Page 48 of Before You Can Blink (Rust Canyon #4)

Jett

December

Drool and snot soaked through the fabric of my T-shirt thanks to the toddler sobbing uncontrollably in my arms.

“Da-da!” Reagan cried, the word coming out broken on a hiccup.

Bouncing her gently, I paced the confines of my bedroom in the middle of the night.

“Come on, Ray. You saw Daddy this afternoon in the hospital, remember? He has to stay with Mama and your little brother, but they’ll be home tomorrow.

If you go to sleep now, they might even be here when you wake up. ”

I was well aware that attempting to reason with a seventeen-month-old was futile, but she’d been at this for hours with no sign of stopping, and I’d tried just about everything else I could think of.

The minute we had walked out of that hospital room, she’d flipped her shit, trying to run back in, and throwing her body on the floor when we tried to guide her down the hall.

Then, Mac had gone and made it worse, popping his head back out at the sound of his daughter’s distress, and that turned the tantrum nuclear.

Unlike Cash, Reagan had never done an overnight at Gramma and Grampa’s house before.

She was firmly attached to her daddy, the pair of them inseparable.

I could only imagine how well it would go over when Aspen and Mac brought Bentley home and our granddaughter was forced to share her father’s attention.

“Give her here.” Daisy eased Reagan from my arms before speaking to the little girl. “Let’s go down and look at the Christmas lights. How’s that sound, sweetheart?”

“Dada!” she wailed in response.

Suddenly, I had a new level of sympathy for what my ma had gone through during those few weeks she’d attempted to watch Tripp as a baby. My ears were ringing, and I would do just about anything to make this unique brand of torture stop. I loved the girl, but it was enough to drive a person insane.

Trudging down the stairs behind my wife, I moved around her to plug in the tree.

The twinkling lights cast a soft glow throughout the room.

For a split second, Reagan was transfixed by the sight, but then she must’ve remembered the perceived injustice of being kept apart from her favorite person because the headache-inducing high-pitched screams were back in full force.

I hitched a thumb over my shoulder. “I’m gonna make us some coffee, seeing as I don’t think we’ll be getting much sleep tonight.”

“You’re probably right about that.” Daisy sighed, giving me a weary smile as she wrangled our upset granddaughter.

Not for the first time, I cursed the single-cup contraption my wife insisted was better than a standard coffee machine featuring a multi-serving pot.

While it might be nice for those who preferred fancy flavors, it took too damn long when you needed a damn gallon of the stuff.

And tonight, I wasn’t sure even that would be enough.

I was halfway to falling asleep standing when there was a knock at the back door.

Instantly, I went on high alert. If someone came knocking at this time of night, that meant something was wrong.

Bracing for the worst, I flung the door open, only to find a haggard-looking Mac on the other side. Hair sticking up in every direction, the kid looked like he’d gotten even less sleep than us, which made sense with Aspen’s induction the night before.

With bloodshot eyes, he shook his head. “I couldn’t do it.”

That’s when Reagan decided to let out the loudest “DADA!” of them all, and my son-in-law pushed past me, rushing toward his baby girl.

“Daddy’s here!”

Damn he moved fast for being dead on his feet.

Shutting out the chill, I followed—at a much slower pace—to where I knew Daisy and Reagan were.

By the time I got there, Reagan was already in her father’s arms, and though her cries had softened to whimpers, tears leaked from Mac’s eyes. He held her to his chest, whispering, “I’m so sorry. I’m never leaving you again.”

If he wasn’t careful, the man might create a monster, but that was a problem for another day.

For now, I was content to stand back and watch the heartwarming display of love between a father and his daughter.

I was beyond lucky to witness Mac and Tripp’s transformations from husbands to fathers. Some might say I was biased, but I happened to think they were some of the best at both roles .

It brought me peace to know that when my time on this earth was through, my family would be left in very capable hands.

April

“Ray, honey, come see what I built!”

Mac, like the big kid he was, had parked his ass in the center of the sandbox we’d just filled for the little ones, and was playing right alongside them.

With clunky, exaggerated footsteps, Reagan moved closer to her father’s creation before screaming, “Rawr!” and stomping all over it.

Jaw dropping, Mac stared at the destruction in shock. “Reagan!

I clamped a hand over my mouth in a piss-poor attempt to hide my smile, but Cash’s resulting giggles were too contagious, and soon all of us burst out laughing.

