Page 13 of Jack of All Trades (The Morrison Brothers #4)
Four years later
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"
I adjust my hold on our daughter as she bounces excitedly on my hip, her little cowboy hat threatening to fall off with each enthusiastic jump. At two years old, Lily Morrison is already her father's biggest fan and today is no exception.
"Yes, sweetie, Daddy's coming up soon," I tell her, brushing back a strand of dark hair that has escaped from under her hat.
Hair she inherited from me, along with my green eyes.
Everything else about her is pure Jack, from her fearless personality to the dimple in her left cheek that appears when she smiles.
"How's my favorite niece doing?" Rex asks, reaching over to tickle Lily's stomach. She giggles and squirms in my arms, reaching for her uncle.
"Uncle Wex!" she squeals, her inability to pronounce his name correctly only making it more endearing.
Rex takes her from me, settling her on his shoulders where she can see over the crowd. His girlfriend rubs her swollen belly beside him, smiling at their interaction. At seven months pregnant for the second time, she's glowing with that special radiance that only expectant mothers seem to possess.
Their son is with one of the Outlaw Order’s couples. They’re Rex’s family too and he trusts them with his life. Especially when he was crazy enough to date their president’s daughter.
"Nervous?" Rex asks me, nodding toward the arena where preparations for the final round are underway.
"Always," I admit. "But he's got this. He's been training for months."
Four years ago, if someone had told me I'd be standing here—married to Jack Morrison, mother to his daughter, another baby on the way, and owner of Pine Haven's most successful daycare center—I would have laughed in their face. But life has a funny way of surprising you when you least expect it.
After Rex's birthday party, things moved quickly between Jack and me.
I extended my "visit" in Pine Haven by another month, then officially moved to town two months after that.
Jack helped me secure the old Watson building for my daycare, and with some investment from Michael Morrison (who insisted it was just "good business sense" to support local entrepreneurs), Pine Haven Little Explorers opened six months after I first set foot in town.
Jack proposed on the one-year anniversary of the day we met, getting down on one knee in the middle of the rodeo arena after winning a competition. It was so publicly dramatic, so quintessentially Jack, that I couldn't help but say yes through tears of laughter and joy.
We were married three months later in the backyard of the Morrison family home, under the same oak tree where we'd first really talked. Lily came along nine months after that, turning our world upside down in the best possible way.
Through it all, Jack has continued competing in rodeo, though he's scaled back to regional competitions that don't take him too far from home for too long.
The promise he made to Rex that day, to give up rodeo if he ever hurt me, has become something of a family legend, though one that's never been close to being enacted.
Today's competition is special, though. The Montana State Championship, held right here in Pine Haven for the first time.
Jack has made it to the final round, currently sitting in second place by just two points.
One good ride on the infamous bull they call Midnight Destroyer, and the championship is his.
"Announcer says Jack's up in ten minutes," Rex tells me, checking the program. "You want Lily back?"
"Keep her for now," I say, grateful for the momentary break.
At five months pregnant with our second child, I'm starting to feel the extra weight when carrying our energetic toddler. "She can see better from up there anyway."
The announcer's voice booms through the speakers, introducing the next competitor. The crowd roars as a rider from Wyoming manages a respectable six seconds before being thrown. Not enough to take the lead.
"Jack Morrison is up next, folks!" the announcer calls, and my heart rate immediately kicks up several notches. "Our hometown hero, currently in second place, needs a score of 85 or better to take the championship!"
"Daddy's turn!" Lily claps her hands from her perch on Rex's shoulders. "Daddy ride the bull!"
I can't help but smile at her enthusiasm, even as my stomach twists with the familiar anxiety I feel whenever Jack competes.
It never gets easier watching the man I love climb onto the back of an animal specifically bred to throw riders off.
But I've learned to manage it, to trust in his skill and experience.
The crowd hushes as Jack appears at the chute, easily recognizable in his blue shirt and black hat.
The same hat he was wearing the day we met.
He catches sight of us in the family section and tips his hat, then points directly at Lily and blows her a kiss.
She squeals with delight, waving frantically.
"Your daddy's showing off," I tell her, though she's too excited to pay attention.
Jack settles himself on the massive black bull, wrapping the rope around his hand. His face shifts into that mask of concentration I've come to know so well. All distractions falling away as he finds his center, his balance point.
He nods once, and the gate swings open.
Midnight Destroyer lives up to his name, exploding from the chute with a violence that makes me gasp.
The bull twists and bucks, his powerful body contorting in ways that seem impossible for an animal that size.
But Jack stays with him, matching each movement, his free arm high above his head, his body perfectly in sync with the bull's attempts to throw him.
Three seconds pass. Four. Five.
The bull makes a particularly vicious spin, and for a heart-stopping moment, I think Jack is going to lose his seat. But he adjusts instantly, finding his balance again, moving with the bull instead of against it, just like he told me that night at the fairgrounds four years ago.
Six seconds. Seven.
The crowd is counting along now, the tension building with each number. Lily joins in, though her counting jumps from "five" to "eight" with nothing in between.
"Eight!" The buzzer sounds, and the arena erupts in cheers as Jack releases his grip and pushes off, landing on his feet several yards away from the still-bucking bull.
"He did it!" I find myself jumping up and down despite my pregnant state, tears of pride and relief streaming down my face. "He stayed on!"
The score flashes on the board: 89 points. More than enough to take the championship.
Jack pumps his fist in the air, acknowledging the cheers with the same charismatic smile that first caught my attention four years ago. But instead of lingering in the arena to bask in the adulation, he jogs straight to the fence where we're waiting.
"Daddy won! Daddy won!" Lily chants as Rex lowers her to the ground. She runs to the fence, arms outstretched.
Jack vaults over the barrier and scoops her up, spinning her around as she shrieks with laughter. Then he turns to me, his eyes bright with triumph and love.
"What did you think?" he asks, as he always does after a competition.
"Dangerous and foolish," I reply with our customary exchange, unable to keep the smile from my face. "But I can see why people watch."
He laughs, pulling me close with his free arm, careful of my growing belly. "Love you, Maya Morrison."
"Love you too, champion." I rise on tiptoes to kiss him, ignoring the whistles and cheers from the crowd.
As we pull apart, Jack kneels to place a gentle hand on my stomach. "And how's our little cowboy doing in there?"
"Could be a cowgirl," I remind him, though we've agreed to be surprised with this one, just as we were with Lily.
"Either way, they've got the best seat in the house," Jack says with a wink, making me laugh despite myself.
Rex approaches with his girlfriend, slapping Jack on the back in congratulation. "Not bad, Morrison. Though I think that landing was a little shaky."
"Critics," Jack sighs dramatically. "No respect for artistry."
As they fall into their usual good-natured banter, I take a moment to simply observe this life we've built. My successful daycare business. Our growing family. The home we've made in Jack's childhood house, now filled with new memories and fresh laughter.
Four years ago, I came to Pine Haven for a short visit, guarded and skeptical, convinced that small-town life and happily-ever-afters weren't for me. Now I can't imagine being anywhere else, with anyone else.
Jack catches my eye over Lily's head and gives me that special smile that still makes my heart race—the one that says he knows exactly what I'm thinking and feels the same way.
Some risks are worth taking. Some chances are worth the leap of faith. And sometimes, finding your balance means letting yourself fall into love, into family, into the life you never knew you wanted until it was right in front of you.
As Jack Morrison's wife, I've learned that lesson well. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Thank you for reading it!