Page 93 of Owned By The Cowboy

I hear the front door open, which means he just walked into my house without knocking.

“Regina?” His voice echoes through the hallway. “Where are you?”

I take a deep breath and walk out to meet him. He’s standing in the living room, looking around like he’s inventorying everything.

“Hello, Richard.”

“Regina.” He gives me that smile that used to make my knees weak and now just makes me tired. “You look good. Country life agrees with you.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to see my children. And to talk to you.”

“You could’ve called first.”

“I did, if you recall correctly.” I sigh. He’s still looking around the room. “Nice place. Very… rustic.”

“What do you want, Richard?”

“I want my family back.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. “Excuse me?”

“I made a mistake, Regina. A huge one. And I want to fix it.”

“You made a mistake?”

“Yes. It was stupid, meaningless. I ended it.”

“You ended it?”

“Months ago. The second I realized what I was throwing away.”

I stare at him, trying to process what he’s saying. “You threw us away, Richard. You chose a fling over your family.”

“I know. And I regret it every day.”

“Good for you,” I tell him, crossing my arms, not giving him an inch.

“Baby, I’m serious. I want us to try again. I want our family back together.”

“Our family… back together?” I stutter, in shock at this man’s audacity.

“Yes, sweetheart. You’re living in the middle of nowhere with some stranger…”

Oh, don’t go there, buddy. “Blayne’s not a stranger.”

“He is to our children.”

I scoff. “He’s definitely not a stranger to the kids.”

“How can you say that? You’ve known him for what, a few months?”

“I’ve known him for years, Richard. He’s a good man.”

“And I’m your husband.”

“You’re my ex-husband. And right now, you’re trespassing. You want to see your children? You should have called first, not drop off and ambush me in our new home.”