That reaction only served to spur Reagan on. Next, she clomped over to the castle Tripp had helped Cash build and demolished it as well.

Everyone went silent in anticipation of the ensuing outrage from the younger toddler, but instead, he shrieked in delight, clapping his pudgy hands and asking for more.

A hand landed on my forearm, and I turned to find a pregnant Penny by my side—their second baby was due this summer. “Aside from the amount of sand that’s bound to clog up our plumbing when we hose them down at the end of the day, this might be the best idea you’ve ever had, Jett. They love it.”

Warmth filled my chest. My family was happy and whole; there wasn’t anything more I wanted out of this life .

I smiled down at my daughter-in-law. “Figured it might be a good place for them to burn off some energy when Daisy’s got ’em by herself. Maybe by next summer, they’ll be ready for a playset.”

“Yeah, they need their own swings because I’m not sharing mine!” Tripp called out, rising from his crouch beside the wooden box.

Penny cupped a hand beside her mouth, stage whispering, “He was never very good at sharing.”

Bumping shoulders with her, I chimed in, “Probably because he’s still his mama’s bay-bee.”

Never in a million years could I have imagined the type of carefree, joking relationship I now shared with not only my son, but his wife.

But we’d all grown closer as result of me roping them in on the business operations, treating them as equals versus employees.

They were the future of this ranch, and I had to admit, their youthful enthusiasm was an incredible asset.

Tripp rolled his eyes, dusting his hands on his jeans. “Well, as much fun as the Gang Up on Tripp show has been, I’ve got to get back to it.” He bent down to kiss the top of Cash’s sandy head as the boy shoveled away. “See ya later, buddy.”

“Bye, Dada.” Cash flashed him the cheesiest grin, his blue eyes sparkling.

A lifetime of regrets rushed to the surface, and I blurted, “Stay.”

My son stopped dead in his tracks. “What?”

“You should stay. I’ll go.”

Tripp sighed. “Dad, you’re supposed to be stepping back.”

“This isn’t about me ceding control. This is me wishing I could have these moments back with you and your sister.

I missed so many of them, and I refuse to steal them from you.

” I jerked my chin toward where Cash sat playing, gazing lovingly at the little boy who had stolen my heart, along with his cousins.

“Enjoy them while they’re little, because before you can blink, they’re grown and you’re sitting there wondering where all the time has gone. ”

Forehead wrinkling, he looked at me, then back at his own son, like he was torn on what to do.

I clapped him on the shoulder. “The whole point of me working myself to the bone was so that you kids didn’t have to make the same sacrifices me and your mama made.

You have the advantage of a full crew, and you have me to share in the burden of running this place.

I would have killed to have someone to delegate to so I could enjoy dinner with my family and put my kids to bed every night. ”

Cocking an eyebrow, he challenged, “I remember someone barking up my ass that being the boss meant there was no time off.”

“That’s the funny thing about getting older.

With age comes a heavy dose of perspective.

I can see now that while I gave my employees days off, I never allowed myself to take a single one, for fear that they wouldn’t feel compelled to match my work ethic.

But beyond that, our situations are very different.

I was driven by the fear of what would happen if this ranch didn’t succeed, while you’ve inherited a fully functioning operation.

You should be able to enjoy the benefits of my hard work, and nothing would make me happier than for the biggest advantage to be that you’re able to give your children the kind of attention I wasn’t able to give you and Aspen. ”

Tripp swallowed, and his voice came out rough. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. Go play with your boy. Work will be waiting for you when he goes down for a nap.” I turned to Penny. “Same goes for you. I know how to get in touch in case of an emergency. ”

Penny failed to keep her emotions in check as twin tears rolled down her cheek. Rising on her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Thank you, Jett.”

I hummed. “You don’t need to thank me for doing what’s right.”

Sniffling, she shook her head. “Well, too bad for you, I’m gonna do it anyway.”

“Suit yourself. I’ll catch up with you two in a bit.”

Turning on my heel, I began to stalk toward the barn, but not before I caught sight of Daisy out of the corner of my eye, sitting in a deck chair beside Aspen, who had Bentley bouncing on her lap.

Eyes glistening, she mouthed, I love you.

Tipping my hat and smirking like I did that very first night on her doorstep, I mouthed back, Love you, too.

This was the future we always dreamed of—our family all living on this big piece of land and a bunch of grandchildren running around, as we handed over the reins to the next generation.

There wasn’t a single thing I would go back and do differently if this was the end result.