Page 69 of Owned By The Cowboy

“Oh my God, baby! That’s amazing!” I want to hug him, but I’m still not sure I’m not contagious.

“Coach said I’ve got good instincts,” he continues. “And good field vision.”

“He’s being modest,” Blayne says. “Coach pulled me aside and said Jaylen’s got real talent. Said he hasn’t seen a kid read defenses like that in years.”

I look around the table, at Jaylen glowing with pride, Nia and Annalise beaming at their brother, Blayne looking like he’s as proud as if Jaylen was his son, and something in my chest cracks open.

This man dropped everything to take care of my sick child. Today he dropped everything to take care of me and my family. He went to Jaylen’s tryouts like it was the most important thing in the world. He’s sitting at my kitchen table helping with homework like he belongs here. Like he’s ours.

“So,” Blayne says, standing up and stretching his long, strong body. “I was thinking we should celebrate.”

“We could order pizza,” Annalise suggests hopefully.

“Actually,” Blayne replies with a grin, cupping her smooth cheek. “I was thinking something bigger. There’s that new family fun center in Salinas that just opened. They have mini golf, an arcade, go-karts. What do you think?”

“Really?” Jaylen lights up.

“Really. But only if your mom’s feeling up to it.”

All three kids turn to look at me with hopeful expressions.

“I’m feeling much better,” I say, which is true. “But are you sure? You’ve already done so much today…”

“Babe, stop. I want to. We all deserve some fun.”

“Can we go now?” Annalise bounces in her chair.

“Let me get cleaned up first,” I say. “And maybe eat something that isn’t toast.”

“We can leave in an hour, yeah?”

The kids scatter to get ready, chattering excitedly, and I realize this is about to be our first real family outing.

Nineteen

Blayne

An hour later, I’m loading Reggie and the kids into my truck and wondering when my life became this beautiful mess. There was a time when the idea of spending my Friday night at a family fun center would’ve sounded like hell. Now I’m looking forward to it.

“Shotgun!” Jaylen calls out.

“You can’t call shotgun when Mama’s here,” Nia protests. “She gets the front seat.”

“Actually,” Reggie says, “I’m fine in the back. Jaylen earned shotgun today.”

She’s wearing jeans that perfectly hug her curves and a green sweater that brings out her brown eyes. Her hair’s down, falling in waves past her shoulders, and even though she was sick all day, she looks amazing. The most beautiful woman in theworld. And I have to force myself to focus on backing out of the driveway instead of staring at her.

“Everyone buckled?” I ask, checking the rearview mirror.

“Yes, Dad,” Annalise says with a giggle.

The word stops everyone cold for a second. Annalise doesn’t seem to realize what she said, but the rest of us definitely noticed. Reggie’s eyes meet mine in the mirror, and there’s something there I can’t read. Something soft and maybe a little scared.

“All right,” I say, clearing my throat. “Let’s go celebrate.”

The drive to Salinas takes about twenty minutes, and I spend most of it listening to the kids argue about what we’re gonna do first while stealing glances at Reggie in the rearview mirror. She has her head tilted back against the seat, and every time she laughs at something one of the kids says, her face lights up. Makes me want to pull over and kiss her silly.

“You feeling okay?” I ask during a lull in the conversation.