Page 35 of Before You Can Blink (Rust Canyon #4)

Jett

September

One year down toward Daisy’s master’s degree, one more to go.

In all my life, I couldn’t recall twelve months stretching quite so long before.

I was used to spending summers apart from my family. It was the changes that came during the other three seasons that really hit hard.

To accommodate Daisy’s school schedule, I called it quits early on the nights she had class, so I could be there for the kids, get them fed, and ensure their homework was completed before bedtime. On the nights she was home, I worked late to compensate.

The only time I saw my wife was in the mornings, when she was still asleep, as I slipped out of our bedroom to start my day before dawn.

Every day, I repeated over and over in my head that this was temporary, a blip in the timeline of our story that, someday, would seem like a distant memory .

Caroline had been an absolute godsend this past year. She was available to the kids during the summer if they needed anything, but more than that, she made sure they got home from school each day and always left a casserole dish in our fridge that could be heated up when dinnertime rolled around.

Pulling today’s steaming-hot offering from the oven, I placed it atop a trivet set in the center of the kitchen table before hollering, “Aspen! Tripp! Food’s up!”

I’d just finished setting the table when Tripp moseyed in. Noticing he was alone, I ordered, “Fetch your sister.”

Instead of turning around to do as I’d asked, he took a seat. “Said she isn’t coming down.”

Hands on my hips, I asked, “And why not?”

“Dunno.” He shrugged. “She’s locked herself in the bathroom.”

A loud groan spilled from my lips. One of the kids getting sick was the absolute last thing I needed while in the throes of single parenting.

“All right.” I dusted my hands on my pants. “Go ahead and get started before it gets cold. I’m gonna head upstairs to see what’s going on with Aspen.”

I didn’t need to tell that boy twice. He dug into the dish of baked ziti, shoveling giant forkfuls into his mouth so fast it was a wonder he didn’t burn his tongue. Kid was growing like a weed and was always hungry.

Letting out a deep exhale, I trudged up the steps, slipping into Aspen’s bedroom and knocking on the door to the bathroom she shared with her brother. “Aspen, honey, you feeling okay?”

A sniffle sounded through the wood. “Go away.”

Right. Like that was going to happen.

“Sweetheart, can you please unlock the door? I can’t help you if you don’t let me in. ”

“I don’t want you to come in here!” My sweet girl’s voice rose in panic.

My forehead came to rest on the door. “Why not?”

More sniffles came before a stifled sob. “B-because there’s blood.”

I straightened immediately. “Aspen, if you’re hurt—”

“I’m not hurt.”

A rush of air left my lungs. “Okay . . . then what’s the problem, and why is there blood?”

There was a muffled scream. “God, this is so embarrassing.”

“Aspen, I changed your diapers. Whatever it is, I’m sure I can handle it.”

“Doubtful,” she muttered. There was a long pause before she finally admitted, “I got my period.”

“Oh.”

Well, fuck me. I was not equipped to handle this.

“You, uh, don’t have anything in there to take care of it?” I cringed as soon as the words left my mouth. Yeah, I was already botching the hell out of this.

“No!” she cried. “This has never happened before!”

Right. Shoulda figured that, considering she’d locked herself in the bathroom.

“I’ll see what I can rustle up from your mama’s supplies. You stay right here.”

“Where else am I gonna go?” Sarcasm colored her words.

Hustling my ass to the master suite, I dropped to my knees before the sink, digging through the cabinet until I found what I was looking for. Grabbing a handful of the individually wrapped sticks, I rushed back to where my daughter was waiting.

I knocked gently. “Okay. You’re gonna need to crack the door open now, so I can pass these over.”

“Fine,” she huffed a split second before I heard the lock disengage .

Averting my eyes, I completed the handoff. Unsure of what to do, I waited there, praying I hadn’t added an extra layer of emotional trauma.

“What am I supposed to do with these?” she asked.

Completely out of my depth, I dragged a hand down my face. “I don’t know. You just shove ’em in there.”

Horrified, she shouted, “Shove them in where?!”

“Please don’t make me say it,” I groaned, sagging against the wall.

Thankfully, my daughter granted me mercy. “Can you call Mrs. Crawford? She’ll know what to do.”

Now, that sounded like an excellent idea. “Yep! I’m on it. Sit tight.”

Rushing down the stairs and into the kitchen, I grabbed the phone and began to dial the number that would connect me with Rose.

Tripp craned his neck. “What’s going on?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I snapped.

“Hello?” The feminine voice sounded like salvation.

I tugged on the back of my neck. “Hey, Rose. We’ve kinda got a situation over here and was hoping you might be able to help us out.”

“Sure. What can I do for you this evening, Jett?”

“Uh, you see . . . Aspen kinda started . . .” Damn, this was almost more awkward than talking about it with the thirteen-year-old upstairs. “To tell you the truth, Rose, it’s that time of the month and I’m at a loss.”

Rose hummed knowingly. “I’m assumin’ it’s her first time?”

“That’s the impression I’m getting. She’s locked herself in the bathroom, and asked if I could call you since Daisy’s not due home for hours.”

