?"
I nod slowly, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety. "Yeah, I did. Twice now."
"And she hasn't said it back?"
"No. Just this heart." I lift my phone and show him briefly. He sits back and blows out a steady breath.
"Good for you, man," Joey says after retrieving his brush from the floor. "Most guys wouldn't have the guts to go there so soon. But sometimes, when it comes to feelin's, you just gotta take the bull by the horns and see what happens. I guess now all you gotta do is wait for her to catch up."
"That's what I figured," I say, pretending to be nonchalant as I take a swig of beer. But inside, my heart is racing and as I re-read over the conversation, I can't help wondering if maybe this work emergency is more about putting as much space between us than it is about actual work. Still, a heart emoji isn't a no, but it's not exactly, 'I love you too,' either.
Patience, Clark.
As much as I want the start of us to be a sprint, I know that building a life together is more of a marathon. And if I want a real shot with this amazing woman, I'll need to come clean about my true identity sooner rather than later. I've been dragging my feet on it for too long, using Mariah's skittishness as a shield. But it's a secret I can no longer keep, a deception I can't maintain. While my family ties don't change who I am as a person, Mariah deserves to know I'm a Calloway before this goes further. She needs someone who's fully open and available to her, and thatincludes telling her exactly who I am and why I chose to walk away.
As I finish my beer, Joey tries to distract me with small talk about the weather and field rotations, but at the same time, I resolve to tell Mariah everything about my past when she returns. If I want her to say those three magic words back to me, she'll need to know everything. I just hope finding out who my family is doesn't change how she feels about me.
Doubt doesn't get much of a chance to creep in before the thump of helicopter blades cuts through the air outside. Joey and I both freeze, getting up and looking out the window at the sound.
"What the hell?" Joey mutters at the same moment my stomach drops and I watch in dismay as a sleek chopper emblazoned with the Calloway crest touches down near the barn. "Why is there a Calloway helicopter here?"
There's only one reason a Calloway anything would show up here—because my father figured out where I am.Fuck.A lump forms in my throat as we head outside. Ranch hands emerge from all corners, murmuring curiously. Alarm spikes when I recognize my father's right-hand man, Miles, climbing out, his tie whipping wildly against the wind. His eyes zero in on me, and suddenly, the one thing I was hiding is front and center for everyone to see.Crap.
"He's comin' over here," Joey commentates, looking between Miles and me. "Clark. Why's some guy from that bottom-feedin' corporation comin' over here?"
I swallow hard as I look at him. "I'm sorry," I utter, shaking my head slowly.
"What?" Joey frowns. But he doesn't get the chance to ask anything more before Miles comes to a stop in front of us.
"Clark, your father has requested you home as a matter of urgency."
"I don't give a damn what my father wants. I'm not goin'," I say, moving to walk away.
But Miles steps forward, blocking my path, his cold ice-blue eyes boring into mine. "This isn't a request, Clark. It's an order from Mr. Calloway himself. He needs his son by his side. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't an emergency."
Stunned whispers ripple through the crowd. Joey looks at me like I just knifed him in the back.
"His son? That's your dad? You're Calloway's son?" Joey shakes his head. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"
Knowing I'm damned if I go and damned if I don't at this point, I mumble that it's a long story and follow Miles to the helicopter. Everything I worked for, the life I fought so hard to achieve off my own back, is now completely blown out of the water. This had better be a genuine emergency, because these men willneverlook at me the same again.