“Of course. Bex and I will be right over.”

“Appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it. See you soon.”

We hung up, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d never been more grateful for good friends who treated your kids like their own.

The light was flipped on inside the kitchen, and I squinted against the sudden brightness.

“Jett?” My wife’s confused voice reached my ears. “What are you doing sitting here in the dark when you should already be in bed?”

My hair was no doubt a tousled mess from the countless times I’d run my fingers through the short strands, but still the digits twitched, eager to do it again.

Inhaling through my nose, I released the breath through my mouth. “Aspen. She’s a woman now.” I’d known my baby girl was growing up for a while, but today really drove that point home.

Footsteps sounded as Daisy moved further into the room. “Wasn’t she always?”

Wishing with all my might I could turn back the clock and go back to the simpler days when her tiny body was small enough to fit in both my hands, I shook my head. “Not the kind that can make babies of her own.”

“Oh.” The word was said softly as understanding dawned.

After a beat of silence, giggles sounded, and my head snapped up.

“Not sure what’s so funny,” I snapped, my irritation leaking through.

“Sorry.” Daisy brought a hand to her mouth. “I shouldn’t laugh. It’s just, I can’t imagine it was easy for you to be the one here to handle it.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” A shudder ran through me at the memory of my daughter asking exactly what she was supposed to do with those tampons .

“Oh, honey. I’m sure you did the best you could.” Wrapping her arms around me from behind, Daisy pressed a kiss to my cheek. “But I should probably go up and check on her to make sure you didn’t do any permanent psychological damage.”

When she began to pull away, I said, “She’s over at Rose’s, having a sleepover with Bex.”

“Ah. Called in reinforcements. Smart.” My wife dropped onto the chair opposite mine.

I shrugged. “Can’t take all the credit. It was Aspen’s idea once she realized I was in over my fucking head.”

“Either way, I’m glad she had someone there for her when I couldn’t be.” She let out a heavy sigh, betraying that the time spent away from the kids was weighing on her.

Grabbing her hand across the table, I gave it a squeeze. “It’s just unlucky this all happened on one of the nights you had class. Don’t be getting in your head over it.”

Daisy’s lips twisted to the side. “Hard not to.”

“Right now, it feels like a big deal that you missed out on this milestone with our girl, but it’s more important for you to show her she can be strong, smart, and independent in chasing a career.

If that’s something she wants, of course.

A part of me hopes she’ll want to stay here with us forever, but I know she’s destined for bigger things than this ranch has to offer, and you’re the one out there blazing a path that she’s sure to follow. ”

“You’re right. It’s just hard, you know?” Her lower lip trembled.

“Can’t appreciate the easy days if you never have to fight through the hard ones.” Chair legs scraped against hardwood as I stood. “Come here.”

Daisy burrowed her face into my chest, and her arms tightened around me, our embrace serving to bring us both comfort .

Peeking up at me through wet black lashes, she said, “You know what this means, don’t you?”

“That I need to have my shotgun at the ready for all the fools who think they can get within six feet of our daughter?”

“No.” My wife rolled her eyes.

“Then what?”

She grimaced. “You should probably have the talk with Tripp.”

Stepping back suddenly, I shook my head violently. “Nope. No way.”

Daisy threw both hands on her hips, her eyes narrowing. “It falls to you as his father, Jett.”

My eyes drifted shut, and a rumble rolled through my chest. “Fine. I’ll take him out the next time we bring in the studs.”

“Jett!”

“What? Can’t beat a real-life demonstration of where everything’s supposed to go. It’s a hell of a lot more than I got from my father.”

She scoffed. “Don’t remind me that your own sexual education was so lacking you didn’t know I could still get pregnant if you pulled out.”

“Hey!” I pointed a finger in her direction. “That kid wouldn’t even be here if I’d known.”

“Make sure you lead with that.” Her voice deepened as she tried to imitate mine.

“‘Listen here, Tripp. The only reason you exist is because someone didn’t properly explain to me how babies can be made. But since I’m a coward who’s too uncomfortable to share those details with you, go ahead and spread your seed all over town and hope nothing comes of it. ’”

“I don’t sound like that.”

A loud snort sounded. “Sure, let’s fixate on that instead of the part where you’re refusing to sit our son down to discuss the changes that are about to happen to his body, and how to be safe when he inevitably ends up in bed with a girl. ”

Both of my hands came up to scrub my face. How in the hell had this gotten turned around on me?

Exhaustion settled deep in my bones. “If I promise to take care of it, can we go to bed? It’s been a long day.”

She shot me a sharp look. “You gonna keep that promise?”

Did I want to? No.

Would I? Yes, even if the mere thought of discussing the intricacies of sex with my son was enough to give me hives.

“We’ve been together for seventeen years. Have I ever broken a promise in all that time?”

“No,” Daisy grudgingly admitted.

“And I’m not about to start now,” I vowed, closing the space between us.

Sliding an arm around her waist, I guided her toward the steps as she murmured, “Even if you’re a stubborn ass sometimes, I still love you.”

Only God knew why, because I sure as hell didn’t deserve her.